When the Columbus High School girls basketball team faced Pontotoc early last season, the Falcons were no match for Warriors star post player Samya Brooks.

“Last year, 24 (Brooks) just dominated us,” Columbus coach Yvonne Hairston said.

Thursday, the Falcons showed they still remembered.

Junior Charity Yeates and Columbus (3-1) flipped the script, limiting Brooks’ effectiveness and pulling out a 53-47 win over the Warriors in Thursday’s home game.

“To do that against 24, that was big,” Hairston said of Yeates, who led the team with 16 points. “She knew that, and she rose to the occasion. Some people get scared, but she didn’t. I know she played big, and she played well.”

Yeates and the Falcons tightly guarded Brooks, a junior who is already an NCAA Division I prospect, and kept someone in front of her all night to force her to give up the ball.

Pontotoc’s Sky Vaughn and Makayla Boyd nearly made the Falcons pay with several 3-pointers, but Columbus was skilled enough to hold on.

“We really weren’t expecting them to shoot the ball as well as they did, but they did,” Hairston said. “We were fortunate enough to win the ballgame.”

It wasn’t just luck as the Falcons won their third straight game after an uncharacteristic performance against Northeast Lauderdale in their season opener, following the loss with wins over Center Hill and Louisville prior to Thursday’s contest. Columbus, which won last year’s Class 5A title, looks every bit as solid as last year’s team did after the 2019 Falcons split their first four games.

But when the preseason rankings came out, Columbus was outside the top 10. Pontotoc was in it.

“That was motivation for us to go out and say, OK, they have the X on their back,” Hairston said. “We don’t.”

That motivation fueled Columbus to pull away in the second half after trailing 24-23 at the break. Sophomore MaKhya Weatherspoon fired up the home crowd with three midrange jumpers from the same location — the left elbow — to put the Falcons up 35-28 and force a Pontotoc timeout.

Hairston said she’d told Weatherspoon to shoot from midrange after her 3s weren’t falling early in the season.

“That’s my new spot,” Weatherspoon said.

Columbus’ lead never dipped under four after her series of makes, and the Falcons finished a huge home win over a team they’d been waiting a year to beat.

“We weren’t here to prove anyone wrong,” Yeates said. “We were here to just prove ourselves: that we are good, that we’re here, and we are contenders.”

Pontotoc boys 46, Columbus 44

Willie Young stayed underneath the basket just long enough to watch.

From there, the Columbus junior took it in: his last-second attempt at a tying layup rolling around the side of the rim and down to the court.

As Pontotoc collected the rebound and heaved the ball down the court to run out the clock, Young shook his head, dejectedly, and began a slow walk toward his team’s bench.

It was the Falcons’ final chance at pulling out a win against the Warriors, and Columbus (2-2) couldn’t take advantage in a 46-44 loss to a strong Pontotoc team.

“It’s a tough game, but we’re going to get better from it,” Columbus coach Phillip Morris promised.

Columbus led Pontotoc 25-21 at halftime, but a string of wasted possessions in the second half doomed the Falcons. All too often, errant dribbles bounced off feet, and misguided passes found the wrong hands.

“Turnovers down the stretch beat us,” Morris said. “When I go back and watch the film, I’ll see that turnovers down the stretch beat us at the end of the day.”

Blake Burnett led Columbus with 17 points. Jaquarius Williams had nine, Tre Dismuke had eight and Ethan Conner had six.

Morris pointed out that his team is more experienced than last season’s squad — which gave three sophomores significant minutes — and that the Falcons need to improve soon.

“This year, we’re not as young as we were,” he said.

Other scores

Prep Girls Basketball

Starkville 78, West Point 23

STARKVILLE — The Starkville High School girls took care of West Point handily with a 78-23 home win Thursday.

Nakeria Scales had 15 points to lead Starkville. Jada Odneal had 13, and Amaya Ford had 11.

Starkville’s next game is at Holmes County Central on Saturday.

Columbus Christian Academy 50, Grace Christian 8

STEENS — The Columbus Christian Academy girls dominated Grace Christian School 50-8 in Thursday’s home game.

Audrey Foreman had 13 points for the Rams, Morgan Whitten had 12, and CC DeVos had eight.

Columbus Christian will host Regents School of Oxford on Friday.

Starkville Academy 49, Oak Hill Academy 33

STARKVILLE — Lillee Alpe had 14 points to lead Starkville Academy to a 49-33 win over Oak Hill Academy on Thursday.

Caroline Wood added 11 points for the Vols. Katie Keenum had nine, and Fallon Parker had six.

For the Raiders, Mary Beth Briggs and Dovie Suggs tied for the team lead in points with eight. Carley Wooten added four, and Kate Wheeler and Sara Nash each had three.

Starkville Academy will play at Magnolia Heights on Tuesday.

Prep Boys Basketball

Starkville 92, West Point 26

STARKVILLE — The Starkville High boys kept rolling with a 92-26 blowout of West Point in Thursday’s home game.

Coltie Young had 16 points to lead the Yellow Jackets. Connor Rogers had 15, and Johnathan Baker had 13.

West Point will host Okolona on Tuesday.

Grace Christian 52, Columbus Christian Academy 38

STEENS — Columbus Christian lost to Grace Christian 52-38 on Thursday in Steens.

Joe Michael Edwards scored 17 points for the Rams, and Tyler Looney had five.

Starkville Academy 56, Oak Hill Academy 34

STARKVILLE — Starkville Academy handled Oak Hill Academy 56-34 on Thursday in Starkville.

Jawon Yarbrough had 15 points for the Volunteers.

Oak Hill hosts Heritage Academy on Tuesday.

Prep Girls Soccer

New Hope 5, Amory 2

AMORY — The New Hope girls rebounded from a 2-1 loss to Caledonia on Tuesday with a 5-2 win over Amory in Thursday’s road match.

Caleigh Carter, Reagan Presley, Chelsea Teague and Madison Waddell all scored for the Trojans (1-1).

New Hope’s next match is Tuesday against Mooreville at home.

Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science 2, Nettleton 1