STARKVILLE — The Starkville High School boys basketball team began its journey in the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A playoffs on a strong note with a 73-61 victory against Horn Lake on Tuesday night.
Starkville (27-3) will face Tupelo (25-4) at 7 p.m. Saturday in the second round of the playoffs. The winner will advance to Jackson and needs three more wins to capture a state championship. Starkville beat Tupelo twice in the regular season.
“We had a size advantage and took advantage of that,” Starkville coach Greg Carter said. “That was important, but we also made shots. When we have balance, we have a chance to win most nights. I think the guys really wanted to make up for Friday night (a loss to Callaway in the Class 6A, Region 3 championship game).”
The loss to Callaway snapped an 18-game winning streak and denied Starkville a chance to play at home for its return trip to Jackson. In that series, Starkville was unable to beat Callaway for a third-straight time. The Yellow Jackets will need to accomplish that task Saturday against the Golden Wave.
“We had two great games with Tupelo,” Carter said. “There is confidence there because you have beaten them twice. It’s hard to beat a really good team three-straight times. However, you focus on the fact that it is one game. We have gone on the road and won some big games the last couple of years. You go on the road there and try to win one more time.
“You look back on the things you did well in the past. You also have some confidence, which is a good thing.”
Against Horn Lake (19-10), Starkville got more balance scoring which has been a theme of this year’s team. Blake Rogers had 30 points, while Darrious Agnew added 21 points and 24 rebounds. Natrone Brooks and Jordan Temple added seven points.
The up-tempo style of the game was established early, as Starkville used a 10-2 run late in the first quarter to take a 27-21 lead after eight minutes.
Rogers hit six first-half 3-pointers as the Yellow Jackets ran the lead to 40-28.
Agnew had his double-double achieved by halftime. Horn Lake used some strong 3-point shooting to pull within 43-36 at halftime.
Horn Lake pulled within 48-45 early in the third quarter. The Yellow Jackets put the clamps on defensively and allowed one field goal in the final five minutes of the third quarter for a 58-50 lead.
“Defensively, we were much better in the second half,” Carter said. “They hit some long-range shots in the first half. We did a better job of guarding and getting some stops in the second half.”
Rogers had seven points in the fourth quarter. Starkville hit all of its free throws in the final quarter to seal the deal.
Jiturious Gordon led Horn Lake with 28 points.
n In other MHSAA boys action, Vicksburg eliminated West Point 65-47 in Class 5A. Ripley defeated Caledonia 62-43 and Noxubee County edged Senatobia 60-59 in Class 4A. Holly Springs beat Aberdeen 92-48 in Class 3A. Myrtle eliminated Hamilton 79-58 in Class A.
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