JACKSON – It might be time for a new trophy case on Yellow Jacket Drive in Starkville; the Jackets’ boys and girls basketball squads will need room to display their new hardware after impressive runs through Class 7A.
Two state championships means two new gold ball trophies and the realization that, for 2026, Starkville is the uncontested capital of high school basketball in Mississippi.
Both the Jackets’ squads capped off dominant seasons with wins in their respective MHSAA Class 7A basketball state tournaments. Here’s a look at how those games played out.
Starkville boys 40, Germantown 36
Behind the second-half play of Jerwan McCarter and some key offensive rebounds, the Yellow Jackets rallied past Germantown, 40-36, to claim the MHSAA Boys Class 7A state championship on Friday night at the Mississippi Coliseum.
It’s Starkville’s (30-3) sixth state title in school history and first since 2021. Second-year head coach Anthony Carlyle has now won seven state titles as head coach at four different schools. Velma Jackson in 2013 and 2015-2017, Columbus in 2018, Yazoo City in 2023, his alma mater, and now Starkville.
“These guys have been fighting all year and at halftime we had to reset and continue to play at a high level and when we made a run that got us going to the end and pulled this thing out,” Carlyle said. “It takes discipline and a great group of guys that are willing to be coachable and in today’s youth that is hard to find. We had our ups and downs since I took over last year and the guys continued to fight and lead us and today, they were rewarded with all that hard work.”
It was a slow start for both teams that saw Germantown hold a 7-6 lead after one quarter.
The Mavericks were able to extend their lead throughout the course of the second quarter to take a 22-15 halftime lead.
Germantown went on a quick 6-0 run to begin the third quarter to extend their lead to 28-15, but Starkville responded by making four straight three-pointers to cut the Germantown lead down to 30-27.
The Mavericks held a 32-29 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter it was all Starkville. The Yellow Jackets went on a quick 7-2 run to take a 36-34 lead on a Andricus Howard three-pointer and a Ladanuel Jordan layup with 5:25 left.
After Sam Funches made a pair of free throws to tie the game up at 36, McCarter hit a jumper to give Starkville a 38-36 lead. Kobe Hendrix and Jaden Tate each made a free throw with under a minute left to give the Yellowjackets the 40-36 lead and seal the game.
McCarter had 10 points to lead Starkville and was named the game’s most valuable player.
“We had to get dialed in in the second half and fought until the end and got the win,” McCarter said. “We pride ourselves on defense and playing a team for the fourth time it came down to who wanted it the most. We came out here and got it done and to win a state championship my senior year is a special feeling.”
Starkville girls 39, Harrison Central 22
After falling in the state title game in overtime last season the Yellow Jackets dominated Harrison Central 39-22 to claim the MHSAA Girls Class 7A state championship on Friday night at the Mississippi Coliseum.
It’s Starkville’s (31-3) sixth state title in school history and first since 2018.
“This is a surreal feeling because we’ve had the target on our backs all year; proud of the girls because winning 31 games is hard to do,” said Starkville coach Matt Wilbanks. “This is a lot better feeling than last year for sure.”
The Lady Jackets jumped out to a 11-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter Starkville held Harrison Central to just two points as the Jackets held a 21-7 lead at halftime.
Starkville opened the second half on a 10-4 run to stretch their lead out to 31-11 and held a 31-16 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
An 8-2 run in the fourth quarter sealed the game for Starkville as the Jackets extended their lead to 39-18.
“We started a big lineup again for much of the first half, so we went to the zone which makes us long and we’ve preached defense all year and that’s something we’ve strived on,” Wilbanks said. “I can’t say enough things about Jada, she’s a special person and player. She’s led this team and she refused to let us lose tonight. This is a great feeling to finally win one.”
Southern Miss signee Jada Gay scored a game-high 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Starkville and was named the game’ most valuable. Zariah Brown added 12 points for Starkville.
“It hurt me losing this game last year, so tonight we were ready and we did a great job communicating on defense and that’s what carried us,” Gay said. “This means a lot because we weren’t losing this game and means a lot for it being my senior year, winning MVP, and carrying my team to the win.”
Sports editor Philip Poe contributed to this report.
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