Starkville’s girls basketball team added another win to its already impressive resume Friday while Columbus’ boys basketball team used a smothering second quarter to capture another region victory. West Point also got into the winning action with its boys team having no problem in a nonconference showdown.
Starkville
Starkville’s girls basketball team continued its stretch of dominance on Friday with a 70-36 romp at Murrah for its fourth straight Region 2-7A victory.
Zariah Brown led the team with 20 points, six rebounds and two steals, Jade Brown added 14 points, four rebounds and four steals, Yasmine Roberts scored 12 points with 13 rebounds and Jada Gay broke through the 1,000-career-points barrier at Starkville after she contributed nine points, seven rebounds and five steals.
The Yellow Jackets (19-3, 4-0) put their undefeated start to conference games on the line today at 6 p.m. against visiting Germantown.
Columbus
There are hot streaks, then there’s what Columbus’ boys basketball team is on right now.
In another dominant showing on Friday, the Falcons rode the hot hand of DJ Verdell as he erupted for 30 points, 20 rebounds, four assists and two blocks on 12-of-16 shooting to lead the team to a 70-47 thumping of Region 1-5A foe Caledonia for the team’s 11th straight victory. After holding a slim 16-10 advantage after the first quarter, Columbus shifted gears into a 19-2 run in the second quarter for a 35-12 lead at halftime that ballooned into a 56-26 cushion after the third quarter. Michael Hood Jr. scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting with 12 rebounds, and both Tylan Brown and Maxwell Leach chipped in five points each. The Falcons (15-5, 5-0) last lost on Dec. 5 to Starkville, and have since won their games by an average score of 66-41. The loss for the Cavaliers (6-12, 1-4) is the team’s third straight.
Columbus, which is ranked by MaxPreps as the No. 2 squad in 5A, played a non-region game against Olive Branch yesterday and will get back to conference action today at 7:15 p.m. against visiting Lafayette. Caledonia has a chance to bounce back today at 7 p.m. against visiting rival New Hope.
The Falcons’ girls team also picked up a 58-24 win over Caledonia, for back-to-back region victories. Columbus improved to (7-10, 3-2) while the Cavs fell to (10–7, 2-3) and will play against Lafayette today at 6 p.m. Caledonia’s girls team takes on New Hope at 6 p.m. today.
West Point
The Green Wave’s boys team earned their second win in a row – this time over Okolona on Saturday – but the girls team didn’t have as much luck.
The boys pulled away for a 62-56 triumph for back-to-back wins while the girls fell, 70-50. The boys (15-6, 2-3), who have won four out of their last five games, are back on the court today at 7:15 at Pontotoc while the girls (11-11, 0-4) play at 6 p.m.
West Lowndes
The Panthers’ boys team put the finishing touches on a four-game win streak on Friday with a 61-48 win over Region 3-1A foe Okolona to improve to 14-4 and 3-2 on the season. The girls team fell 67-35 to the Chieftains to snap a two-game win streak and fall to 8-10 and 1-3. Both teams continue their season today against conference foe Tupelo Christian Prep at home. The girls play at 6 p.m. and the boys at 7 p.m.
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