JACKSON — West Lowndes High School senior TyShun Spencer conducted post-game interviews clutching his basketball uniform.
After grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds in his final prep basketball game, Spencer was going to enjoy the experience of playing in Jackson for as long as he could. As soon as the final horn sounded Thursday at Mississippi Coliseum, Spencer suddenly became a fan.
“We didn’t win a championship, but we had a lot of fun,” Spencer said. “You always want to play for a state championship. We did that. Now I am fixing to become these guys’ biggest fan. These are my brothers, and I love them. They are going to do some special things next year. I will be there watching while they do them.”
West Lowndes didn’t have enough answers to derail Ashland, falling 60-49 in the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A State championship.
West Lowndes (25-9) missed the school’s first boys basketball state championship in its first appearance in the state final.
“I hate this more for (seniors) TyShun Spencer and Justin Blair, more than anybody else,” West Lowndes junior Marcus Farmer said. “We are coming back here to win this championship. I just wish they would be on the team when we do that. We will always remember those guys though. They were part of getting things going.
“Even though we lost, I can’t tell you how proud I am of all my brothers.”
Coach Danny Crawford took over the West Lowndes High basketball programs during the summer, and carried the Panthers and Lady Panthers to Jackson. He said the kids’ ability to buy in from the beginning was the difference.
“From day one, it was like what do we do and how do we do it,” Crawford said. “We asked a lot and they gave a lot. You see a talented group of basketball players. The job then is to turn them into a talented basketball team. I thought we did that. I thought we proved we were one of the elite teams in the state.
“The buy in, the belief, that’s special. We got better each and every week during the season. Now, we only have more step to take. The kids know how close we are and that it won’t be that hard to take that next step.”
West Lowndes almost took that step. But after edging Biggersville 54-52 and defeating Houlka 70-55 in the coliseum, West Lowndes couldn’t overcome 15 turnovers and a 1-of-14 performance from 3-point range. Foul trouble for big man JaQuante Bell didn’t help, either. Bell played sparingly in the first half after drawing two personal fouls. Ashland took advantage to build a 25-21 halftime lead.
“In the first half, we executed well,” Crawford said. “We did not have a large number of points, but we were doing the things we wanted to do. When we had (Bell) out there, we were really clicking on offense. In the second half, we got away from the game plan some.”
Early in the second half, West Lowndes received a huge lift from junior Devonte Chandler, who hit a 3-pointer and then made a steal and a layup to give his team a 30-29 lead. A putback by Darius Harkins capped an 11-4 run that pushed the lead to 32-29.
Ashland then seized control when an unforced turnover led to an easy basket in the closing seconds of the third quarter for a 41-35 lead. The Blue Devils then scored to start the fourth quarter and a tiring group of Panthers were in trouble.
“We had too many turnovers in the open court,” Farmer said. “That is kind of disappointing because it really wasn’t things (Ashland) was doing to us. We fought hard but made too many mistakes there once we got the lead.”
Still, West Lowndes continued to battle. The Panthers used their huge size advantage for a plus-22 rebounding advantage. On two possessions in the fourth quarter, West Lowndes needed four shots but finally found points.
Five-straight points by Farmer had the Panthers within 45-42. C.J. Smith then scored to make it 47-44. Farmer hit two free throws to bring his team within 49-46 with 3:56 left.
Ashland (26-7) shot 57.1 percent in the second half and always had an answer.
The Panthers had one field goal in the final 3:56.
“It’s hard to put into words where it got away from us,” Spencer said. “I know it seemed like we couldn’t get the stop when we had to have it. It was frustrating to do everything right and not get the stop. It seemed like we kept having that problem.”
Farmer had 12 points, while Bell had 11 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots.
DeAnthony Tipler led Ashland with 23 points. Rodriquez Reaves added 13, while Richard Brooks and Juwan Martin had 11.
“Coach told us we were champions,” Farmer said. “We were district champions. We won some tournament championships. Just because we lost this championship doesn’t mean we have to leave here feeling like we are not champions.”
Ashland also dressed two seniors, but neither started and only one played, so each team can count on being favorites next season.
“We have to go to the gym and work harder this summer,” Farmer said. “We found out we worked hard but not hard enough. We have to do more. We will fix that so we can be here a year from now and have the other feeling.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.