Colonels whip Manchester and Leake in first week of season
By James Beasley
The Copiah Academy Colonels’ basketball season got off to a great start as they hammered Manchester Academy in the season opener and then did the same thing to Leake Academy on the road. CA (2-0) was undefeated heading into this week.
Against the Mavericks on Monday in Gallman, Copiah got three 3-pointers from Josh Cook in the first quarter and jumped out to a 26-10 lead. The Colonels increased their lead to 53-16 at halftime and coasted to a 68-48 victory as head coach Kent Chamblee cleared his bench in the second half.
Ty Quick led the winners with 13 points, 8 of them in the first quarter alone. Cook was close behind with 12 points on four 3-pointers. Justin Morris had 9 points, Dillon Martin and Trey Moss 8 points each, and Bryce Berry 4 points. Additional Copiah totals included Dak Stratton, Corey McKinney, and Palmer Lea with 3 points apiece, followed by Ryan Drew and Tyler Lott with 2 points each.
One night later, the Colonels rolled into Madden, where they thumped the Leake Academy Rebels 71-51. Trailing 16-13 after the first period, CA outscored Leake 20-15 in the second quarter and grabbed a 33-31 lead at the half. The Colonels then put the game away by outscoring the Rebels 16-8 in the third quarter and 22-12 in the final stanza.
Ty Quick led the winners with 24 points, followed by Trey Moss and Dillon Martin with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Bryce Berry closed out the Copiah scoring with 9 points.
Girls’ Action
The Copiah Academy Lady Colonels ran their record to 3-0, equaling their victory total last season, by clobbering Manchester Academy 64-14 in Gallman before running into a buzz saw at Leake Academy last Tuesday night.
Against the Lady Mavericks, CA jumped out to a 23-3 lead in the first quarter and led 47-11 at the half. The Lady Colonels outscored Manchester 9-3 the rest of the way enroute to the lopsided win.
Taylor Wilson led the winners with 17 points, including 12 in the first quarter. Carleigh Roberts was close behind with 15 points including four 3-pointers, three of them in the second period. Also in double figures was Kamryn Vanlandingham with 12 points, 10 of them in the first quarter.
Other CA totals included Kaylie Carpenter and Kaitlin Cooksey with 5 points each, Kelli Berry and Kelly Byrd with 4 points apiece, and Lindsey Walker with 2 points.
At Leake, the Lady Colonels tasted defeat for the first time this season as the Rebelettes overwhelmed them 51-13 in the first half and coasted to a 67-42 victory.
“It was a tough road test,” CA head coach Ben Gardner admitted afterwards. “They were 39-3 last season and have everybody back. We played well in the second half.”
Taylor Wilson led Copiah with 12 points, followed by Kamryn Vanlandingham with 9 points. Other CA totals included Kelly Byrd with 6 points, Kaylie Carpenter with 5 points, Kaitlin Cooksey and Carleigh Roberts with 4 points each, and Victoria Allen and Lindsey Walker with 2 points apiece.
