Madison Central High School senior Leroy Buchanan admits one of his worst offensive performances this season came last month in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 3 home win over Columbus.
Unfortunately for the Falcons, Buchanan was not off again Friday night.
With a game-high 25 points, including seven of his team’s first nine points, Buchanan and younger brother Marquiez Buchanan put on a dominating performance as Madison Central completed the regular season series sweep with a 59-46 win at the Columbus Gym.
“Last time (against Columbus in a 66-58 win), my shot was not falling,” Leroy Buchanan said. “Tonight was totally different because I felt good. After the first couple of shots, I knew this was going to be a good night. I felt like I let my teammates down last time around, so I couldn’t let that happen again. Being on the road, I needed to have this kind of game.”
Madison Central (10-5, 2-0 region) scored the game’s first seven points. The Buchanan brothers teamed up for the team’s first 11 points.
The Jaguars quickly built a 15-10 lead after one quarter. The lead stretched to double digits early in the second quarter and never wavered.
“Easily, the best game we have played all year,” Madison Central coach Gerald Glass said. “Obviously, you want it to happen in region play. On the road is nice as well. The kids really came out with a focus and intensity. Our ball movement was the best it has been all year. The rebounding though was the difference. Columbus is huge. They have all kinds of size. For us to bang down there, block out and do what we did on the boards, well that is exciting.”
Back-to-back baskets by Robert Woodard kept Columbus (11-4, 1-3) close in the early stages of the third quarter (down 27-21). However, the slow start really kept the Falcons from doing the things they wanted.
“The first four minutes were huge,” Columbus coach Sammy Smith said. “Credit Madison Central for coming ready to play. They attacked early. They really responded with the first big attack of the game and we were on our heels most of the night. You can’t be timid in this game. You have to come out ready to go. We competed and played hard, but Madison Central did a lot of things really well.”
Sophomore Javion Jordan had 11 points, five rebounds and six assists for the Jaguars.
“We were out there trying to have fun,” Jordan said. “We knew their size from the first time we played. So rebounding was the key. We had five guys ready to block out on just about every shot in the game. That was really good. Winning district games on the road is really big for this team. It will give us some confidence because we have some big games ahead.”
Woodard had scored 25 points last week’s win over New Hope. Only a freshman, he has quickly become the focal point of the Columbus offense. The Jaguars knew this and did their best to limit his touches.
Woodard still overcame the double-team attention to score a game-high 17 points. Columbus could not overcome a stretch of eight missed free throws in the second quarter and a series of turnovers against Madison Central’s trap in the third quarter.
Cameron Douglas had 10 points for the Falcons. However, Columbus was plagued by a minus-10 difference in the rebounding category.
“Madison Central really got the critical rebounds,” Smith said. “When they are shooting the way, they were, you really can’t give them more than one shot.
“There is still a lot of basketball left for this team and we are young. Even though we are 1-3 in the district, we are getting ready for a strong finish. The guys aren’t going to lie down after a defeat like this. They are going to come back out fighting. We just have to have more attention to detail.”
Columbus girls 41, Madison Central 37: In the opener, the Lady Falcons rallied from a 13-2 first-quarter deficit to also complete a regular season series sweep.
“Really proud of this win,” Columbus coach Yvonne Hairston said. “We started slow but the kids kept battling. We have gone through a lot of things this season so I am awfully proud to be 3-1 in region play. This was another good win for us.”
Columbus (8-7, 3-1 region) has played without three regular of late due to injury. Thus, the Lady Falcons have counted on several younger players to fill the void. While the team has struggled of late, Hairston loves the effort of her young squad.
“(Zaria Jenkins) and (Kaylyn Wilson) are both sophomores,” Hairston said. “They have been playing a large number of minutes and making major contributions.”
Jenkins had three steals during a critical 10-2 run in the third quarter. Jenkins finished with a game-high 12 points, while Kayla Rogers added 11 points and Rokila Wallace added 10 points.
Madison Central (6-7, 0-2 region) received 11 points from Shay Jordan.
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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