COLUMBUS – From a tied game at halftime, to an early third-quarter deficit and a fourth-quarter resurgence, Columbus’ boys basketball team experienced all the emotions on Friday during its 69-54 victory over Lanier in the quarterfinals of the Class 5A playoffs – but none as euphoric as that sweet feeling of being able to keep dancing.
Davie Verdell provided 21 points and Michael Hood Jr. helped with 15 more as the Falcons, ranked the No. 1 5A team in the state by MaxPreps, erased an early 13-0 deficit in the first quarter to knot the game at 34-34 at halftime. The Bulldogs, ranked No. 2 in 5A by MaxPreps, pulled ahead by four to begin the second half, but the Falcons fired right back with a run to take a 45-43 lead before clamping down on defense in the final frame, outscoring Lanier 18-6 to close out the game – thanks in part to a galvanizing halftime speech and a defensive adjustment by head coach Phillip Morris and his coaching staff.
“We went to a matchup zone against them and I think that gave them a lot of problems,” Morris said. “We saw that on film and we wanted to use it early, but I told my assistant coach that if we use it in the second half they won’t be able to get a chance to go in at halftime and make adjustments. So, we went to it later in the game and it worked well for us.”
The Falcons (25-5), who are on a 21-game win streak, are headed back to the Big House in Jackson for the first time since their run to the 2018 state championship for a semifinal bout today against Natchez (20-9). The game tips off at noon. Morris said it feels great to be headed back to Jackson for meaningful basketball.
“It’s something special,” he said. “The school and the community did a big send-off for the guys and gave us some snacks. People have been donating for meals and stuff like that, so it’s been a good time and we’re enjoying it so far. I tell the guys, ‘It’s more of a business trip more than anything, so we are going to have to take care of business.’”
The contest is another Top-10 showdown with the Bulldogs clocking in as the No. 7 team in 5A. Natchez earned its semifinal spot by taking down Vancleave 60-40 in the first round and Brookhaven 56-35 in the quarterfinals. Like Columbus, Natchez is a hot team and is riding a win streak of nine games that goes all the way back to Jan. 23.
“They have a pretty solid team,” Morris said. “Their best player, he can score the ball a little bit. They have a shooter and a big guy who plays inside a little bit. They have a solid team overall. The big thing for us defensively is not letting those guys who shoot the ball pretty well get their shots off and make them take tough contested shots. The kid inside, being able to contain him inside, other than that I think everything should be good for us. We just have to contain those guys. We are in the Big House, so you don’t want to let guys get going early.”
With the city fully behind the Falcons and their charge toward the mountain top of 5A basketball, Morris said it’s imperative for his squad to be locked in even more and remain true to who they are. There’s no time to look ahead to the state championship in a talented bracket where any team can still come out on top.
“We just have to be ourselves, defend, rebound the basketball and be the team that we’ve been all year,” he said. “That’s pretty much it. Don’t get out here and do anything different than what we’ve been doing. Just stay locked in and focused. I heard one of my guys say, ‘We already beat the best team. We should be able to get the rest of them.’ I’m like, ‘We can’t have that mindset. ‘It doesn’t matter who was the best team you supposedly have beaten, any of these other teams I think they can beat you on any given night no matter who it is. Anybody can get beat on any given night so you have to stay with a certain mindset where you have a sense of urgency anytime you step on the floor. I think having a sense of urgency, being ourselves, playing hard, communicating, staying together – I think we can get it done.”
The winner between Columbus and Natchez will play either Holmes County Central or Wayne County for the state championship at 8 p.m. Saturday.
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