STARKVILLE — Starkville High School sophomore center Kelsey Jones admits she didn’t know what to expect when the girls basketball team started practice for this season without Blair Schaefer and Imane Montgomery.

“They were our leaders so we had to start figuring out things on our own,” Jones said. “We are doing better with hustle and fast breaks. We are learning how to have better offensive production. I think we are getting there.”

The offensive production was more than sufficient Saturday, as Starkville rolled to a 58-16 victory against Eupora in its final game at the Travis Outlaw Slam Dunk at the Hump tournament at Mississippi State’s Humphrey Coliseum.

Starkville finishes the first half of the season with a 10-3 record.

“I don’t know a coach that wouldn’t take 10-3 at the break,” Starkville coach Kristie Williams said. “It is 10-3 against a very difficult schedule. The team had to learn its identity. I think the girls are realizing when we play together we can be a pretty good basketball team.”

Starkville returned to the floor less than 24 hours after a 59-51 loss to highly regarded Harrison Central. The other losses have been to Newton and Jim Hill.

“The biggest thing is not getting down,” Starkville junior guard Eryka Williams said. “We know we have a lot of things to work on. We just have to stay confident and keep getting better every day in practice.”

Schaefer, who is a freshman at MSU, mentored Eryka Williams last season. The fruits of that labor were displayed Saturday when Eryka Williams scored eight points. Against Harrison Central, freshman Jariyah Covington had 13 points. The Lady Jackets are beginning to find more offensive production from more places.

“Eryka really learned a lot from Blair,” Kristie Williams said. “She set an example for the younger players. I think you are beginning to see the results of that. Eryka hit a couple of big shots today. Jariyah had a great offensive game yesterday. A new team always has to form its identity.

“A year ago, the challenge when playing Starkville was stopping one or two players. Now we are showing that you have to really guard us as a team.”

Jones continues to excel at center. She had 20 points and 12 rebounds against Harrison Central, and followed that up with 12 points in a game Starkville led 35-9 at halftime. Tanita Thompson added 11 points for Starkville.

“The inside-out game has been working real well,” Jones said. “I know my job is to rebound and score. When the other team closes in on me, that means I have to kick it out and we have other players who can make shots.

“We have to work on our transition game. We are really good on fast breaks. I think it is all about everybody learning their roles and getting better at them.”

Starkville has struggled at the free-throw line in each of its losses. However, Kristie Williams sees a lot of promise in a young starting lineup.

“We were one of the unknowns when the season started,” Kristie Williams said. “Everyone knew Blair and Imane, and when you lose players like that, you never know what happens next. I have been blessed with a coaching staff that works hard and with players who really enjoy playing the game.

“They are young and energetic. Every day they come to work and want to know how we can get better. I am really proud of this win because it came after such a tough loss the day before. We just have to work on consistency. As a coach, you always have that list of things you want to work on. It’s a fun group to work with. I am really excited about where we are headed into the bulk of region play.”

Jones knew where she was Saturday. All of the Lady Jackets enjoyed playing in the big arena in the fourth-annual event.

“This was a whole lot of fun,” Jones said. “Hopefully, it is just the beginning of being able to play here.”

Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott

Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.