STARKVILLE — Football standout Atavius Jones made a habit of becoming the enforcer on the Starkville High School boys basketball team last season.
This season, as the football playoffs and Jones’ absence from the court continues, sophomore Jamarvis Phillips is more than happy to fill the void.
Phillips scored 16 points and had eight rebounds in Starkville’s 62-49 victory against Columbus on Tuesday night at the Bee Hive.
“He is just going to get better and better with time,” Starkville coach Greg Carter said. “Tonight, we got him loose underneath the basket several times. Our ball movement in the second half was very pleasing.”
Starkville has mixed some varsity veterans with some newcomers to get off to a 3-0 start. On the other end of the spectrum, new Columbus coach Phillip Morris is coaching a bevy of new faces on the reigning Class 6A State champions.
“Our inexperience got us in trouble some tonight,” Morris said. “We will be a lot different team when district play starts in the new year. Right now, we are just logging minutes. Players are getting better with each game. The effort is there. We are playing tough, aggressive basketball. Just the technique is off sometimes.
“We are losing our man too often on defense. We are going to get where we want to go.”
Sophomore Bake Burnett had a team-high 24 points and five assists to lead Columbus (1-2).
“He is going to be an incredible player,” Morris said “I have moved up with him through the junior high program, coaching him all the way up. He is one of the most coachable players I have ever had. He sees the floor well and does a great job of making other players around him better.”
Starkville used an 11-0 run in the first quarter to get the separation it had for the rest of the game. Tyler Talley, Terry Tate, and Jamarrion Brown hit 3-pointers in the first quarter.
The Yellow Jackets withstood an early run by the Falcons in the second quarter to take a 30-21 halftime lead. Phillips had 12 points in the half.
“Against Meridian (last Thursday), I didn’t defend well or rebound well,” Phillips said. “My mind-set was to defend and rebound. After that, the points just came.”
Carter said his team was stagnant after building the lead.
“In the first half, we got out of our flow on offense,” Carter said. “We started strong and then lost our flow. In the second half, we were much more organized, more disciplined. It’s just a matter of showing flashes. We have to be more consistent, but the players understand our capabilities.”
Talley led the way with 24 points in the victory against Meridian. Against Columbus, Brown (11 points) and Eric Green (10 points — all in the fourth quarter) joined Phillips in double figures.
“Balance is something this team is going to have all year,” Talley said. “We love to play together, and that shows on the court. Under coach Carter, you are going to have to play great defense. We just have to have a couple of guys get hot to win any game.”
Starkville also turned the pressure up on defense. A string of four-straight forced turnovers ran the lead to 15 midway through the third quarter.
“The players are working hard,” Morris said “The biggest thing is the lapses on the defensive end. Offensively, we will get better. It’s just a matter of playing together and learning one another. Each game is a chance to get better. The main thing is to keep that positive attitude.”
Greg King, the lone starter returning from last season’s state championship squad, added 10 points for the Falcons.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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