There was something wrong Tuesday night in the gym at West Lowndes High School, and everyone knew what it was.

Hickory Flat looked like West Lowndes, while the Panthers looked lost. 

And then came halftime.

Fredrick Rice, Decamby Willis and Josh Franklin each scored 14 points, but it was the West Lowndes defense that rose up and took control during the second half, allowing just 14 points after intermission and racing past the Rebels 61-45 in the first round of the MHSAA Class 1A tournament.

“We knew we had to get after it,” Panthers coach Michael Huffman said. “They surprised us with their quickness. They were quicker than we thought they were, and we had to adjust. Once we adjusted, we settled down on offense and played defense, which is what we needed to do and do all the time.”

It sounds simple when a coach says it, and, after struggling to assert themselves for the first 16 minutes, the Panthers made it look simple as well.

West Lowndes led 3-2 on a corner 3 from Rice at the 6:38 mark of the first quarter, then didn’t seize the lead again until Elijah Johnson was fouled while putting in a layup off of a wild scramble for the ball midway through the third. The free throw made it 38-35, and after spending almost 19 minutes playing catch-up, the Panthers took off.

Suddenly, everything was working. West Lowndes reeled off 10 consecutive points twice; the second time was capped by Rice driving to the hoop on three consecutive possessions: making an easy layup on a pass from Jamarveion Seals, hitting 1 of 2 free throws after taking a pass from Willis and finally taking another long pass from Willis and converting a three-point play for a 53-39 lead.

The Rebels looked as if they had no idea what hit them. Over the course of a quarter and a half, a 6-point lead disappeared and was replaced by a 14-point deficit.

“They knew from the scouting report that we were a pretty good defensive team,” Huffman said. 

Kowing that and doing something about it are two very different things, and the Rebels could get no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

The first half gave no hint that would be the case, as Hickory Flat played smart, aggressive basketball. Senior Drew Wilson led an offense that was perfectly happy to push the ball up the floor, make rapid-fire passes and attack the rim.

A personal 7-point run by Wilson gave the Rebels an early 15-9 lead while showing off the versatility of his game. The points came from a fast-break layup, an open 3-pointer on a kick-out and a soft dunk after an intercepted pass on the other end. 

But Wilson would score just one basket in each of the next three quarters, finishing with 14 points.

“Second half, we were able to corral No. 21 (Wilson),” Huffman said. “No. 21 is their key, and I was proud of Josh Franklin for doing a great job on him man-to-man.”

Willis pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds and also dished off 3 assists. Johnson finished with 7 rebounds and 3 steals to go along with 9 points as the Panthers outscored the Rebels 34-14 during the second half.

“This was playoff basketball,” Huffman said.

The Panthers have more playoff basketball in their future. The win sends West Lowndes into a second-round matchup at 7 p.m. Saturday at Ingomar. The Falcons advanced with a 65-51 win over Falkner on Tuesday night.

READER FAVORITES

• 

  Mississippi State baseball adds 2 more pieces in the portal

  By Jake McMahon • 2 days ago

• 

  Lions’ offensive coordinator Cade Wilkerson promoted to athletic director

  By Jared Conerly • 2 days ago

• 

  Transfer portal tracker: Who’s in, who’s out?

  By Jake McMahon • 23 hours ago

• 

  SEC releases MSU men’s basketball conference matchups

  By Jake McMahon • 2 days ago