JACKSON — West Point High School junior Aamiya Rush felt a big game was coming.
“It was the state championship game, so I really wanted to bring it,” Rush said. “The way our team has played this season, someone is going get the job done. It was just a matter of coming out and playing our game. I was excited for this opportunity, so I wanted to make some type of statement.”
Rush made that statement with a game-high 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough, as Neshoba Central won its first Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A State championship with a 56-45 victory against West Point on Friday night at Mississippi Coliseum.
Throughout the season, sophomore Amari Heard and senior Tia McCrary have been the focal points for West Point’s offense. After playing twice in the regular season, Neshoba Central wanted to make West Point go another direction.
“Really proud of the job done by Aamiya,” West Point coach Dashmond Daniel said. “She will be one of our seniors next year. She will be one of our leaders. When we were on the biggest stage this season, she really elevated her game. That is what the special players are able to do. When we were struggling in the second quarter, she really gave us a lift.”
West Point (21-6) consistently pounded the ball inside in the first quarter. Neshoba Central (19-10) countered with a strong performance from 3-point range. The Lady Rockets shifted to zone in the second quarter and forced the ball to stay outside more.
Rush answered with seven-straight points as the team battled back from a 24-14 second-quarter deficit. West Point took the lead in the third quarter, but turnovers in the fourth quarter proved costly.
“We didn’t play four quarters like we needed to,” Rush said. “I think we can take a lot from this experience and learn from it. We got down there early in the fourth quarter and didn’t respond. Usually when the pressure is intense, we play better. We can learn from playing her and put it to good use next season.
“This team really had good chemistry. We had balance throughout the year. We always felt like somebody would step up and make the big bucket. We have players who can score from the outside. We have players who can make plays underneath. It was fun playing on a team with no superstars. It meant you had to work for everything. Once you get to Jackson, everybody knows you are good. It came to down execution, and they were better at it than we were.”
Daniel said McCrary — the team’s lone senior starter — sets the tone for the team on offense and as a leader. He has been grooming Rush to take that role next season.
“Aamiya is solid and dependable,” Daniel said. “She is not a real vocal player, but we can work on that. She sets that example on the floor by how hard she works. When you reach this level, you have to have players who thrive in the big time. I thought she really stepped up and responded. She made some plays offensively and defensively that kept us going.”
Rush said the team felt nervous before the first game in Jackson. Friday was different. The team was used to playing in the big arena. However, the stakes were much higher.
“I felt much better after a couple of shots went down,” Rush said. “Even though you are in the state championship game, you still have to feel like you belong. Winning the region tournament (at New Hope) was big for this team. It really gave us lots of confidence. Even though we lost this game, we played with a lot of confidence. We felt good about what were trying to do.
“On defense, we just didn’t make enough plays. We normally get some turnovers and that feeds our offense. Our offense got stalled when we weren’t getting the easy baskets. Coach said he was proud of how hard we competed. That is one thing about this team, we left it on the floor. We wanted to do our best.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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 41 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.