ABERDEEN — Absent its usually potent outside game, the Aberdeen High School boys basketball team looked inside for its scoring punch Tuesday night.
Seniors Fred Ward and Earnest Williams responded with a combined 40-point effort to lead Aberdeen to a 74-54 win against Ripley in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 3A North State first-round game.
Thanks to their inside scoring effort and an outstanding defensive performance, the Bulldogs survived a shaky start in which their first six possessions resulted in two missed free throws and five consecutive turnovers.
The Tigers were unable to capitalize, though, and led only 4-0 before the Bulldogs finally dented the scoring column at the 5-minute, 25-second mark of the opening period on a basket by Jakeese Walker. Ward then tied the game at 4 off a steal, and the teams battled back and forth the remainder of the period before the Bulldogs emerged with a 15-14 advantage.
The second period started off much the same as the first for Aberdeen. An offensive goaltending call on Jeremy Roberts and two consecutive turnovers stymied Aberdeen early on, as the Tigers took an 18-15 lead on a pair of baskets by high-scoring Acie Vance.
But true to form, Ward scored in the lane to cut Ripley”s lead to one point, and Williams and Roberts then rattled the boards on dunks to give the Bulldogs the lead for good, 21-18).
After an exchange of baskets made it 23-20, the closest Ripley was to get the remainder of the half, Aberdeen went on a 14-3 tear to close the quarter. Back-to-back treys by Jeffery Riddle and Shederick Fair in the final 90 seconds pushed the Bulldogs to a 37-23 halftime advantage.
“Aberdeen has the experience to withstand bad starts,” Ripley coach Grant Gardner said. “They”re talented enough to know they have the firepower to come back to turn things around, and those two (treys) just before halftime really hurt us.”
In the third quarter, Aberdeen led by as many as 16 before the Tigers cut the deficit to 45-35 midway through the period. Another patented Bulldog run pushed the lead to 57-37 with just under a minute left.
Ward”s final basket with 4:06 to play gave the Bulldogs their biggest cushion, 67-45, before Aberdeen coach Roy Hazzle cleared the bench in what turned out to be the final home game for the illustrious coach in the gym appropriately named in his honor.
Vance then scored nine straight points to make it 69-54, but baskets by Thomas Rodgers and Aaron McMillian, along with a free throw by Johnny Wilson, accounted for the final score and cemented the Division 2 champions” 23rd consecutive win.
Ward paced Aberdeen (27-2), the Jackson Clarion-Ledger”s No. 1-ranked 3A team, with 22 points, followed by Williams with 18 and Walker with 10.
“Fred (Ward) and Earnest (Williams) played well inside the paint,” Hazzle said. “We call Fred the ”Diesel” just like they used to call the Redskins” John Riggins because he just keeps coming and coming. He had 24 points in a 51-37 win over Water Valley in the division tourney at Winona last week and he played a super game for us tonight despite the fact he was playing with a bad tooth.”
“Ward is tough inside and Williams is so athletic,” said Gardner, whose Tigers finished the season 18-12. “They”re both real physical and they play well together.”
Vance scored 31 points to claim game honors.
“Our inside play aside, the defense really stepped it up a notch and was the difference,” Hazzle said. “We knew coming in Vance would get his points, but I thought we did a great job on everybody else.”
Gardner agreed defense was the key to Aberdeen”s win.
“They did a great job of guarding us tonight, and they always have,” said Gardner, who is quite familiar with Aberdeen after spending almost a decade at division rival Nettleton before moving on to coach at Ripley.
Aberdeen will face MS Palmer on Thursday at Corinth in the second round of the Class 3A North State playoffs.
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