STEENS — At this rate, the Columbus Christian Academy boys basketball team is going to need a trophy case all its own.
Fresh off a run to the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Class AA North State title, Columbus Christian made an even bigger statement Saturday, beating Canton Academy 40-31 to win the MAIS Class AA State tournament in Canton.
The win helped Columbus Christian win its first MAIS basketball state championship. It realized the goal by rallying from a 19-point, third-quarter deficit to beat Sylva-Bay Academy 65-56 in the quarterfinals and edging West Memphis Christian 57-55 in overtime in the semifinals.
Columbus Christian (28-7) will take on the winner of the Riverdale Academy-Jackson Prep game at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Mississippi College in Clinton.
The first step might have been the toughest. Columbus Christian trailed Sylva-Bay Academy by 17 points and halftime before the lead ballooned to 19 early in the third quarter. But Columbus Christian coach Greg Watkins said the team had been in a similar situation against Hebron Christian two or three years ago in the semifinals of the Class A North State tournament and rallied to win. He said some of the same players on this year’s team were on that squad and weren’t overwhelmed by the thought of a long road back to victory.
Watkins said the Rams used a jump press that they haven’t used very much this season to turn up the intensity and get back into the game. By the end of the third quarter, Columbus Christian trailed by only six points and Watkins knew his team had all of the momentum.
“It was a tale of two halves,” Watkins said. “You could look at our guys’ faces and you could look at their faces. In the first half, Sylva-Bay shot the lights out. I think they had nine 3-pointers from five players. That is not counting the inside shots they were making. They were one of the hottest teams I have seen, especially in a half. The press kind of took them out of running an offense, and they started missing a few shots here and there. You could just see the momentum switch.”
Columbus Christian rode the momentum past West Memphis Christian into the final, where it used great support from its fans to drown out the home crowd of Canton Academy.
Senior Aaron Meek said the Rams had to get out to a fast start in the title game. He said accomplishing that goal helped them set the tone and maintain control throughout the game.
“We have been working hard all year,” Meek said. “We have had 6 a.m. practices and been pushing hard at every practice we have been at. I have tried to be a leader as one of the two seniors on the team. Everybody has worked hard.”
Meek said losses in the quarterfinals of the Class A State tournament the past two years served as motivation for the Rams to get over the proverbial hump this time. He said Thursday night was almost as sweet as Saturday night because that first victory helped Columbus Christian break through and take the next step.
“We have had some real good teams, and they have kind of paved the way for this to happen,” Watkins said. “We felt like going in that previous times we’re going in knowing this is the team to beat, or this is the team to beat.
“This year, we felt all along we were the team to beat. We had that in our minds that people were going to have to go through us.”
Balanced scoring was a key all season for the Rams. In the state title game, Dorian Brewer scored a team-high 15 points, while RJ Deloach added 14. Dawson Shaw had six, Jaborris Frazier had three, and Kimarri Whitfield had two. Deloach had a team-high 18 in the semifinals, while Frazier had 12, Whitfield had nine, and Brewer had eight.
Deloach, Brewer, Frazier, and Whitfield were named to the Class AA All-tournament team.
“Most of the guys were tearing up we were so excited that we finally did something awesome for the city and for the school,” Meek said, “and made history.”
Deloach said the first step on the history-making journey can be attributed to the Rams’ ability to turn up the defensive intensity in the quarterfinals. He said Columbus Christian didn’t need to follow the same route in the title game because it managed a faster start that helped keep the rowdy student section quiet.
“It was a load off (winning the Class AA State title),” Deloach said. “Not only for us but also for the fans who have been cheering us on. It felt better winning it for them than it did for me. They wanted us to win it since day one. They have been since us from the beginning.”
Those fans might be enlisted to help clear out some new trophy space in the lobby of the school’s gym if the cheerleaders don’t beat them to it. On Monday afternoon, the MAIS Class AA North State trophy and the Class AA State title trophy looked good as bookends to a brown couch in the gym’s lobby. The temporary homes looked good, but the trophies looked even better when Deloach and Whitfield scooped them and posed with them for pictures. After several years of coming up short in their quest for the titles, it felt even more special for Deloach, Whitfield and the Rams to be able to see the tangible rewards for their hard work.
“We just shared the ball,” Whitfield said. “I don’t think anyone on the team is selfish. We just shared the ball and had the opportunity to go for it.
“It was like everything was falling into place from the beginning. That made it even more satisfying.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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