STARKVILLE — The first installment of this year’s Heritage Academy/Starkville Academy rivalry on the basketball court began with a bang on Friday night.
Back and forth the Patriots and Volunteers went in a girls basketball game full of runs. Heritage made the most important run late, and a layup from freshman Jalecia McShane put the Pats up a pair late in the fourth quarter.
A late free throw gave Heritage a three-point lead with roughly 20 seconds left, giving the Vols one last shot to send things to overtime.
However, SA couldn’t even get a three-pointer off, a masterclass on the defensive end as the Pats emerged victorious, 50-47, on the road.
“We knew they wanted a three-point shot and I thought our ball pressure to start with got them out of sync,” Heritage head coach Moe Reed said. “Defense came up big for us tonight. … I thought we were sloppy at times, but any time you win on the road in this district is a huge win.”
A big win is an understatement for the Patriots (11-5, 2-3) coming off a tough loss against Bayou Academy.
Heritage looked like it had things rolling early on, taking a 10-point lead in the second quarter thanks to McShane coming off the bench. She put up 14 points for the Pats going into the half, but a late Vols run cut the deficit to 29-28 going into the half.
Starkville Academy (14-9, 1-4) found its stride just as Heritage lost consistency, rattling off a 13-0 run to take a lead that ballooned up to seven points in the third quarter.
“They did some great things tonight,” Vols head coach Colleen Roberts said. “We had some good runs, we made some good adjustments and we were so close to getting that victory tonight.”
Then, the Pats came right back, taking a brief 43-42 lead in the fourth quarter, making for a barnburner of a finish.
McShane got the ball rolling for Heritage in the second quarter and did the same to clinch a victory, finishing with a game-high 19 points in one of her best performances of her early career.
“Jalecia has been a really big part of our team,” senior Chloe Boyd said. “I feel like she’s brought so much energy, so much fire, and she helps us keep our heads up.”
Boyd had 12 points of her own in the win, one of two Heritage players in double-figures that carried its offense down the stretch, out-scoring Starkville Academy, 15-6, in the fourth quarter to get that much closer to .500 in district play.
“We have to continue to get better,” Reed said. “We have to keep working and we have a lot to work on. Hopefully, we start playing better closer to the postseason and give ourselves a chance to get a top-4 spot in the district.”
Heritage boys 57, Starkville Academy 34
While the girls game ended up being a thrilling finish, the boys game became a late blowout after a 13-0 run from Heritage Academy jumpstarted an impressive second half performance.
Up 25-17 at the half, the Patriots had control, but Starkville Academy was still well within striking distance.
Then came the second half, one where Heritage out-scored the Volunteers, 31-17, comfortably taking a 57-34 win back to Columbus.
“I thought defensively, we played really well,” Heritage head coach Andrew Howell said. “Offensively, we started out hot, but we’ve been in a lull the last week or so shooting the ball. … It’s good to get a win in the district right now and it looked like we were clicking better today, especially in the second half. … We have to get the three-ball going, start making some shots.”
Defense was the driving force in Friday’s win for the Patriots (12-4, 3-2), forcing a plethora of Starkville Academy (9-11, 1-4) turnovers that led to fast break scoring opportunities.
The ball was shared pretty evenly for Heritage, with four scorers in double-figures, led by an 18-point night from Whit Altmyer, and that only added to the success on the night.
“That’s when we’re really good,” Howell said. “Every time we have three or four guys in double-figures, we’ve come out on top. … We got guys that can play and if we can keep up what we’re doing defensively, that turns into us playing on the open floor and that’s where we want to live, in transition.”
While the Pats are looking to stake a claim for the best team in the region, the Vols are treading water, just one win in region play with six games remaining, including one more against Heritage in Columbus.
It’s a tough road ahead and those mistakes need to be cleaned up quickly for Starkville Academy.
“We’ve played everyone once now and now, it’s a matter of looking at the film and seeing where we can be better,” Vols head coach Brian Merkel said. “We always play incredibly hard. We just have to sustain that for 32 minutes.”
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 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
Join the Discussion