Starkville’s basketball teams kept their win streaks alive last week as each squad added two more victories, including the boys win over a reigning three-time state champion team from Alabama, and many other area teams added some wins and losses. In soccer, Caledonia’s girls team had its seven-game win streak snapped.
Starkville
Both of Starkville’s basketball teams have run out to undefeated starts to the young season as each squad added two more wins to their records last week.
Behind TJ Warren’s 26 points, six rebounds and four steals, the boys (4-0) took down Columbus 69-48 on Thursday. Jaden Tate added 16 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals, and Jerwan McCarter chipped in 13 points, seven rebounds and three steals. The Yellow Jackets then played in the Cavaliers Classic at Caledonia on Saturday and defeated Hoover 59-49 on another spectacular game from Warren and Tate. The loss for Hoover, the reigning Class 7A champion in Alabama for three years in a row, snapped the program’s 48-game winning streak. Warren led the way with 28 points and five rebounds, and Tate dropped in 20 points and six boards. Tyreq Hendrix had three points, six assists and two steals. Head coach Anthony Carlyle said his squad said defense is a big reason why his team is off to a terrific start to the season.
“I think the major part, especially being early in the season, I think we’ve been kind of dialed in defensively and doing a good job of rebounding, which we have to clean up a little bit more as well. But I think early in the season when your offense is trying to find its rhythm and guys (are) trying to find where their shots are going to come from and that kind of thing, I think your defense has to be able to carry you,” he said.
Carlyle said his team’s game against Hoover was one the Yellow Jackets were “looking forward” to, and it turned into a “good win.”
“It was a great challenge for us to use a measuring stick to just kind of see where we are at this point in the season against top teams. I think we measured up pretty well,” Carlyle said. “I feel like we are definitely one of the top teams in the state, and I feel like we have a chance to compete in 7A. I feel like we are on schedule. … Just trying to get guys that are inexperienced in certain roles. I think they are doing well right now, they’re figuring it out through wins so hopefully we can just kind of keep it going.”
The girls (5-0) routed Columbus 66-29 on Thursday behind a 39-point performance from Jada Gay. She also added 11 rebounds and five steals, and teammate Jade Brown had four points, six rebounds and two blocks. Zariah Brown finished with 11 points, two assists and five steals, and Logan Warren had four points, four rebounds and four steals. On Saturday in the Biggersville Shootout, the Yellow Jackets squeaked by with a 69-63 victory over Tishomingo County. Zariah Brown was the team’s top scorer with 26 points, and Gay was right behind with 17 points. Logan Warren tossed in 14 points, and Jade Brown had 10 points.
Both teams are back on the court today at Tupelo with the girls playing at 6 p.m. and the boys playing at 7 p.m.
In soccer, Starkville’s boys team (3-5) bested Brandon 3-2 at home on Monday and then lost 6-5 to Amory on Tuesday on the road. The girls (1-5-1) bounced back from a 7-0 loss to Brandon with a 2-1 win over Amory. After a long break, their seasons will resume on Dec. 2 at New Hope.
New Hope
The basketball season for the Trojans got underway on Saturday by hosting West Lauderdale in which the boys team lost 52-42 and the girls won 66-33. On Tuesday both teams hosted Northridge and lost to the visiting Jaguars, 54-38 in the boys game and 62-35 in the girls game. Both teams play today at home against Itawamba Agricultural with the girls game starting at 6 p.m. and the boys playing at 7:30 p.m.
In soccer, both the boys and girls teams fell to 2-3 on the season. The Trojans’ boys fell 4-1 to Hernando on Friday and 2-0 to Lake Cormorant on Saturday but rebounded with a 1-0 victory over Tupelo Christian Prep on Monday. The girls lost 2-0 at Hernando, won 6-0 at Lake Cormorant but then fell 2-0 to Tupelo Christian. The teams are back on the turf Saturday hosting Itawamaba Agricultural at 11 a.m. for the girls game and 2 p.m. for the boys game.
Columbus
After a loss to Starkville, the Falcons’ boys basketball team (3-1) bounced back on Saturday with a 41-32 victory over Paul W Bryant. Columbus’ girls team (1-2) will play next at 6 p.m. today at Houston while the boys will suit up for a home game against Tupelo at 7 p.m. on Saturday. In soccer, after back-to-back losses to open the season the Falcons’ boys team captured two straight wins over Tishomingo County (4-3) and Choctaw Central (3-2) to move to 2-2 on the season. The girls fell to 0-4 with two losses, 5-1 and 7-0 to Tishomingo and Choctaw, respectively. The girls are back playing today hosting Booneville at 5:30 p.m. and the boys will follow up against the Blue Devils with a 7 p.m. match.
Heritage Academy
The Patriots’ girls basketball (3-2) lost its second game of the season on Monday, 71-29 against visiting Leake Academy and is back on the court today at 6 p.m. at Pontotoc. The boys soccer team improved to 3-1 on the season with a 6-0 victory over Regents on Thursday and looks for its third victory in a row when it plays at Pillow Academy at 5:30 p.m today.
Caledonia
The Cavaliers’ boys basketball (2-2) team fell 65-62 in a narrow loss to visiting Houston on Monday and has an opportunity to bounce back tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. against West Lowndes. For the girls team, the Cavs (4-0) kept their undefeated start alive with a close 42-41 win over Houston and will play West Lowndes at 1 p.m. Friday.
The boys and girls soccer teams played four games each last week grabbing some wins and taking a few losses. The boys 6-2) lost 3-2 on Monday at Booneville then defeated Southaven 2-0 on Friday and Lake Cormorant 3-1 on Saturday. Also on Saturday the team lost 5-0 to Hernando. The girls (7-1) took down Booneville 4-2, Southaven 4-0, Lake Cormorant 3-9 but lost its first game of the year 5-0 at Hernando. Both teams are back in action today at Corinth. The boys play at 7 p.m. and the girls game begins at 5 p.m.
West Point
The Green Wave boys basketball team is off to a 4-0 start to the year, including a 51-44 win over Shannon on Monday. West Point took a 31-21 lead into the second quarter, where neither team could score a basket, and was outscored 23-20 the rest of the game. The girls (3-3) team won their game against Shannon 59-49 and led 27-25 at halftime. A 21-point third quarter by the Green Wave helped the team pull away for good in its second win in a row. The girls are back in action at 2 p.m. Saturday Tishomingo County and the boys play at 3:30 p.m.
The boys and girls soccer teams didn’t find as much success against Shannons’ squads and both teams were dealt losses. The boys (1-4) were defeated 8-1 and the girls (0-5) lost 7-1. Those two teams will resume play on Dec. 1 against Shannon once more.
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