STARKVILLE – At halftime, the win was up for grabs.
Starkville Police Department was looking to hold their 19-16 lead against Columbus police during the championship game of the Hooping with First Responders basketball tournament Saturday.
Columbus Police Department Public Information Officer Bryan Moore said his team left the bench with high spirits and a game plan to take the lead and win the game.
“We came together at halftime, and we … were like, there’s no way we shouldn’t walk away with this win,” Moore told The Dispatch after the game. “So we came up with a game plan of putting certain people on the floor at the same time because they complemented each other’s skill sets.”
The strategy worked, and Columbus took the lead quickly in the second half.
Kenya Bibbs, SPD corporal and coach, made a last-ditch effort to substitute two players from West Point Police Department, but the attempt was thwarted.
“We are different agencies, but we’re still all a family. We all help each other no matter what’s going on. We still come together to work as one,” Bibbs said. “But unfortunately due to us having enough players we could not.”
Starkville’s efforts fell short, and Columbus won the tournament with a final score of 38-27. Bibbs said the win was well deserved.
“We almost made it,” she told The Dispatch after the game. “We gave them a good run. Columbus did an excellent job.”
This was the second year SPD hosted the Hooping with First Responders tournament at the Starkville Sportsplex to raise money for National Night Out, a national campaign that promotes neighborhood camaraderie and partnerships between police officers and their communities.
Bibbs said SPD will host National Night Out festivities from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 6 at the Sportsplex. The department will hand out free school supplies and businesses and organizations are invited to participate, she said.
“Everything is free (at National Night Out),” Bibbs said. “We’re asking other organizations to join us and give out their information with us, to give out the services that they have that the community doesn’t know about.
The first tournament was held in 2021 before Bibbs brought it back this year. She said the idea first came about as a way to give first responders a fun break from working while also staying active.
“We have to take a (physical fitness) test every year,” she said. “I thought this was a good way … to add this along to help us continue to stay in shape. We’re always busy protecting our communities, so I thought it was a great idea to do this fun thing that’s physical as well.”
Five agencies competed in the tournament this year. SPD beat WPPD in the first game, and Mississippi State University Police in the third game. CPD beat the Starkville Fire Department in the second game before playing SPD in the finals.
Bibbs said next year’s bracket will have even more local agencies.
“When we came back this year, we wanted everybody from all the surrounding areas to come in because I knew they would love to participate,” she said. “Everyone really enjoyed it, and they’re actually looking forward to next year. I have already had other agencies reaching out to me already wanting to come. So I’m looking forward to making it a bigger event next year.”
Moore said Columbus police look forward to returning next year and winning another trophy.
“I think it’s going to be more competitive, more interesting with more teams, but I’m highly confident that Columbus Police Department will repeat and win again next year,” he said.
Bibbs presented CPD with the trophy and closed her congratulatory speech with a promise.
“You won’t win again next year, I promise.”
McRae is a general assignment and education reporter for The Dispatch.
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