MADISON – Starkville needed one big shot.
Zariah Brown delivered.
Brown hit a 3-pointer with 1:44 left as the No. 2-ranked Lady Yellow Jackets rallied past Madison Central 49-44 in a key Region 2-7A matchup on Wednesday night.
“Zariah hit a big shot at the end, and we did a good job defensively in the fourth quarter,” Starkville coach Matt Wilbanks said. “I thought in the first half they were playing harder than us and being more physical tonight than last time we played.”
Starkville and Madison Central were tied 9-9 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Jaguars scored the quarter’s first four points to take a 13-9 lead, and from that point it was a back-and-forth that saw Madison Central hold a 25-20 lead at halftime.
The Jaguars went on a 7-2 run to begin the third quarter to stretch their lead out to 32-22, but the Jackets answered with a 12-0 run to take a 34-32 lead with 2:02 left.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Karley Robinson and Alayah Bolden gave Madison Central a 38-36 lead at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Starkville was able to get second-chance points on baskets from Brown and Jada Gay with layups to take a 43-42 lead with 5:27 left.
After Robinson hit a layup to give Madison Central a 44-43 lead, Brown hit a corner 3-pointer with 1:44 remaining to give Starkville a 47-44 lead.
“We executed the play and just played well as a team and rebounded the ball,” Brown said. “Defensively we played excellent in the fourth quarter, and in order to win you have to rebound and get teammates involved.”
Zariah Brown had a game-high 14 points to lead Starkville, while Logan Warren added 13 points ,and Jade Brown chipped in 10 points for the Jackets (22-3, 7-0 Region 2-7A).
Karley Robinson had 15 points to lead Madison Central, while Alayah Bolden had 13 points for the Jaguars (19-5, 4-2).
Three-Pointers
Turning Point: Brown’s 3-pointer with 1:44 left in the fourth quarter gave Starkville a 47-44 lead.
Point Makers: Starkville had three players in double figures.
Talking Point: “I thought they played harder than us and were more physical than the last time we played. We played hard, but didn’t feel like we were excited. We challenged them at halftime, and they answered.” – Wilbanks
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