JACKSON — Columbus High School senior Chris Blair knows no one will feel sorry for his basketball team.
The Falcons have four new starters and a new head coach. They also have the added pressure of playing as the reigning Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A State champions. The first basketball state championship has set this squad up with one of the state’s most difficult schedules.
Despite all of that, Blair is ready to see his youthful teammates grow up.
“We are young, but we can’t be scared anymore,” Blair said. “It’s time to grow up and start attacking. We can’t lay back and let the game come to us. When we get down, everybody’s heads start dropping. We have to figure out how to play through adversity. We just have to grow up.”
Columbus took a few more steps forward Tuesday despite dropping a 79-53 decision at Callaway.
The highly anticipated matchup between Clarion-Ledger Super 10 foes (Columbus is fourth and Callaway is ninth) was decided early. The Chargers won four-straight Class 5A State championships before struggling last season in a move to Class 6A.
Callaway (4-0) sprinted to a double-digit lead on the first possession of the second quarter and Columbus (3-3) was fighting uphill the rest of the night.
“We have to play with four quarters of intensity,” Columbus first-year coach Gary Griffin said. “We are starting a step slow, and that is hurting us. When we walk in the gym, people look at us as the former state champions. They don’t look at us as Columbus anymore. That means the other team is going to be on a high level to start the game. We have to find a similar level.”
Columbus also has lost to Starkville, last season’s Class 6A state runner-up, and Forest Hill. The road won’t get any easier this weekend when it faces Southwind (Tennessee) and Spain Park (Alabama) in the Lighthouse Classic in Corinth.
“It’s all by design,” Griffin said. “We have gotten some really unique opportunities by winning the state championship. Some big tournaments have come calling. We really have loaded (the schedule) up. I think this will prepare the kids for the postseason. When it comes tournament time, there won’t be anything we haven’t seen.
“For the moment, it’s just baby steps. We do a few things better each night. We improve each night. It may not show up on the scoreboard. The main thing is keeping the kids’ confidence level up.”
Columbus showed flashes of where it would like to be by the end of the season. The Falcons desperately need more balanced scoring to help take some of the load off Dandy Dozen junior Robert Woodard II.
On a night where Woodard missed more shots than usual, he still had 18 points, seven rebounds, and four blocked shots. Denijay Harris added 14 points and Blair had eight points and five assists. The Falcons put nine players in the scoring column.
It was only the third time in six games Woodard had a teammate in double figures with him.
“This team has the capability of doing some really special things,” Blair said. “We just can’t get caught up in the moment. We also have to start playing with a higher level of passion and sense of urgency. Even if things aren’t going you way, keep your head up and keep giving relentless effort. If we can learn that, we have a chance.”
Callaway thrived on a 3-point shooting barrage from Tanarrio Ransburgh and Devanate Horton. Each hit three 3-pointers as the team combined for six. Ransburgh hit back-to-back treys from about 25 feet out for a 30-15 lead midway through the second quarter.
Ransburgh had 31 points, while Jim Hill transfer John Knight and Horton had 12.
Still, the Falcons had a brilliant rally to cut into a 36-24 halftime deficit.
A putback by Harris capped an 8-0 run (which featured two Woodard blocks) and the Falcons trailed 38-32. The Falcons used a full-court trap to force 12 turnovers in the third quarter.
Ransburgh hit a fadeaway jumper as the third quarter ended for a 50-37 lead. The Falcons couldn’t keep the frantic pace up on defense, though, and were done in by a 14-2 run.
n Columbus girls 47, Callaway 30: In the opener, the Lady Falcons overcame a miserable first-half offensive performance to grab a big road win.
Columbus sprinted to a 10-2 lead after one quarter but only led 15-7 at halftime after not managing a field goal in a five-point second quarter.
“We got off to a late start,” Columbus coach Yvonne Hairston said. “When you are playing on the road you are worried about that, especially after a long bus ride. In the second half, we generated some offense and played well. We had a stretch where we got some turnovers and got some easy baskets in transition. We did a much better job of forcing the issue, and that is what it takes to win on the road.”
Columbus (4-2) built a 27-13 leads thanks to a 10-0 run midway through the third quarter. Hannah White and Briona Green set the tone for the Lady Falcons with a couple of steals that led to easy transition baskets for Zaria Jenkins.
Jenkins had a difficult time getting touches in the first half, but she still finished with 25 points. Kaylyn Wilson added six points, while White only had four points, but she set the tone on the boards with six defensive rebounds in the first quarter to help the Lady Falcons ease into control.
“We played (and defeated) Forest Hill down here Saturday,” Hairston said. “Now, we get the win here. We wanted to take these games because they allow us to play more aggressively down here. They do not call the games as tight, so we wanted to come down here and play some physical games that will help prepare us for region play.”
In a loss to Starkville last Tuesday, the Lady Falcons played fast and built an early lead. However, they were unable to play that style for four quarters. Hairston said her team did a much better job Tuesday night of knowing when to go fast and went to take a slower approach.
“Each game we have learned a little bit,” Hairston said. “I thought we made better decisions in this win. We had some turnovers against the full-court press and we will work on that. However, we have done a really good job of watching film and correcting mistakes this season.”
Mary Boyd led Callaway (1-3) with 11 points.
The Columbus girls return to action Tuesday at Noxubee County.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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