New Hope High School senior Willie Ousley considers himself the defensive stopper on his basketball team.
Thus, Ousley knew when it was time to put a stop to a very spirited effort from county rival West Lowndes Tuesday night.
New Hope ended the third quarter with a 12-0 run and never looked back to take a 71-62 victory at the West Lowndes Gym.
“I was kind of disappointed in my defensive effort in the first half,” Ousley said. “I know what my teammates expect out of me. We had to get it right. Our play in the third quarter was huge.”
New Hope improved to 6-0. The Trojans were held under 80 points for only the third time all season. However, defense and rebounding helped turned the tide.
“The run to end the third quarter was the difference in the game,” New Hope coach Drew McBrayer said. “West Lowndes gave us all they had. We were fortunate to get some stops.”
The decisive run covered the final 3 minutes, 45 seconds of the quarter and gave the Class 5A Trojans the needed separation against the Class 1A Panthers.
“It’s a rivalry game so we knew West Lowndes was going to bring it,” New Hope junior Terryonte Thomas said. “They outworked us in the first half. We played to our potential in the second half.”
New Hope missed 13 of its first 14 shots and spotted the home team the game’s first seven points.
Junior JaQuante Belle was proving a force in the paint. New Hope eventually changed its defensive technique, drew a couple of charges and changed the game around.
The Trojans grabbed their first lead at 17-16 with 6:46 left in the half when Thomas, a preseason Dandy Dozen selection, converted a finger roll off the glass.
New Hope slowly found its shooting touch but thanks to Belle and a monster game from junior Marcus Farmer, could not put the hosts away. A putback by Jay Shinn lifted the Trojans to a precarious 32-29 lead at halftime.
Two free throws by Farmer brought the hosts within 39-37 before the game-decisive run.
Ironically, a turnover by Ousley gave West Lowndes its last glimmer of hope. From there, the 5-foot-11 speedster took matters into his own hands with a pair of steals in the open court. The Trojans did a fine job of overplaying the passing lanes and forged ahead for good.
Shinn had a pair of baskets and Carlos Brooks hit a 10-foot baseline jumper as New Hope scored six points in 17 seconds. A basket by Shinn as the quarter expired placed New Hope firmly on top, 51-37.
West Lowndes continued to fight hard and pulled within six points at 60-54. However, the Panthers turned the ball over on a fast-break opportunity and then committed a charge one possession later.
“We feel really good to be 6-0 right now, but we know we have a long way to go,” Ousley said. “When we lock in on defense, we can be really good because we have a lot of different guys who can score. We just have to be more consistent.”
Thomas finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds for his fourth double-double. Ousley added a season-high 17 points, while Shinn had 12 points and Brooks had 11 points.
Belle had 15 points (nine in the first half) for West Lowndes (2-3), while Devonte Chandler added 12 points. Farmer had eight points, 10 rebounds and two steals.
In the opener, the New Hope girls improved to 3-2 with a 59-41 win. The Lady Trojans continued a similar refrain for the season with a strong second half to expand a 28-24 halftime lead.
“We have been a second-half team for whatever reasons,” New Hope coach Chad Brown said. “We were more physical in the third quarter and we really needed to be because West Lowndes was playing as hard as we were. I am really proud because we had a tough loss Monday night but kept battling in this game when some things didn’t go our way.”
New Hope has been playing without sophomore point guard Alaysha Jennings, who has been out with injury. Jennings is expected back Tuesday against Caledonia.
“Janae Topps has had to play point guard the last couple of games,” Brown said. “It is not a position she normally plays. She has done a great job. Lanoria Abrams has had to step out to the wing. Jada Jamison has done a great job rebounding the ball and the pressure has been on her to do that because we have had to move people to new positions.”
Jamison led New Hope with 19 points, while Abrams had 14 points and Topps had 10 points.
Shynice Watt (2-2) led West Lowndes with 11 points, while Edmariah Sherrod had 10 points.
n New Hope, Aberdeen split: On Monday night, New Hope split a pair of games with Aberdeen.
The Trojans won 85-48, while the Lady Trojans lost 43-38.
For the New Hope boys, Brooks and Toddy Jennings each had 18 points. Thomas had 14 points, while Shinn had 12 points.
For the New Hope girls, Jamison and Topps each had 11 points.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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