BY WILL NATIONS
Special to The Dispatch
JACKSON — Dashmond Daniel, the fifth-year head coach of the West Point Lady Wave, paced the sideline with a fiery determination in his eyes. He stomped his feet on the hardwood and drove his voice hoarse, attempting to motivate his team for a second-half comeback on Friday night at the Mississippi Coliseum.
The Lady Wave matched their coach’s energy on the floor and delivered a surprising upset against the West Jones Lady Mustangs, the top-ranked team in the Class 5A classification, in the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A state tournament’s quarterfinal round.
After falling behind by double digits before halftime, West Point’s Jamia Hollings completed the comeback and scored a pair of baskets in a span of 12 seconds in the fourth quarter to retake the lead, propelling her team to a 75-67 win.
West Point will face Ridgeland at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday with the winner there playing for a state championship.
“I am not much of wordsmith, but all I know right now is that I am overwhelmed, and my team is resilient,” Daniel said, as a wide smile swept across his face.
Supreme effort
The Lady Wave (20-5) seemed out of the contest before the second half even started, falling behind 37-23 at halftime. However, Daniel challenged his squad inside the locker room. He told them this performance did not match the expectation they had created for themselves throughout the season.
“We worked hard all year to get to this stage, and this performance was what you were going to show to your fans, your family,” Daniel said. “I challenged them to step up, and they stepped up big.”
West Point slowly chipped away at the 14-point deficit in the next 16 minutes. The Lady Wave outscored West Jones 22-13 during the third, including a 13-2 run in the opening four minutes and Rush’s 10 points in the quarter.
Then Hollins sparked the final push, a 15-2 stretch, with her 3-pointer at the fourth’s 4:40 mark and her team trailed 60-52. She tied the game off a steal and layup followed by a driving layup through the lane with two minutes, 18 seconds remaining for a 64-62 advantage. West Point never relinquished the lead nor did it allow for West Jones to tie the game. Tia McCrary and Rush solidified the win with consistent play on the offensive end down the stretch.
“We got excited and out of the moment during the comeback, but then our girls found their composure and played,” Daniel said. “When this team decides to play, they can put on a show. When it comes down to basketball, we are a cohesive team. No matter the stage. They played team basketball tonight.”
Lots of points
Hollings scored a game-high 27 points. Rush, who went six of seven from the free-throw line, netted 17, and Amari Heard and McCrary added 14 apiece.
West Point outrebounded West Jones (23-3) 48-35, including a 12-board advantage on the defensive end. The Lady Wave also improved its shooting percentage after halftime from 35 percent to 57 percent. The biggest stat was holding West Jones’ top scorers, Brikayla Gray and Breonca Ducksworth, 20 and 16, respectively, to eight and six points in the second half.
“We cut the baseline,” Daniel said. “I noticed they had a tale sign with their right leg. I told my girls to make the adjustment at halftime. They were some of the quickest girls I have seen this season.”
Opening the game, West Point struggled offensively, not scoring in —-its first five trips down the court, and West Jones used baskets from Gray and Ducksworth to take a four-point advantage by the 6:30 mark. West Point eventually tied the game at six with a pair of Hollings’ baskets and a transition layup by McCrary. Heard added a jump shot and layup off a Lady Mustang turnover and gave the Lady Wave a 12-6 advantage with 2:42 left in the first. West Jones stormed back with a 6-0 run and tied the game at 14 apiece at the end of the quarter.
A late West Jones, first-quarter charge that tied the game led West Jones into a 14-0 run that lasted four minutes, seven seconds and profited West Jones with a 22-14 advantage midway through the second. In total, the Lady Mustangs outscored the Lady Wave 24-9 in the quarter.
Special run
The Lady Wave does not make the trip to Jackson too often. Friday was the first time in 15 years, in fact. However, a trip to spectate a championship game five years ago may have turned the program around for the better.
In the 2012-13 season, West Point’s girls basketball team accumulated only five wins. Though the losses were more than the wins, Daniel saw an opportunity to lay the foundation for a successful program and carried his entire team to the Class 5A girls championship game.
“The five-win season laid the foundation for where we are now as a program,” Daniel said. “They couldn’t see it right now. We didn’t worry about the wins and improved throughout the year. Even though we won five games, I brought them down the championship game because I wanted them to know what a championship-caliber basketball team looks like.”
Though they were not the participants in the tournament or championship game at the moment, the Lady Wave have learned from the experience. The momentum started the turn. During the 2014-15 season, West Point won a postseason berth. The next season, the green and white won 21 games and finished second in Region 2-5A.
West Point plays Ridgeland High, which defeated Laurel 57-45. In the other Class 5A girls semifinal, Lanier High of Jackson squares off against Neshoba Central High at noon on Tuesday. Both games are played at the Mississippi Coliseum.
“It has been 15 years since any Lady Wave basketball team has played on this stage,” Daniel said. “Nobody in their immediate family or friends. They’re making history.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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