Region games are in full-swing for area basketball teams as they begin their trek toward the postseason and Starkville has picked up where it left off after dominating each team’s early slate of games. Over in Columbus, the Falcons also kept the heat going with their ninth straight win.
Starkville
After clobbering the vast majority of its foes during the nonconference stretch of the season, Starkville’s basketball teams have brought the energy into the early going of Region 2-7A play by toppling Clinton last week before trouncing Madison Central over the weekend.
The Yellow Jackets’ boys team was scheduled to play the Jaguars on Friday but that game was moved to Saturday due to potentially severe weather. The change didn’t seem to affect the Jackets, who rolled to a 77-43 victory over last year’s state runners-up. Kobe Hendrix led the charge with 18 points, 14 rebounds, two steals and two blocks, and TJ Warren scored 16 points with seven rebounds and one steal. Jerwan McCarter put up 13 points, 10 assists and five rebounds, Jaden Tate had seven points with two rebounds, two assists and one steal and La’danuel Jordan chimed in five points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals to help the Jackets (17-1, 2-0) win their second straight contest.
The girls team picked up right where they left off after a 57-49 win over Clinton on Thursday and rode to a 58-40 romp of Madison Central on Saturday – though they had to battle back from an early deficit.
The Jags clung to a slim 10-7 advantage heading into the second quarter, where Starkville (17-3, 2-0) turned on the jets and pulled away for a 29-19 lead at halftime. Jada Gay exploded for 24 points, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks, Logan Warren scored nine points, Morgan Williams added seven points and Zariah Brown tossed in six points as well.
Starkville hosted rival Oxford yesterday and will play at Murrah on Friday.
Starkville Academy
The Volunteers’ boys team fell 80-53 to visiting Heritage Academy on Friday in the team’s third taste of District 2-5A play this season, the team’s (8-6, 2-1) second loss in its last five games. For the Patriots (7-5, 3-1), it was their third straight victory, two of which are district wins. The Vols’ girls team (8-10, 2-1), though, broke through for their second conference triumph of the year in a 50-46 victory. Nevaeh Jefferson led the Patriots (7-12, 1-3) with 15 points, and Abby Edward scored 12 points. Hunter Hill chipped in eight points, and Julia Yeatman scored six points.
The Vols played at Hartfield yesterday and will play at Simpson Academy Friday, while the Patriots played at East Rankin yesterday and will play at Hartfield Academy Friday.
Columbus
Make that nine straight wins for the Falcons’ boys team.
Columbus’ boys team rode to a 66-17 romp of visiting New Hope on Saturday for the team’s (13-5, 3-0) third Region 1-5A victory of the season.
The Falcons took a 13-1 lead to the second quarter where they continued their domination by outsourcing New Hope 30-6 for a 41-7 lead at halftime. Michael Hood Jr. led the team with 15 points on a perfect 7-of-7 shooting with three rebounds. Maxwell Leach added 13 points, Cameron Aaron scored nine points and David Verdell scored eight points with seven boards.
The Trojans’ (5-11, 2-1) 17 points were the team’s fewest points scored in a game and are the fewest allowed by Columbus in a game this season. For the girls game, New Hope (11-4, 3-0) got the best of the Falcons (4-10, 1-2) in a tight 55-51 victory, which is the Trojans’ third straight win. The loss is Columbus’ second straight.
Both Columbus and New Hope continued down the conference path yesterday, and the Falcons will play at Caledonia on Friday while the Trojans host Pontotoc.
Caledonia
The Cavaliers and the Green Wave of West Point clashed on Friday in a Region 1-5A battle with the two teams trading victories.
The Cavs’ boys squad (6-10, 1-2) fell narrowly in a 51-49 defeat to the Green Wave (13-5, 1-2), while Caledonia’s girls (10-5, 2-1) pulled away for a 36-24 win. The wins for West Point and Caledonia are the team’s second in a row. West Point moved on to play at Aliceville on Saturday in a nonconference match with both teams earning victories. The boys team won 55-44 and the girls (11-9, 0-3) won 47-21 to snap a two-game skid.
Up next, West Point hosts Lafayette on Friday while Caledona travels to Columbus.
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