MSU women play NCAA waiting game

STARKVILLE — The waiting game continues for the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.

MSU coach Vic Schaefer doesn’t mind that the Bulldogs will have to wait until Monday to find out where they will lay their first game in the NCAA tournament. That’s because MSU’s fourth-year head coach and his coaching staff have transformed a program that was 13-17 in their first season and hoping to get into the tournament into one that has its sights focused on staying alive in March Madness a little longer.

Lady Bulldogs miss second straight SEC title

Too much size. Too much experience.

MSU women fall to South Carolina in SEC final

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — You’ll have to forgive Dominique Dillingham if she isn’t well versed on 1980s pop music.

MSU women celebrate second win over Tennessee

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — There is a new destination in the paint in Starkville: Mount Chinwe.

MSU women reach title game with win over Tennessee

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Toughness.

MSU gets help with women’s basketball resume

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Friday was a good day for the Mississippi State women’s basketball team.

MSU women open tournament play with win over Vanderbilt

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — When it comes to defense, Vic Schaefer’s voice can pierce through the loudest gym.

MSU women set to go at SEC tournament quarterfinal round

STARKVILLE — If Vic Schaefer didn’t know better, he would have thought someone mixed up the statistics from the past two years.

Surprising state tournament run ends for West Lowndes girls

JACKSON — Taylor Durham walked out of the Biggersville High School girls basketball team’s locker room tugging at her white, long-sleeve undershirt.

West Lowndes boys win quarterfinal bout at Big House

JACKSON — An extra flick of the wrist from TyShun Spencer is all it took to push the West Lowndes High School boys basketball team one step closer to a championship.

MSU women look to advance in SEC tourney

The record crowd-drawing Mississippi State women’s basketball team intends to hang around the Southeastern Conference tournament a little longer this year.

Columbus Christian’s Meek earns soccer opportunity at Northwest C.C.

STEENS — Commitment is important to Aaron Meek.

Vivians one of three MSU players to earn All-SEC honors

STARKVILLE — The Mississippi State women’s basketball team will have a chance to catch its breath before the next phase of its season begins.

Until then, MSU coach Vic Schaefer and the Bulldogs will celebrate a few postseason honors.

On Tuesday, sophomore guard Victoria Vivians was named first-team All-SEC, junior guard/forward Dominique Dillingham was named to the SEC’s All-Defensive team, and center Teaira McCowan was named to the SEC’s All-Freshman team.

West Lowndes girls, boys set to take next steps on title road

Danny Crawford doesn’t believe in setting the bar low.

He also doesn’t care if one of his teams is a year ahead of schedule.

Crawford and the West Lowndes High School girls and boys basketball teams are going to Jackson to win the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A State championships.

Added weight helps Mullis get off to fast start at Meridian C.C.

Dillon Sudduth doesn’t recall how much

Hunter Mullis weighed when he first noticed him on the recruiting trail.

Mullis’ weight really didn’t matter to the Meridian Community College baseball coach because he could tell the then-Columbus High School standout could pitch. In many ways, Mullis fit the bill of a “crafty lefty” because he changed speeds and worked the outer edges of the strike zone to get hitters to chase his pitches.

Neely, Smith help lead WLHS basketball teams to Jackson

Transition is an essential part of basketball.

The teams that get out and run and use their pressure defense to create easy scoring opportunities often have the most success.

Danny Crawford is used to coaching that style of play. The veteran coach had success with the girls and boys basketball teams at West Oktibbeha County High School before that school and East Oktibbeha County High were closed at the end of the 2014-15 school year.

Minichino column: MSU women look for more history

The stretch run is here, and the Mississippi State women’s basketball team is poised to add a new entry to another history-making season.

Pickens Academy’s Powell, Britt will play football at next level

CARROLLTON, Ala. — The thought of being a “tackling dummy” or a designated blocker doesn’t bother Daniel Powell.

When you have grown up working on your parents’ farm, you’re accustomed to long hours and plenty of chores, so the idea of pushing yourself to be the best in one of the nation’s best programs certainly sounded like a dream to Powell. After all, national champion Alabama and coach Nick Saban could have their pick of the litter from anywhere in the United States. It didn’t occur to Powell, a standout linebacker and lineman at Pickens Academy, a Class AA school in the Alabama Independent School Association, that he really would get an opportunity to play college football at the highest level.

Jackson Prep boys eliminate Columbus Christian

CLINTON — Chris Moore couldn’t remember the last time his team shot better than 60 percent from the field.

Greg Watkins couldn’t recall the last time an opponent shot that high of a percentage against his team for 32 minutes.

Unfortunately for Watkins, the Jackson Prep boys basketball team’s hot-shooting Wednesday made for a long afternoon at Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum.

Mitch Redding and Graham Eklund had 11 points, and Jake Ray added 10 as part of a 60.5-percent shooting effort in Jackson Prep’s 56-32 victory against Columbus Christian Academy at the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Overall State tournament.

Hebron Christian girls, boys lose at Overall State tournament

CLINTON — Bruce Franks has won enough state championships — five — to know that some days you’ve got it and other days you don’t.

Unfortunately, Wednesday was one of the latter for the Hebron Christian girls and boys basketball teams.

The Kirk Academy girls eliminated Hebron Christian 60-42 in the first game Wednesday of the second day of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Overall State tournament at Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum.