By Jamie Mercer

The Observer

Olive Branch head coach Nick Coln summed up the Conquistadors’ season-ending loss to Vicksburg in one short phrase – free throws and turnovers.

The Quistors, who won their fourth consecutive North Division crown with a Feb. 12 victory over Horn Lake, found themselves facing Mississippi’s No. 2 team on Feb. 16 at Olive Branch High.

“I don’t think by far we played our best game, but we still had chances,” Coln said following the 73-63 Gator win that ended the Quistors’ season at 21-8. “They are bigger and stronger than us, but I thought our 3-2 defense played pretty good; nothing really ever went our way.”

Olive Branch trailed, 34-29, at the intermission, and by six, 47-41, after the third quarter. Unfortunately, turnovers and Vicksburg’s 22-of-27 performance at the charity stripe kept the Quistors in a hole during the final stanza.

In addition, Gator standouts Kelsey Howard and Micheal Ammons combined for 53 of Vicksburg’s point total as the Olive Branch defense struggled to contain the pair.

“We couldn’t stop them,” Coln observed. “They were the two we talked about all weekend.”

Howard had 17 points (with two three-pointers) and was seven-of-eight from the free-throw line in the first half, and added 17 more (three three-pointers) and two-of-three free throws in the second. Ammons had eight points (four-of-four from the line) in the first half and 11 (three-of-four) in the second.

“They’re a good team,” Coln said of the Gators. “You can’t take anything away from them.”

The Quistors, however, can also easily be categorized as “a good team.” Despite playing without Tevin Moore, the team’s leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, Olive Branch kept pace with one of the state’s top teams for much of the contest.

“You can only go so far without your leader,” Coln said.

Six Quistors scored in the game, with three hitting in double figures. Jaylon Moore paced Olive Branch with 19 points, followed in double digits by LaDarius Watts, 18, and D.J. Biggs, 17. Also scoring were Kadeem Cole, four, and Adrian Brown and John James, two each.

“All in all it’s been a good year,” Coln noted. “Winning the district’s got to say something for our kids and our program.”

In other boys’ playoff action, Lewisburg defeated Amanda Elzy, 73-54; Center Hill edged Yazoo County, 31-28; and Horn Lake fell to Greenville-Weston, 67-66. On the girls’ side, Horn Lake blew out Warren Central, 65-26.

(Photos by Jamie Mercer)