STARKVILLE — You can call it a strut, but that might give you the wrong impression.
A purposeful stride probably best captures the intent behind nearly all of Tanita Thompson’s movements Saturday night.
But it’s more than a gait for Thompson. The Starkville High School junior knows you can’t just show up and expect to be prepared to be at your best, especially when your season is on the line.
That’s why Thompson was mentally dialed in before she arrived at Mississippi Coliseum and was ready to do anything she had to help Starkville beat Hattiesburg and keep its season alive.
“A lot of people feel like getting focused for a game starts when you walk in the gym,” Thompson said. “That’s not the case at all. You can’t walk into the environment and be like, ‘OK, I am here. I am ready.’ It starts in practice three or four days before.”
Thompson had no idea she and the Yellow Jackets would have to rally from a 10-point deficit in the final five minutes, but that’s what they did. Buoyed by a game-ending 19-2 run and Thompson’s team-high 17 points and 13 rebounds, Starkville rallied for a 59-52 victory in the quarterfinals of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A State tournament.
Seven of Thompson’s rebounds came on the offensive end to help push Starkville (25-4) into a matchup against Horn Lake at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The winner of that game will play the winner of the Harrison Central-Olive Branch game at 6 p.m. Saturday for the state title.
For her accomplishments, Thompson is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
Thompson, a 5-foot-9 junior forward, played a key role to help Starkville advance even after sophomore center Kelsey Jones, the team’s leading scorer, was saddled with foul trouble most of the game against Hattiesburg. Jones had six points and 10 rebounds, but she played only 18 minutes. Thompson helped pick up the slack, especially rebounding. Her effort on the glass helped the Lady Yellow Jackets amass a 50-33 rebounding edge. That cushion helped offset 26 turnovers against Hattiesburg’s 2-1-2 press.
Trailing 50-40 with 4 minutes, 43 seconds to go, a putback by Jones started the comeback. Tabreea Gandy added a drive, Thompson scored on her second attempt off an offensive rebound, Jariah Covington hit 1 of 2 free throws, Thompson scored on a drive, and Covington added a 3-pointer with 1:23 to go to tie the game. Gandy’s three-point play with 1:06 gave Starkville the lead, 55-52. Thompson added a layup and then rebounded a missed free throw by Covington and hit 1 of 2 free throws with 8.5 seconds to seal the deal.
Thompson, who has recovered from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee, said her focus was different Saturday night than it had been for previous games. She said the mentality she had in the quarterfinals is another sign of how she has matured since the beginning of the season.
“Other games before, it didn’t matter. I mean it mattered if we won or we lost, but with this game, we would be done and I would be done playing with my seniors,” Thompson said. “I had to make sure that if I was going to be here today, we are going to win this game by any means.”
Thompson said she realizes her teammates feed off the energy she brings to the court, which is why she was so hard to stop Saturday. Thompson pursued every rebound like it was hers and wouldn’t be denied. When she gained possession, she attacked the basket determined to score. When she missed, she remained undeterred and fought to re-gain possession and to get another chance to score.
It also didn’t matter if Thompson was fouled. She merely shook off the contact and shifted into purposeful stride mode and focused on what she had to do next.
Starkville coach Kristie Williams said Thompson has overcome ups and downs to have her epiphany. Williams likened Thompson’s progression to when the proverbial light bulb goes off over a player’s head to signal that they understand how to do something. She said it has been extremely satisfying to see Thompson settle into her role and to use her skills and athleticism to impact the game.
“Tanita is a very athletic player,” Williams said. “She has had ups and downs throughout our season where she has the opportunity to do that every game. Lately, she has been maturing enough to now that is something we want her to do consistently. That is what she has been trying to do. Since the regular season ended, I would say she has really picked up the pace and understood she does make an impact.”
Williams said Thompson is more confident and doesn’t allow a mistake to affect the next play or to get her down the rest of the time she is in the game. She feels that confidence was the missing ingredient. Now that it is there, Williams said Thompson is blossoming into the player everyone thought she had the potential to be.
Part of that potential involves enjoying mixing it up against bigger players in the paint. Williams said Thompson comes from a family of hard workers, so it is “in her genes” to do whatever she puts her mind to, even if it is means doing it against a taller, or stouter, player.
“She has just come into her own,” Williams said. “That is the best way to say it.”
Thompson feels that is her job every game regardless of whether anyone is in foul trouble. She said playing with that energy is crucial when Jones is in the game because she attracts a lot of defensive attention, so a focused, hustling player will create more opportunities for themselves.
Thompson hopes to build off her performance Wednesday night so she and her teammates can play two more games with their seniors. If you have any questions whether Thompson will be ready, just watch her warm up. If you see a purposeful stride in the layup line, watch out because that means Thompson is going to be hard to handle.
“The season hasn’t always been good for me,” Thompson said. “I haven’t been playing with the aggressiveness I have been playing with. I had ACL surgery and I haven’t been jumping and playing hard, but now I feel it has been time and I am trying to step up now and it is working for me.
“I got to get it done by any means. Nobody can play for me. I can’t play for anyone else. When I am on the floor, I have to do what I have to do for my team.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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