By his own admission, West Point girls’ basketball coach Dashmond Daniel is difficult to play for on most nights.
Friday night wasn’t one of those nights.
With his team leading the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A, Region 2 tournament championship game by 16 points midway through the fourth quarter, Daniel barked out instructions like a championship would be won on the game’s next possession.
Senior Tia McCrary looked over to the sidelines, received the instructions, and smiled.
West Point knew it was putting the finishing touches on a championship-worthy performance. West Point only trailed once (at 2-0) in a 56-40 victory against New Hope to win the region title before a capacity crowd at the New Hope Gym.
“He’s really not that bad,” McCrary said. “I think he is hard on himself as a coach. This team has control of things. We have some good players and we have put together a great season. We are going to carry a lot of confidence into the playoffs.”
West Point (18-5) will receive a first-round bye and will play host a second-round playoff game Friday night. New Hope (16-10) will play host Ridgeland (18-11) in a first-round playoff game at 7 tonight.
Last season, West Point finished as runner-up at the region tournament. The season ended with a second-round playoff loss at Lanier. This season, the playoffs won’t involve anyone else’s home court. A win Friday would send West Point to the Class 5A State tournament in Jackson.
“On the bus ride home (from Lanier), we talked about (the region championship game),” Daniel said. “I got the juniors together and it started right there. We started planning for this night. It is so much easier to win a championship when you are playing at home. On the way back from Lanier, we talked about playing in this game again and making sure we won it.”
West Point played as if the game had been a year in the making. The teams had split the two regular-season meetings. The rubber match was over quickly. West Point erased the 2-0 deficit with a 15-3 run and was dominant on the defensive end.
“With this team, it starts on defense,” West Point sophomore Amari Heard said. “We don’t stand a chance, if we don’t play great defense. Defense and rebounding. Those are the last two things coach stressed when we left the locker room. We knew those were the keys to victory.”
During the early run, West Point had two possessions with four offensive rebounds. The Lady Wave crashed the boards as a unit. McCrary, Heard, and junior Aamiya Rush set the tone early.
“West Point has one of the biggest lineups we faced all season,” New Hope coach Chad Brown said. “With their length and depth, we had issues keeping them off the boards. We knew we had to limit their second-chance scoring opportunities. We weren’t able to do that.”
The 3-point shooting of Alex Melton kept New Hope afloat. Melton hit four treys in the first half, but the Lady Trojans trailed 26-16 at halftime.
West Point made some adjustments and picked Melton and Alaysha Jennings up further from the basket in the second half to prevent the Lady Trojans from mounting a serious threat. Meanwhile, Heard and McCrary created some magic of their own. Heard had 21 points and five assists. Jamia Hollings added 17 points.
“Our rebounding was great, and that was a big key,” Heard said. “We were able to get out in transition and that helped us keep the lead.”
Daniel said he thought this team could be special, which is part of the reason he said he has worked this unit harder than any other.
“There are a lot of nights I am not fun to play for, and I know that,” Daniel said. “I have really pushed hard so that these girls can see their potential. It is an unselfish team. It is a hard-working team. When one girl works out, they all do. It has that championship-type mind-set, so let’s push it and see how far we can get.”
Melton had 12 points for New Hope, but she didn’t score in the second half. Janae Topps added 10.
“Making the playoffs is a big deal,” Brown said. “A year ago, we got in but played on the road, so a first-round game at home is improvement. I just hate we didn’t play well. With a championship on the line, you want to be at your best. We didn’t play up to our potential. We couldn’t slow them down once they got things going.”
West Point doesn’t have to worry about the opening round. Instead, the Lady Wave are one win from Jackson, and four from a state championship.
“Winning the tournament is exciting,” Heard said. “We have worked hard to get to this point. Everyone wants to go to Jackson. We know we are four good quarters from getting there.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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