Luther Riley is no stranger to good high school basketball rivalries.
Riley, who is in his first year as Columbus High School boys basketball coach, spent 12 seasons at Provine High in Jackson. Provine and Lanier High have one of the best basketball rivalries in the state of Mississippi. Players like Monta Ellis (Lanier), who plays for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, and Scottie Haralson (Provine), who played at Connecticut and Tulsa, have played in the rivalry.
“It’s a little bit more intense, just being in the capital city,” Riley said.
Riley had his first taste of the cross-town rivalry between Columbus and New Hope on Saturday night and came away with a 65-56 victory in the final game of the two-day Joe Horne Christmas Classic at Columbus High.
The former Alcorn State coach was impressed with the intensity of the rivalry. The stands were packed and standing-room only overflowed into the lobby outside of the gym, as the 10 p.m. tip didn’t stop fans from showing up in droves.
“The crowd said it all,” Riley said. “It was jam packed. A lot of people came out. It was just a great environment.”
Sophomore Robert Woodard II led Columbus with 14 points. He has friends who play for New Hope, and he knows many people who are go to New Hope High.
Woodard said playing a rival like New Hope makes for a more intense game, which means getting a victory is even more important.
“It’s a pretty fun rivalry for both of us,” Woodard said. “I don’t believe in bragging. I may joke around about it in the future, but just move onto the next game.
“The atmosphere was nice, and you had people going for both teams. It was a nice experience.”
Cameron Douglas led Columbus (8-2) with 15 points, while Chris DeLoach added 13 and Demetrius Clark had 10.
Junior Terryonte Thomas led New Hope (9-1) with 16 points. Carlos Brooks had 13, while Terrell Jennings added 10.
“It’s just a cross-town rivalry and that’s what rivalries are all about,” New Hope coach Drew McBrayer said. “It was a great atmosphere and two teams trying to go after each other.”
The Falcons led 11-6 after the first quarter. Both teams scored 20 points in the second quarter and Columbus led 31-26 at halftime.
Columbus led 48-40 entering the fourth quarter and did enough in the final eight minutes to win Game 1 between the teams. They will meet again Jan. 2 in New Hope’s Trojan Holiday Classic.
“These is an intense rivalry,” Riley said. “They have good players and we have some pretty good players.”
Even though the loss to Class 6A Columbus won’t hurt New Hope, which is Class 5A, in the division standings or in its quest for a state championship, McBrayer said his team has plenty to learn from the game.
“The physicality of the game is a measuring stick,” McBrayer said. “We had too many turnovers against their length. It’s all stuff we need to go back and work on in practice for the next time we see them.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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