Summer Basketball: Calhoun County takes two over Southwest Georgia

EDISON — Summer basketball is less about the scoreboard and more about laying the foundation for the season ahead.

If Tuesday’s summer opener is any indication, Calhoun County’s basketball teams are off to a strong start.

The Cougars swept a doubleheader from Southwest Georgia Academy, with the boys winning 77-23 and the girls posting a 54-30 victory. More importantly for the coaches involved, the games provided an opportunity to evaluate players, install systems and begin building confidence for the months ahead.

“It was a good opportunity for us to try to get back into the flow,” Calhoun County boys coach Marcus Shaw said. “I was satisfied with our effort. I felt that the guys got after it at times. We have to clean up some things, which is expected at the beginning of summer, but overall, I was pleased with the effort.”

The boys’ game showcased the style Shaw wants his team to play.

Calhoun County opened with relentless full-court pressure, creating turnovers and converting them into easy baskets. The Cougars jumped out to an 18-6 lead after one quarter and never allowed the Warriors to settle into an offensive rhythm.

Every Southwest Georgia Academy mistake seemed to turn into another scoring opportunity for the Cougars, whose depth and speed proved difficult to match. Calhoun County stretched its lead to 37-10 by halftime and carried a commanding 65-14 advantage into the fourth quarter before backing off its pressure defense.

With the game no longer in doubt, the Warriors found more success offensively in the final period, knocking down several 3-pointers before Calhoun County closed out the 77-23 victory.

The girls’ game followed a different script.

Neither team could find much offense early as both squads struggled to get the ball inside and settled for perimeter shots. Points were hard to come by until Keambria Logan connected on a 3-pointer late in the opening quarter, helping the Lady Cougars take a 9-1 lead.

Calhoun County gradually found its footing and built a 23-10 halftime advantage before pulling away for the 54-30 win.

For first-year Lady Cougars coach Quenten Taylor, the performance was encouraging considering his team had only one day of practice before taking the floor.

“With just one day of practice, I was very pleased with how the girls played,” Taylor said. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but I could see them starting to pick up our program a little today. Their confidence grew as the game carried on.”

Taylor said building that confidence is one of his primary goals during the summer.

“My big push for this summer is for them to gain confidence,” he said. “That will be a key to us being successful.”

Southwest Georgia Academy coach Amy Tucker entered the day facing a different challenge.

The Warriors were missing several players who are currently competing with the school’s softball program, which has won back-to-back state championships.

“We kind of just threw this thing together,” Tucker said. “I don’t have a lot of my girls because they are playing softball. When your team is the two-time defending state softball champions, that is kind of a priority in the summer.”

As a result, the Warriors relied heavily on eighth- and ninth-grade players, gaining valuable experience against an older and deeper Calhoun County squad.

Despite the losses, Tucker found positives to build upon.

“I did like the way we played defense today,” she said. “But I do need them to get more offensively aggressive and not be afraid to shoot the ball.”

That’s the nature of June basketball.