ROCKY POINT – Senior Chaz Everette picked up from where he left off last season by scoring 41 points Friday in the West Columbus Vikings’ season-opening come-from-behind basketball victory over host Heide Trask.

Everette’s point total was part of triple-double for the night as he also had 17 steals and 10 rebounds.

Trask held a 46-38 halftime lead before Coach Michael Powell’s West Columbus squad stormed back with 62 second-half points to hit the century mark.

Everette, the 2006 Columbus County Player of the Year, was joined in double figures for the Vikings by Stacy Snowten, who had 16 points, and Mikey Bilal, who contributed 15.

The Vikings scored 100 points without connecting on a 3-point basket. Trask had five 3-pointers for the night.

“Trask played a lot of up-tempo and we did also,” Powell said. “We went to a smaller line-up because of their style of play.

“The big drawback for us was 33 turnovers,” Powell continued. “I don’t think I’ve heard of a team scoring 100 points while committing 33 turnovers, but it happened. It really affected us in the first half.

“We started taking better care of the ball in the second half and started taking better shots.”

Kamani Hill led Trask with 20 points and was one of five Titan players to score in double figures.

Coach Powell said that for the first game of the season and with several players just coming out from football, it was a pretty good effort.

“We’re glad to get the win, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us.”

The Vikings went 21-4 last season, finishing runnerup in the Southeastern Conference regular-season standings, winning the conference tournament and falling to eventual state 1A champion Wallace-Rose Hill in the sectional finals.

Vike girls fall 47-46

In the girls game, Trask came away with a 47-46 win, barely edging a Lady Viking team that went winless last season.
Trask led 11-10 after one quarter and 23-21 at the half.
The Lady Vikings of first-year head coach Pat Byrd were led by Andrea Godwin’s 16 points. Eight other WCHS players figured in the scoring.
Trask’s Sch-kema Smith scored 17 points, followed by Leah Chappell with 11.

The Trask squads will travel to West Columbus Tuesday for rematches.

GIRLS GAME

WEST COLUMBUS (46): Andrea Godwin, Alex Ward 8, Brittany Bradford 6, Ronica Thompson 4, Anna Tart 4, Shanice Jones 4, Amber Hanson 3, Alyssa Faulk 1.

HEIDE TRASK (47): Sch-kema Smith 17, Leah Chappel 11, Catrenda Brown 2, Sakya King 6, Cleo James 4, Justina Jordan 2, Rasheeta Johnson 4, Tierra Lewis 1.

BOYS GAME

WEST COLUMBUS (100): Chaz Everette 41, Stacy Snowten 16, Mikey Bilal 15, Chris Smith 8, Justin Johnson 6, Marshall Wilder 2, Mario Cisneros 2, Quinton Ward 4.

TRASK (90): Kimani Hill 20, Jaquan Johnson 14, Montez Farrior 14, Rantez Farrior 13, Kendell London 10. Paxton Lee 6, Rashad Bailey 5, Josh Wiggins 2.