Mississippi Valley State University is going to be the place to be on Friday night as a battle of two of the best boys basketball teams in 6A will be on full display.
Starkville, the District 1 champions and a team that handedly defeated Clinton in the second round last Friday, will take on a team that it handed its only loss to earlier this season.
Horn Lake, a 6A juggernaut currently sitting with a 29-1 record, has some added motivation headed into Friday’s MHSAA Class 6A quarterfinal matchup, but the Yellow Jackets will look to replicate that 11-point victory on Dec. 30.
“We’ve seen them stay a very consistent team since we last played them,” Starkville head coach Qu’Varius “Woodie” Howard said. “We know they’re working hard to stay a good team and we’re expecting a great game when we play them tomorrow.”
Compared to a Starkville (24-4) team that can win high-scoring games or defensive battles, Horn Lake has been one of the highest-scoring teams in the state, scoring 70 or more points in 10 of its last 11 games alone.
The Jackets this season have prided themselves on defense and on Friday, defense is going to be that much more important against the Eagles.
“We’re going to try to continue what we’ve done all year, just trying to bother teams with our full-court pressure, get up on the ball and make them have to handle it,” Howard said.”
Starkville and Horn Lake square off in Itta Bena at 7 p.m. Friday.
New Hope boys (19-7) v. Canton (24-6), 7 p.m. Saturday, MHSAA Class 5A quarterfinal at Itawamba Community College
New Hope needed a comeback and needed one badly against Vicksburg in the second round of the MHSAA Class 5A tournament on Saturday.
The Trojans trailed the Gators, 30-24 at half and were down three headed into the fourth quarter, but playing in front of the home crowd made all of the difference in the second half.
A three-point deficit entering the final quarter of play turned into a three-point win as the Trojans out-scored the Gators, 17-11, in the fourth to win, 53-50.
Now, New Hope has a new opportunity in front of them, taking on Canton on Saturday night in the MHSAA Class 5A quarterfinals.
The Tigers, coming in posting a 20+ win season to this point, know how to win close games and low-scoring games, something that New Hope has plenty of experience with this season.
If scoring is any indication of what will happen on Saturday, expect a low-scoring, close and competitive game between the Trojans and Gators.
Noxubee County girls (28-3) v. Kossuth (17-8), 5:30 p.m., MHSAA Class 3A quarterfinal at Itawamba Community College
Things got a bit too close for comfort for Noxubee County girls basketball in last Friday’s MHSAA Class 3A second round game against Alcorn Central.
Playing a hard-nosed Bears team, the Tigers struggled and weren’t able to build a significant lead that allowed them to separate in the game.
Alcorn Central hung around and nearly pulled off a shock upset, but Noxubee County was able to hold on for a tight 50-49 win, setting the scene for Friday night’s quarterfinal game against Kossuth.
“It’s just good to be practicing another week,” Micheal Johnson said. “There are a lot of teams that wish they were still playing and we get a chance to continue to play. That right there, we feel really good about going into tomorrow.
“…If you’re going to beat somebody, go ahead and beat them. Don’t let them linger around.”
Taking control of the game early and often is going to be a big key to success for the Tigers, who were able to do that in the first round against Fort Rosa, an eventual 31-point victory.
However, as the rounds progress, the quality of teams left increase, so Noxubee County needs to be fully ready for what Kossuth is going to throw out there as one slip-up could mean the end of what hopes to be a deep playoff run for the Tigers.
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