The Columbus High School girls basketball team is using a mix of old and new to forge a path to the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A playoffs.
Senior forward Zaria Jenkins represents the “old,” or more experienced, part of the lineup that is the foundation for the Lady Falcons’ success. Sophomore Hannah White is part of the “new,” or less experienced group, that continues to emerge to add depth and scoring punch to coach Yvonne Hairston’s attack.
Judging from the most recent results, Jenkins and White have meshed extremely well and are providing a potent one-two punch.
On Friday, Jenkins had a team-high 25 points, White had 16, and Briona Green had 11 in a 73-48 victory against New Hope. Earlier in the week, Columbus beat DeSoto Central 68-64 and Florence (Ala.) 65-53 at the Peggy Bain Memorial Holiday tournament at Alcorn Central High. Jenkins had 17 points against DeSoto Central, while White had 13 and Tori Weir added 12. Against Florence (Ala.), Jenkins had 22 and Weir and White had 14. White was named the tournament MVP.
For their accomplishments, Jenkins and White are The Dispatch’s Prep Players of the Week.
“We knew Zaria was going to be Zaria,” said Hairston, who added Kennedi Stephens, Tori Weir, and Briona Green also have made key contributions. “Zaria has been playing well. She is averaging more than 20 points per game. She has matured into her game. She can shoot outside, she can shoot inside, she can bring the ball down the floor. She is a very versatile player, unlike she was last year. All of her skills have increased since last season.”
Jenkins has played with the varsity team the last three seasons, so she knows what the Lady Falcons will have to do to compete with the state’s best teams in its highest classification. She said points don’t matter as long as everyone is playing a role in the team’s success. Still, she has remained one of the team’s leading scorers despite nagging foul problems she said she needs to address.
“I have a better shot, I can drive to the basket better, I can dribble better,” Jenkins said. “I think I am doing pretty good. I stayed in the gym a lot this summer after I broke my foot (in May playing Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) ball with a team in Jackson).”
White, a 5-foot-8 guard/forward, said a talk with assistant coach Priscilla White last month after the team’s second game against Starkville helped her re-focus and motivated her to work harder.
“She told me I was playing sorry and I had more potential,” said Hannah White, who isn’t related to coach White. White moved up to the varsity team last season. “I was like, ‘She is right,’ and I need to step it up and do what I need to do.”
Hannah said coach White told her what she thought in the locker room with some of her teammates in the room. She said she knows coach White is going to be honest with her, so she realized she needed to make a change. She admitted she was a little scared on the court and she had to change her ways.
“It feels great because all of the hard work is finally paying off,” White said. “It feels good to see my teammates and my coaches happy because we are winning.”
Hairston said White was showing what she could do in practice, but it wasn’t translating to games, which is part of the reason she was in the starting lineup. She feels sometimes “the light bulb” went off for White and she gained confidence and has been providing another scoring option to support Jenkins.
“We used to tell her, ‘Hannah, sometimes it is like you are not even on the floor,’ ” Hairston said. “She wasn’t doing things like she was in practice, but she is so young. We just kept playing her, playing her, playing her and since she had a big game in the Joe Horne Christmas Classic, she has been playing well. We have been looking for her to do this all year. She just hadn’t done it. Now, she is going to be a player you have to contend with because she is always in the gym.”
On Tuesday, Columbus improved to 11-3 with a 66-46 victory against Noxubee County. Jenkins led the way with 23 points, while White had 10.
Hairston said Jenkins, a 6-foot senior, has been a steady force. She said Jenkins has stepped in and played a bigger role after the graduation loss of Kayla Rogers and Rokila Wallace, who are playing at Coahoma Community College and Meridian C.C.
Jenkins hopes to play basketball at the next level. Hairston said she has talked to Southern Mississippi about Jenkins, and feels she is “overlooked” and that she has the potential to take her game up a few notches. Jenkins also said she has received interest from East Mississippi C.C. in Scooba and Meridian C.C.
“I call (Jenkins) the quiet storm because I am always fussing and I come off the court and she has 25 points,” Hairston said. “She has really worked on her ballhandling and her outside shooting because if she goes (to the next level) she is going to have to play a three or a four (small or power forward).”
n New Hope (boys) 66, Louisville 42: JaQuante Bell had a team-high 16 points to help the Trojans improve to 12-5.
Andrew Junkin added 11 points, while Terryonte Thomas, Tyler Stevenson, and Anthony Roland had nine.
n In the girls game, Louisville beat new Hope 66-32. Lanoria Abrams had seven points for the Lady Trojans.
n In other games, Hamner Allen had 22 points to lead the Pickens Academy boys basketball team to a 59-46 victory against Kingwood Christian School.
Will Jones had 16 points and seven rebounds, while Nyc Gann had 11 points. Lee Acker had 17 rebounds for the Pirates (8-1), who will play North River Christian Academy on Monday.
n In the girls game, Olivia Lewis had 13 points to lead Pickens Academy to a 56-32 victory.
Taylor Hickman had 10 points and eight rebounds for the Lady Pirates (8-1).
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial 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 52 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.