Simsboro defeats Choudrant

They may no longer be District 2-B rivals, but you wouldn’t have known it watching Simsboro host Choudrant on Monday evening, with the Tigers securing a 78-58 win.

A packed gym of fans coupled well with intense competitors on both sides to make Monday’s meeting between the Class B foes another strong addition to the series, even if the Tigers won comfortably in the end.

Simsboro (9-8) got a near triple-double from freshman guard Ahmad Smith with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 assists, to go with a game-high 27 points from junior guard Jakaleb Modest, who hit four three-pointers. Choudrant (5-13) was led by Carson Carrico with 14 points respectively.

It wasn’t so comfortable for the home team at first as the visiting Aggies hung tight early on, even leading 6-5 halfway through the frame by handling Simsboro’s pressure well. But once the Tigers picked up their defensive intensity and turned Choudrant’s miscues - 10 turnovers in the first quarter - into easy points on the other end, Simsboro didn’t look back and ended the first on a 10-5 run as Smith had multiple steals while leading all scorers with 4 points in the frame.

“I think we did a great job of initially handling their pressure and I thought our guards did a really good job of putting us in a position to score,” Choudrant head coach Ryan Smith said postgame. “The game really comes down to who can put the ball in the basket. We struggled there to convert on some of those and they did a great job of turning it into some of those defensive rebounds into threes and transition and stuff like that. Credit them for putting it in the basket. That’s something we gotta improve on moving forward.”

Simsboro kept up its pressure in the second quarter for more takeaways while its three top offensive threats turned up their production with Smith putting up 5 points in the quarter to go with 6 from Modest and 6 from Jalen Outley. Choudrant cut the deficit to 19-13 but the Tigers quickly went on a 12-2 run to lead 31-15 as the Aggies had trouble finishing in the paint.

The Aggies ended the frame on a 10-5 run, but Simsboro still led comfortably, 36-25, at halftime. Choudrant got 6 points from Carrico in the third but overall, the Aggies struggled to put good looks in the basket in the second and third quarters despite doing a solid job of breaking down Simsboro’s defense at times. The Tigers pounced on Choudrant’s misses, pushing pace up court for quick offense as the home squad blew the game open on a 10-4 run midway through the third to lead 51-31 before taking a 56-41 lead into the fourth as ball movement and full-court feeds kept Simsboro humming.

“The games we have had over 20 assists a game, we’ve been really good. I would guess we were close to that,” Simsboro head coach Adam Wodach said. “If we play like that, we’re really good.”

Choudrant got 6 points from Ben Rinchart in the fourth along with a third three-pointer from Carrico to give him 14 points on the night, but the Tigers kept pulling away as Modest poured in 13 points in the fourth.

Jalen Outley chipped in with 9 points for Simsboro, while Benton Case put up 9 points for Choudrant.

Simsboro still sits comfortably in the Class B power ratings after the win, No. 9 as of Monday evening, as the regular season begins to enter the home stretch with district play starting up. Wodach knew he’d get his group’s best considering Monday was a rivalry game but now that the Aggies are in the rearview mirror, he knows keeping his group engaged is crucial to earning a good power rating by season’s end.

“I think the biggest thing with our approach right now is we don’t care who we play. We want to continue to get better. We’re going to break down this film and we’re going to find the places we have to improve,” Wodach said. “And I feel like we’re finally getting to the point where we’re embracing that coaching. We’re up 20 and we don’t hit the floor for a loose ball and I’m on them. And they’re not, ‘We’re up 20.’ It’s, ‘Oh, you’re right.’ If we’re going to win a state title, we have to embrace the little things. We have to keep not taking plays off and playing 32 minutes and play every game that way.”

Choudrant dropped to 5-13 overall with the loss after 13 total losses last season, sliding to No. 19 in the Class B power ratings – right above the playoff cutoff line of 20 teams in Class B. Smith knows it’s been a struggle for the Aggies to string momentum together, but he believes Monday’s contest may have been the turning point for his group as far as their belief in each other.

“What I saw with our leadership and our communication and behind-the-scenes stuff that we’ve been looking at, it really showed up tonight,” Smith said. “With that being said, now we can get our focus on reducing the turnovers and scoring the ball. I saw a lot of great communication with the team.”

Simsboro hosts Weston tonight at home while Choudrant is off until Jan. 21 to host Claiborne Christian.