High School Sports
New Hope develops chemistry on defense  11/20/2009 8:51:00 AM
The New Hope High School football team has 11 players in it to win it on defense. Other teams might have faster players or better individual talent, but the Trojans would argue their team chemistry and camaraderie on defense has helped them have one of the best seasons in school history. Seniors Anthony Nelson and Marquise Coleman are two examples of the kind of mentality New Hope has on defense.

Noxubee County has had Itawamba's number  11/20/2009 8:48:00 AM
Things get tougher for the Noxubee County football team each time it faces Itawamba Agricultural High School. The Tigers’ job gets tougher because each victory extends the team’s streak. Noxubee County has eliminated Itawamba AHS from the playoffs the past two seasons and has won the last four meetings, dating back to 1994.

Patterson, East Webster have matured to make playoff run  11/20/2009 8:00:00 AM
MABEN — Ledrick Patterson knew it wasn’t going to be easy taking over for Johnthan Banks at quarterback for the East Webster High School football team. What made it especially tough for Patterson was he had never played the position. He wasn’t even listed as a quarterback on the preseason roster.

Liles believes defense will decide Aberdeen game  11/20/2009 7:57:00 AM
ABERDEEN — Perry Liles knows the football programs at Charleston and Aberdeen high schools have plenty of similarities. As a former coach at both schools, Liles had plenty of talented players on both teams. He also grew to be accustomed to a hard-charging style of play at each school. Given Charleston and Aberdeen have so many things in common, don’t ask Liles to tell you which team will win at 7 tonight when they meet in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A North Half state semifinal at Lester Miley Stadium.

West Point football team has something prove  11/20/2009 7:56:00 AM
WEST POINT — Noxubee County and Aberdeen should feel special. The 2009 edition of Mississippi Sports Magazine singled out the Tigers in Class 4A and the Bulldogs in Class 3A as top teams in each classification in its preseason issue. In Class 5A, Pearl and Oxford join Wayne County, West Jones, D’Iberville, and Brookhaven, a team to keep an eye on, were listed as the state’s top teams.

Hall leads Columbus basketball team past East Oktibbeha  11/18/2009 10:41:00 AM
If things go according to plan for Sammy Smith, Michael Hall will play a key role this season in helping the Columbus High School boys basketball team come together. Hall showed again Tuesday night how he can be a ring leader, scoring a game-high 22 points in a 71-44 victory against East Oktibbeha. Chy Cunningham earned game-high scoring honors with 26 points to lead the Columbus High girls to a 62-48 victory against East Oktibbeha.

Starkville shuts out New Hope in soccer  11/18/2009 10:40:00 AM
STARKVILLE -- Raevonne Shoemaker takes her role as goalkeeper seriously. The Starkville High School junior knows she has to be focused on a match at all times and has to know what her teammates are doing on the field. “(Goalkeepers) have to be the strong foundation,” Shoemaker said. Shoemaker has only allowed one goal this season for the Lady Yellow Jackets and has recorded three shutouts, including Tuesday’s 2-0 home victory against New Hope High School.

Aberdeen's Hoskins signs basketball scholarship with Alcorn State  11/18/2009 10:38:00 AM
ABERDEEN — The smile on Jameika Hoskins’ face Tuesday equaled relief. Hoskins wasn’t as relaxed last Thursday, and Aberdeen High School girls basketball coach Latorrence Bivens could see it in her eyes. After Hoskins scored 22 points in a victory against Baldwyn, she admitted to Bivens she “had purple and gold on her mind.” Those colors helped spell relief five days later.

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College Sports
Benock helps MSU men's basketball team off bench  11/20/2009 8:42:00 AM
STARKVILLE — Two points, two rebounds, two steals, and one assist doesn’t look impressive in a boxscore. But that production is more than enough for Mississippi State basketball coach Rick Stansbury when it comes from junior guard Riley Benock. Benock made those “tremendous” contributions Thursday night in 15 minutes off the bench on a sore foot in an 82-67 victory against the University of Southeastern Louisiana at Humphrey Coliseum.

Change doesn't enable Sidney to get off bench for MSU  11/20/2009 8:40:00 AM
The status of Mississippi State freshman forward Renardo Sidney changed Thursday, but it wasn’t good enough to get him off the bench against the University of Southeastern Louisiana. The NCAA Eligibility Center issued a statement saying the Sidney case went from Not Certified due to Non-Response to Under Review. This change allowed the Eligibility Center staff to restart the process of determining whether Sidney meets NCAA requirements for initial eligibility. Sidney’s attorney Donald Jackson has called the change “insignificant.” He continues to insist this process drags on unnecessarily and the NCAA has failed to come up with a violation.

Lumanu provides MSU women's basketball team with steady hand  11/20/2009 8:38:00 AM
STARKVILLE — Armelie Lumanu is the perfect player for the 2009-10 Mississippi State women’s basketball team. The senior from Kinshasa, Congo, is adept at slashing to the basket from the wing or rolling off screens to create opportunities for her teammates. The 5-foot-9 guard/forward is equally proficient posting guards up on the block and twisting and turning to get a shot off. Most importantly, Lumanu is comfortable with the basketball in her hands and directing the Lady Bulldogs’ offense.

MSU women roll past Utah Valley  11/20/2009 8:02:00 AM
STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State women’s basketball team received a passing grade from nearly everyone in its first game as a ranked team in six seasons. The only person who wasn’t overwhelmed by No. 25 MSU’s 81-35 victory against Utah Valley University before a crowd of 639 at Humphrey Coliseum was coach Sharon Fanning-Otis.

MSU could be shorthanded vs. SE Louisiana  11/20/2009 8:01:00 AM
STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State men’s basketball could have more players in street clothes tonight than dressed out in basketball jerseys. Dee Bost, Elgin Bailey, Shaun Smith, Twany Beckham, and Riley Benock are out or doubtful because of injuries for MSU’s game against Southeastern Louisiana at 7 tonight at Humphrey Coliseum.

MSU's Augustus apologizes after being suspended  11/18/2009 10:36:00 AM
STARKVILLE -- Mississippi State junior forward Kodi Augustus made a public apology Tuesday afternoon for comments he made following Saturday’s season-opening 88-74 loss to Rider University. After the game, Augustus voiced his displeasure about lack of playing time and criticized MSU coach Rick Stansbury by saying, “I talked to my dad. He said we got out-coached. I don’t know.” Augustus said that statement was made out of frustration and was sorry for his choice of words.

EMCC football team accepts invitation to play in Mississippi Bowl  11/18/2009 10:33:00 AM
SCOOBA – The East Mississippi Community College football team has accepted an invitation to play Arizona Western College in the Mississippi Bowl.  The second-annual contest will be played Dec. 6 in Biloxi.  Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at 6,000-seat Biloxi Indian Stadium. General admission tickets are available for $8 per ticket by ordering online at www.mississippibowl.com or by calling the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Foundation Office at 601- 928-6344.  Tickets will be $10 at the gate on the day of the game.

MSU opponent moves up from junior college to Division I  11/18/2009 10:32:00 AM
Cathy Nixon knows about transitions. While it’s common for NCAA Division II programs to make the jump to Division I, a junior college never had tried to leap from the NJCAA ranks to Division I competition. So when Utah Valley University women’s basketball coach Cathy Nixon uses words like “amazing” and “remarkable” to describe the school’s journey, they don’t come close to illustrating what she and the program have overcome to reach the highest level of NCAA play.

West Alabama's Gilleylan makes most of opportunity  11/18/2009 10:29:00 AM
Surframe Gilleylan had waited patiently for an opportunity. The senior linebacker on the University of West Alabama footballl team got an opportunity Saturday and made the most of it. Gilleylan had a season-high and team-leading seven tackles to help West Alabama beat Albany State 24-22 in the first round of the NCAA Division II playoffs.

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Columns
ESPN begins women's basketball coverage with Tennessee game  11/15/2009 12:04:00 AM
Women’s basketball fans can rejoice. ESPN and its family of networks will kick off a schedule of 250 women’s basketball games at 4 p.m. today (ESPN2) when Baylor plays at Tennessee in the State Farm Tip-Off Classic. The game will be the first of a season filled with women’s basketball on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN360.com and ESPN Full Court. The schedule will be the biggest ever by the family of networks.

Wild Rebel could have star of future in Mackey  11/10/2009 11:08:00 AM
SCOOBA — The Wild Rebel has its next star. Randall Mackey is still a few months away from officially finding his way to the University of Mississippi, but when he does, coach Houston Nutt could have a quarterback with the potential to shift the Rebels’ offense to a sixth gear.

Better late than never for champs  10/20/2009 11:18:00 AM
There’s only one thing better than winning a North State championship. The Hamilton and New Hope High School slow-pitch softball teams experienced that feeling Saturday at the V.A. Fields in Jackson when they won the Class 2A and Class 5A championships, respectively.

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Local Sports
Smith hopes UFL will help lead to shot at NFL  11/20/2009 7:59:00 AM
Jamayel Smith’s situation in the United Football League is unique. Sure, the former Mississippi State wide receiver believes he belongs there, but as a player with the New York Sentinels in the first-year league, he feels a little out of place.

CLRA youth soccer options continue to grow  11/11/2009 8:59:00 AM
The soccer options offered by the Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority continue to grow. The success of the CLRA’s Columbus United, a competitive Division II soccer club, has motivated the authority to introduce an Under-8 Developmental Program that will help prepare players for the transition to U-10 play. The primary goal of the program is to offer players enhanced skill training and challenging conditioning to help prepare them for the move to the next level.

Pounders lands record 'river monster'  11/5/2009 10:26:00 AM
Joey Pounders usually is prepared for anything when he is out on the water. But Pounders was lounging Monday with his feet propped up on his 20-foot pontoon boat enjoying a relaxing afternoon. A tug on the line of his seven-foot pole changed that.

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