The McComb Lady Tigers have conserved their energy all season and now it’s time to shine.
After a difficult regular season, the Lady Tigers have won two of their past three games, finished second in their district tournament and now find themselves moving on in the postseason.
“The light bulb has come on,” McComb head coach Angelia Johnson said. “A long time ago, the effort wasn’t there. Now they’re putting forth the effort every game.”
The Lady Tigers will face the Long Beach Lady Bearcats in the second round of the Class 5A South State Tournament Friday night at West Jones, with the winner advancing to next week’s state tournament.
The sudden about-face follows a regular season in which the Lady Tigers stumbled to a 7-16 record.
“It’s no surprise really,” Johnson said of her team’s recent success. “What they’re doing now is playing up to their potential. They’re coming into their form and it’s no surprise to anyone on the staff.”
The Lady Tigers got the turnaround started with a 55-48 victory over Forest Hill in the first round of the Region 5-5A tournament. Their only stagger came in a 54-50 loss to West Jones in the district tourney final.
Despite the loss, McComb advanced to the South State Tournament.
In the first round Monday, the Lady Tigers won the type game with which they had struggled all season, a 59-57 overtime thriller against Wayne County.
As the Lady Tigers have improved their play over the past few days, Johnson has taken a different approach to her coaching — one that proves that less can be more.
“At the beginning of the season,” she said, “I was a lot more vocal. Now, I’ve stepped back, quit doing a lot of talking and let them perform.
“They saw a different side of me,” Johnson added. “I let them take control.”
As Johnson allowed the Lady Tigers their space, she said they began to learn the game of basketball and what it takes to be a winner.
“They’re learning that the desire, the determination, the pride — all the things you can’t teach — have to come from inside,” Johnson said.
And while the Lady Tigers have learned those important lessons, Johnson said she’s learned a few of her own.
“I’m learning each group and each year is different,” she said.
Against Long Beach, the Lady Tigers will face the Region 8-5A regular-season champs. The Lady Bearcats (17-12) feature the scoring junior guard duo of Natalya Owens and Kyra Williams, both of whom average about 17 points per game. Williams does plenty of her damage from the free-throw line, where she has converted 131-of-164 charity shots.
Owens averages 6.7 rebounds per game, while Williams pulls down 6.2 boards per contest. Senior forward Lauren Taylor has averaged about 5 rebounds per game.
Johnson, not being one to single out any of her players, said it will take a total team effort for the Lady Tigers to advance.
“I’m not interested with what the other team has,” she said. “I’m just interested in what we do.”
McComb team members are Tatyana Turner, Angelique Earl, Audrekus Dexter, Alexus Johnson, Keaira Patterson, Rickyshia Marsaw, Raven Tucker, Raneka Felder, Tacara Garner and Angelina Earl.
“Our starting lineup could change at any time,” Johnson said. “As for our run, I tell the girls we’re making history.”
