MADISON — With a key player out, Zariyah Edwards and Zariah Brown just stepped up.
Behind the play of Edwards and Brown, along with a stiff fourth quarter defense, the Jacket girls got past Brandon 49-35 in a key Class 7A non-division contest at the first annual Jungle Bells Girls Classic at Madison Central on Friday afternoon.
Forward Jada Gay was out for the game with the flu.
“We just played hard. We were a little short-handed because it scared me with our zone because we’re not as long, but Morgan (Williams) filled in and did a great job defensively, fighting over screens, and making things hard for them,” said first-year Starkville coach Matt Wilbanks. “We didn’t shoot the ball well, but we made shots when we needed (to).”
Brandon started the game off with an 11-6 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Starkville began the second quarter on a 7-2 run to tie the game at 13 and ended the first half on a 7-2 run to take a 21-19 lead at halftime.
The third quarter was back and forth, but every time Brandon scored the Jackets answered. Starkville held a 36-31 lead at the end of the third quarter.
The fourth quarter was the difference as the Jackets out scored the Bulldogs 13-4 and ended the game on an 8-0 run.
“We did a good job of fighting off screens on defense and forcing their best player to not dish the ball off for easy shots or lay-ups. We got a lot better today,” Wilbanks said. “Very fortunate to have a player like Zariyah who helps bridge the gap in this transition period with a new system and she’s a great person. She’s a load and she can do what we want. This is a time of year where we need to be ascending going into district play.”
Edwards had a game-high 16 points to lead Starkville and was named the game’s MVP. Zariah Brown added 12 points for the Jackets (10-5).
“I knew coming in I was going to be double teamed, so the team did a big part of helping out and making shots and that opened things up for me,” Edwards said. “We came in with our heads high and not down and knew what we had to do. Zariah is a great player, made shots and she’s going to be a great player.”
Kelsie Mangum had 13 points to lead Brandon (11-4).
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