COLUMBUS — It was a game that came down to one play between Columbus and Starkville boys basketball.
With 12 seconds left, down 56-54, junior David Washington inbounded to Senavion Roby, who passed it back to Washington, driving down the lane.
The look was almost perfect, a layup attempt with seemingly an open lane to take advantage of, but out of nowhere came Columbus’s Mike Hood, who got just enough of his hand on the ball to block it and prevent the tie.
That block secured a close 59-56 Falcons victory and a mosh pit of players, cheerleaders and fans who came pouring out onto the floor.
“I was just trying to get the block, just trying to end the game off and get the win,” Hood said.
It wasn’t just a win, but one of local bragging rights for Columbus (9-1) who swept a home-and-home against Starkville (5-5) this season.
In front of a packed house inside Columbus High School’s gym, the noise certainly played a factor for all involved, a wild and raucous environment that brought the best and most competitive parts from both schools.
“It didn’t go the way we wanted to, but I’m proud of my guys,” Starkville head coach Qu’Varius ‘Woodie’ Howard said. “… That’s what we needed. We knew it was going to be a dogfight, a tough game, a rivalry game, but that’s what we needed.”
In the last two minutes of play, up 54-52 at the time, Starkville had two costly turnovers that led to Columbus baskets and lost the lead for the Yellow Jackets.
What looked to be them trying to waste as much time off the clock as possible and generate a good offensive opportunity quickly turned into disaster as the Falcons took advantage and emerged from the chaos on top.
“The big thing was we found ways down the stretch to figure it out and get it done,” Columbus head coach Phillip Morris said. “Everybody came in and made a play, whether it was offense or defense and we battled through.”
What a game it was for Columbus’s offense, a balanced scoring effort on the night with four of its five starters finishing in double-figures in scoring.
Senior Jayden Tatum led the Falcons with 16 points, with Jace O’Neal right behind him, scoring 14 points. However, that 12-point night from Hood, capped off with the game-winning block, got the Falcons exactly what they needed to keep the winning ways going in Columbus.
“When I make my schedule, I always try to make it as competitive as possible,” Morris said. “Lucky for us, we got some schools in this area that we can play and get us battle-tested, getting us ready for that next step taking it into district play.”
Girls basketball: Starkville 41, Columbus 37
While the boys game provided the fireworks and excitement in the nightcap at Columbus, the Falcons and Jackets began the night with an incredibly competitive girls basketball contest.
It was a game of runs, with Starkville holding a slim lead in the third quarter, but Columbus turning that deficit into a two-possession game in the fourth quarter.
Back and forth both teams went, but in the end, an experienced Starkville squad kept its winning streak to begin the season going, winning 41-37.
“It’s always tough when you play Columbus,” Starkville head coach Kristie Williams said. “This was our second time playing them, so I knew their game plan was going to be even better here in their house, home-court advantage. … I challenged my seniors to step up and finish the game out. It came down to key stops on defense that helped us win this game.”
As was the case in the boys game, key mistakes made all the difference in the win for the Jackets (9-0), with lost possessions, brutal turnovers and lost time that the Falcons (1-8) couldn’t make up.
“We knew we were going to have to play really hard to even compete with [Starkville],” Columbus head coach Yvonne Hairston said. “My girls stepped up. They played a big game. … We just made a game out of it. It was just some little errors at the end that were the difference.”
Starkville’s plan of attack centered around the paint on Friday night, and senior forward Zariyah Edwards was the focal point of that.
Edwards finished with 18 points in the win, 14 of those points coming in the first half, and it wasn’t just the senior who was getting the ball.
Starkville wanted to find any way possible to pound the paint and get close-range scoring chances or get fouled and shoot free throws. That strategy made all the difference late, with forward Jada Gay going 3-of-4 from the line in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.
“We always want to work our inside game, whether it’s through [Edwards] or Jada Gay or any of our other post players,” Williams said. “That’s our go-to. We go inside-out.”
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