New Hope High School senior Carlos Brooks liked the mind-set of his team Friday night.
“We knew we had to be mentally tough to win this game,” Brooks said. “The first time we played (Oxford). We simply weren’t tough enough. We knew that would be the key to having a better outcome.”
The Trojans had a better attitude and a much better 3-point shooting touch in a 72-65 victory in a Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A, Region 2 boys basketball game at Trojan Gym.
After starting the season 9-0, New Hope (13-9, 2-3 region) lost nine of its next 11. However, back-to-back region wins have the squad feeling good again entering the final week of the regular season.
“The team’s confidence level is back up again,” New Hope coach Drew McBrayer said. “We had a stretch where we weren’t playing well. Then you play well but you are playing a good opponent, so it added up to a long stretch without a lot of wins. The guys needed a confidence lift again. There is no doubt about that.”
The confidence lift came as New Hope was struggling to find an offensive identity. After dropping an 85-65 decision at Oxford three weeks ago, it appeared this game was headed in a similar direction. However, trailing 25-17, the 3-pointers started falling.
Heratio Jackson helped snapped the team’s six-game losing streak last Friday with 25 points in a 58-54 region victory against Saltillo. Against Oxford, Jackson hit two 3-pointers in a 9-0 run to help New Hope grab a 26-25 lead.
Oxford (15-9, 2-4) battled back for a one-point halftime lead. However, the Chargers weren’t prepared for the 3-point onslaught that followed.
New Hope had 10 3-pointers, including six by Jackson and three by Brooks.
“The team is feeling good offensively,” Jackson said. “I have fallen into a rhythm the last couple of games and it has been fun. Terryonte (Thomas) is such a great player. We are trying to prove we have some other guys who can play, too.
“It’s all about confidence. We had a lot of it to start the season. We lost some games and that got us rattled a little bit. Last two games, we have shown what we are capable of doing.”
In the second half, New Hope used strong shooting and a dominating performance in the lane to pull away.
“The rebounding was sensational,” McBrayer said. “We rebounded for four quarters. That’s a good sign. Our guards were going to the glass, too. When you make shots and you have five guys going to the boards, you are going to be hard to beat.”
Toddy Jennings proved a force inside. He had two separate and-one attempts as New Hope pieced together a game-changing 16-6 run to end the third quarter and start the fourth quarter. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Thomas and Jackson pushed the advantage to 54-40.
Oxford stayed close thanks to a 32-point night by Jarkel Joiner, but New Hope was strong at the free-throw line in a 28-point fourth quarter that sealed the deal.
New Hope topped 70 points six times in the season-opening winning streak. The Trojans have done it only twice in the New Year.
“Hopefully, it is a sign of what is to come,” Brooks said. “During some of the losses, we were standing around and waiting on someone else to make the play. Last couple of games, we have had different guys step up and make sure the plays were getting made.”
Jackson had 22 points, while Jennings had 14, Brooks and Thomas had 13. Jennings had 10 rebounds, while Thomas had eight.
New Hope enters its final region game Monday at West Point in sole possession of third place in the region standings. A victory would keep the Trojans there, while a loss would slide them to fourth. The region tournament starts Feb 16 in Oxford. Despite a 61-45 loss to Saltillo on Friday, West Point will be the top seed.
“It’s a wide-open region tournament,” McBrayer said. “At one time, we had of all four teams finishing 3-3. Fortunately, we are back on the upswing. We just have to keep playing that way.”
In the opener, the Oxford girls finished undefeated in the region with a 54-33 win. New Hope will be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed at the region tournament.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
