Freshman Marvaysha Seals and junior Edmariah Sherrod fed off each other Monday night and sparked the West Lowndes High School girls basketball team to a come-from-behind 48-31 victory against Piney Woods in the first round of the Mississippi High School Athletic Association Class 1A South State playoffs.
Seals took control in the second quarter with the Lady Panthers trailing by six points. She drained three 3-pointers and four free throws to give West Lowndes a 25-23 lead at halftime. Sherrod took over in the second half and scored seven points in the third quarter, while Seals added five to help seal the deal.
Seals, who entered the game averaging eight points, finished with 18 points and four rebounds.
West Lowndes High coach Takeea Bozeman knew her team needed to get Seals the ball, but the Lady Panthers couldn’t get her going early.
“When she got it, she was scared to shoot,” Bozeman said. “I just told her to shoot the ball because we cannot score if she does not shoot. She went out there in the second quarter and started shooting. She is a very good, natural athlete that we need to succeed.”
The Lady Panthers outscored the Lady Tornadoes 18-4 in the third quarter thanks in part to four steals.
Sherrod said Bozeman’s halftime speech Bozeman provided motivation for the team to play better defense in the second half.
“Coach had a long talk with us in the locker room,” Sherrod said. “She told me to play like the player I am, play scrappy, and to be the greatest. That is what we decided to do. We wanted to work harder in the second half to make sure we were going to go to the second round. We did not want to end our season like this, so we played defense harder.”
Leading 43-27 entering the fourth quarter, West Lowndes held the ball for the majority of the final eight minutes to help preserve a second-round matchup against Bogue Chitto on Friday night.
With no seniors on the team, the Lady Panthers are excited to extend their season because they have matured throughout the year. After a bad start to the season, the Lady Panthers went 6-2 down the stretch in district play.
Bozeman said she has stressed defense more and more, which has fueled the growth.
“We focus on persistence and patience and practice,” Bozeman said. “Practice, practice, practice. We practice at least four times a week and I try to get my freshmen experience, and as they get more experience, they get better on the court.”
All eyes are on keeping the season alive. With the new-found faith Seals grabbed in her 18-point performance, she said she is looking forward to helping lead the team continue its run. When asked what she wants to see in the second round, she fiercely said, “Another win.”
n In other MHSAA girls basketball playoff action, Aberdeen defeated Holly Springs 90-27 in Class 3A, while Ashland eliminated Hamilton 66-48 in Class 1A.
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