Boys South State Preview

South State Preview
Seventeen teams will be playing for south state seedings next week. District 4AA begins tourney play at Simpson and 5AA at Centreville while district 3AA completes their round robin to determine their seedings next week also. While some fans object to the long drawn out post season tournaments, most see them as a slow elimination process which, in most cases, produces the best teams in AA south when state tournament play begins. One needs to look no further than last year’s final four at Grenada in which all four slots were filled by AA south squads. As post season draws near it’s hard to argue the fact that all three AA south districts have the three best teams in the south sitting at the top of each one. With that being the case it’s undeniable that some very good teams will get eliminated at south state in Gallman next month. Just looking at the south state bracket and the potential match ups that could occur in the first round is a basketball fan’s dream come true. While Brookhaven, Trinity and Bowling Green have separated themselves a bit from the rest of the pack none of the three can punch a ticket to the state tournament just yet. This year’s south state tournament, in my humble opinion, will be more balanced than years past and any of the top three could be sent packing after round two. With that balance comes added pressure for teams to win that second round game to advance to state. The question is, if those top three play well and advance, which team will fill that final slot for the state tournament at Brookhaven the following week? If someone would have asked me a week ago I would have said Chamberlain-Hunt without hesitation. But the great thing about high school sports is nothing is for sure. Proof being the manner in which Columbia finished out the regular season, a 30 point blowout of Parklane. What better way for team to hit post season play than with a big win over a AAA team? The other team I think has the potential to vie for that fourth slot is River Oaks. With losses to Trinity (twice), Riverdale (twice) and Chamberlain-Hunt, the Mustangs could slip up and surprise some folks. When I saw them beat Chamberlain-Hunt earlier this month I saw a versatile squad with speed and focus. This year’s River Oaks team should make a better showing than last year’s. I had Oak Forest in my sights for the last few weeks as the Jackets made a run at Bowling Green in district 5AA and up until their loss at Bowling Green I felt as though they could do some damage at south state. I still think Oak Forest has the potential to make a run but after their lopsided loss in Franklinton and a surprising loss at Central Private I’m wavering just a bit. Look for a battle royal for the #3 and #4 spots coming out of the district 5AA tournament next week. Central Private, Silliman, and host Centreville could provide for some high drama as those teams vie for a south state ticket. That leaves me with the Simpson Cougars. Simpson looked to be that strong #4 seed for a while, especially after their upset of Brookhaven, but Simpson’s game has been struggling as of late. Some surprising losses during the past few weeks have me questioning what team will emerge at south state. I think this squad has all the tools to make a run but time is growing short and not many teams have post season success if they’re struggling. Hosting the district 4AA tournament could be just what Simpson needs. They have the talent and should focus on nothing but a successful south state tournament.

The next three weeks will be great….support your team!

*Note…..my apology for the premature district tournament seedings earlier in the week. I had Columbia as the #2 seed when in fact it was Simpson. I should have just said Cougars and left it at that.

See ya somewhere………

In The Huddle Around AA South Basketball

Centreville at Bowling Green

(Above) Two of Shod Fortenberry's 19 points on Saturday

Bowling Green hosted the Centreville Tigers on Saturday afternoon in a district 5AA contest with only two district games remaining for each. Bowling Green entered the match up at 8-0 and a virtual lock as the #1 seed as the district 5AA tournament approaches while Centreville came in at 3-5 and battling for the #3 spot.

Bowling Green jumped out to a 17-8 lead through one quarter and increased that margin to 44-16 at the half behind solid post play from junior center Shod Fortenberry and another stellar game from junior Jaron Edwards. Edwards and Fortenberry combined for 56 points against the Tigers on Saturday. Edwards finished with a season high 37 points while Fortenberry added 19. Blake McGehee and Brady Edwards each bucketed 7 on the day.

Colby Lockwood led the Centreville Tigers with 12 points.

Bowling Green improved to 21-5 and 9-0 while Centreville fell to 8-12 and 3-6.

In the girls game three Bowling Green sophomores combined for 28 points as the Lady Bucs took a 53-28 district win over the Centreville Lady Tigers. Brittany Cooper had 11 points to lead Bowling Green, Beth Reedy added 9, Whitney Crowe 8, and senior Cadie Robertson 8.

Centreville's Katie Vine led the Lady Tigers with 10 points.

Bowling Green improved to 18-12 overall and 5-4 in district play.

Bowling Green will be at ASC on Monday while Centreville hosts Silliman.

(Above) Bowling Green's Beth Reedy works the offense

(Above) The Centreville Tigers pregame

Post Season Approaching

AA South Regular Season Winding Down

By Darron Thomas
It’s hard to believe that the basketball season has already gotten to the point where a lot of us are filling in our district tourney brackets and yes our south state brackets and, for the brave at heart, the state tourney brackets. I have most of them filled out but there’s one critical tool that every prognosticator must have close by….a pencil with a good eraser!

The district tournaments in 4AA and 5AA get underway on February 3rd with Simpson hosting the 4AA tournament and Centreville the 5AA tourney. Over in 3AA there is no tournament and all six teams begin the second half of their 10 district game schedule this weekend which makes every match up critical down the stretch.

So in two weeks we’ll know if our bracket predictions are accurate or whether the eraser will get extra duty. Here are a few of my observations, for what they're worth……….

In boy’s district 4AA Brookhaven has essentially wrapped up the #1 position as they host Copiah tonight and barring any upset will finish at 7-1. The #2 slot should be interesting as Simpson sits at 4-2 with a big game at Columbia on Saturday before finishing with Copiah next week. Simpson has lost two straight district games and it’s critical they play well here on out if they want to avoid a quick exit at south state in Gallman. If Columbia wins their final two district games, with Simpson and Copiah, there will be a tiebreaker situation with Simpson and Columbia sitting at 5-3. My guess would be that tiebreaker would be point differential from their two games played. I have Brookhaven #1, Columbia #2, Simpson #3, Prentiss #4 and Copiah #5.

In district 5AA Bowling Green has a two game cushion with three games left… at Central Private tonight, Centreville at BG on Saturday and at ASC next week. With two wins over Oak Forest it would take a total collapse for Bowling Green to lose the #1 slot. The #2 position could go down to the wire as only two games separate Oak Forest, Central Private and Silliman, and all three teams play each other down the stretch. Centreville sits at a disappointing 2-5 but with the Tigers hosting the tournament anything could happen as the top four teams advance to south state… Here’s my prognostication entering the district tournament, Bowling Green #1, Oak Forest #2, Central Private #3, Silliman #4, Centreville #5 and ASC #6.

In 3AA all five teams have five games remaining in district play with Trinity enjoying a two game lead. Trinity has three of those games on the road but for the Saints to lose two of those would make some huge headlines, “ain’t gonna happen”. The battle for second in district 3AA is the most exciting with Chamberlain-Hunt, River Oaks, and Riverfield all sitting at 3-2. CHA is playing solid basketball and I think that will continue. South State……. Trinity #1, Chamberlain-Hunt #2, River Oaks #3, and Riverfield #4.

At south state the place not to be for any lower seeded teams is the top half of the bracket with Trinity and Brookhaven as probable #1 seeds. The bottom half could be fun with Bowling Green, Chamberlain-Hunt and Simpson possibilities. Keep a close eye on the 3rd place match up on February 14th as two teams look forward to state tournament seedings…always interesting!

District tournaments start on February 3rd and South State starts on February 9th in Gallman.

See ya somewhere………

River Oaks Coach Roger Stockton

TAKING STOCK: River Oaks coach and former ULM star earns milestone win

By Keith Prince, The News-Star
There were no balloons or cakes or huge celebration and this time River Oaks coach Roger Stockton didn’t get a nation-wide radio mention from Paul Harvey as he did back in 1983 when he won his 300th game.
Still, Stockton does admit that last week’s win over Prairie View — his 500th career victory in boys basketball — brought back a few memories.
No doubt, it should have been a moment of reflection for the veteran mentor, who turned 60 yesterday. After all, 500 wins don’t come along every day. “Doc (Dr. Tom Middleton, River Oaks principal) did announce it after the game but it was no big deal. My family knew it and my wife and two of my daughters were at the game, but I didn’t expect anything special,” said Stockton, who has never basked much in the spotlight although he has always been successful in the game of basketball. In fact, since Stockton’s high school playing days when he twice made All-State at Holly Ridge, on through his ULM Hall of Fame playing and coaching career, this classy gentleman’s life has been intertwined with basketball. “I owe the game a lot,” said Stockton this week. “In fact, I can’t imagine my life without the game. For starters, without basketball I would never have been able to get a college education. “And, then there are all of my coaches. Every one of them has played a part in shaping my life and, of course, how I coach the game,” he said, reeling off names such as his prep coach Fay (T-Model) Thurman, and ULM coaches Lenny Fant, Jam Mahoney, Benny Hollis and Mike Vining. He then added, “And I definitely put Linda Harper in that group, too. I enjoyed the seven years I served as her assistant at ULM. We had great talent then and I learned a lot about coaching from her. A lot of my philosophies about the game came from all the coaches I’ve been associated with.” Stockton said basketball is much like life. “In a team sport you learn to work together, depend on each other, make sacrifices, accept responsibility and learn the importance of leadership,” he said. “Really, it is like being in a family and I treasure all of my time in the game.” Stockton has always tried to pass along all the positive aspects of the game to his players. “Winning games is fun and important as you build a team and help young people gain self-confidence,” Stockton said. But my goal has also always been to help kids learn a lot more than just basketball.” The 6-5 coach, who ended his ULM playing career in 1971 at No. 3 on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,309 points, twice made all-conference for his work and will always be remembered for one of the school’s top individual performances ever when he scored 43 points in an 85-80 upset victory at Ole Miss. He made 19 field goals that night, a figure still tied for the most field goals ever in a game by a ULM player.A former ULM teammate, current Carroll coach Jesse Burnette, said recently, “Roger was a great player. He could shoot as well as anybody. And I still remember the night at Ole Miss when he lit it up and led us to a win in a big situation under adverse conditions.”Burnette said that Stockton carried over that competitiveness into his coaching career.“He’s always been very organized and believes in taking care of details,” Burnette said. “He’s an excellent Xs and Os kind of coach, but also his kids respect him and play hard for him. “I coached against him for a lot of years and always respected what he did. Even more important to me, he’s been a great friend for the last 35 years and always a super gentleman. I didn’t know he was getting his 500th win but I’m not really surprised. I certainly offer my congratulations,” Stockton’s total reflects only his wins while coaching boys’ teams. He has another 182 wins as a girls’ coach, 10 years at River Oaks with a 107-75 mark and a five-year stint as the head coach at ULM from 1990-95 when his teams were 76-71.In boys basketball, Stockton was 221-63 at Epps from 1972-1978, 87-45 at Bastrop from 1979-83 and now has been guiding the Mustangs for the past 12 years while going 194-114. Stockton said much of his success — and definitely his longevity in the coaching profession — stems from the support he has received from his family. “In order to coach, you have to have an understanding family because it demands so much time away from them. My wife (Cathy, who he began dating in high school and married while in college) has always been understanding and supportive of what I do. I couldn’t have had a better partner for this journey and I appreciate her. “You know, there have also been plenty of nights when we didn’t win but Cathy has always been there. Every coach needs that kind of support system because it can get pretty tough at times.” But after 38 years in coaching, this is one coach who definitely has plenty of wonderful memories. At least 500, for sure.

Roger Stockton’s total reflects only his wins while coaching boys’ teams. He has another 182 wins as a girls’ coach, 10 years at River Oaks with a 107-75 mark and a five-year stint as the head coach at ULM from 1990-95 when his teams were 76-71. In boys basketball, Stockton was 221-63 at Epps from 1972-1978, 87-45 at Bastrop from 1979-83 and now has been guiding the Mustangs for the past 12 years while going 194-114.

Oak Forest at Bowling Green

(Above) Bowling Green's Jaron Edwads #10 and Shod Fortenberry #20 combined for 42 points aganist Oak Forest Tuesday night.

Bucs split with Jackets

The Oak Forest Yellow Jackets went into last night’s district battle with Bowling Green hoping to unseat the Buccaneers as the district frontrunners but it didn’t take long for the home team to produce and emphatic statement game on their home court. Bowling Green raced out to a quick 11-0 lead, en route to an 86-59 win, on a Shod Fortenberry basket at the 5:59 mark of the opening quarter and a Jaron Edwards 3 pointer 46 seconds later increased the lead to 14-0. Oak Forest sophomore Drew Misita got the Jackets on the board with a 3 pointer of his own with 4:47 left in the quarter. The Bowling Green lead grew to 29-8 on a Blake McGehee 3 pointer and both teams exchanged baskets as the quarter ended with BG holding a 31-11 advantage.
An Andrew Wood 3 bucket at 3:40 of the second quarter pushed the lead to 42-18 and Bowling Green took a 48-26 lead into the locker room at the half.
Bowling Green’s biggest lead of the game came on a Shod Fortenberry 5 footer with 2:45 remaining in the quarter to push the lead to 64-36.
Oak Forest couldn’t cut into the lead in the final quarter as benches emptied to complete the game.

Jaron Edwards led Bowling Green with 26 points while Drew Misita led the Jackets with 16 on the night.

With the win Bowling Green improves to 17-7 but more importantly 7-0 in district play with three games left. Oak Forest slipped to 11-11 and 5-2 in district.

Oak Forest will host Silliman and Bowling Green will travel to Central Private on Friday.

(Below) Lindsey Oliver spots up for three

Lady Jackets Roll

In the girls contest the district leading Oak Forest Lady Jackets proved why they’re one of the premier teams in AA basketball with a lopsided 55-20 win over the Lady Bucs of Bowling Green. After a bit of a slow start Ashlyn Neal’s bucket with 2:48 in the quarter put Oak Forest up 4-3 and the Lady Jackets starting rolling. That lead jumped to 26-9 in the second quarter on a Cassie Bennett 3 pointer with 2:15 left in the half. Oak Forest took a 30-11 lead into halftime on two Ashlyn Neal free throws.
The Lady Jackets built a 49-14 lead after three quarters and cruised to a the 25 point win behind senior Cassie Bennett’s 16 points.

Cadie Robertson led Bowling Green with 9 points on the night.

Oak Forest improved to 7-0 in district 5AA while Bowling Green slipped to 3-4.

Biggest crowd of the year tonight at Bowling Green as lots of folks crammed in to the standing room only gym to watch the last regular season district battle between the long time rivals as Oak Forest will move to AAA next year. The rivalry has been a healthy one and has been one of the oldest in the MPSA.

Don’t know what’s in the water at Bowling Green but this is two straight weeks a ‘Shout Out” goes to their student section for filling the seats.

(Above) Bowling Green students enjoying the game

While the boy’s outcome had to be a big disappointment for Jacket fans they’re still heading in the right direction and as the district tournament approaches they should be right in the thick of things.

Big week of district games remaining.

See ya somewhere………

Saturday Recap

Trinity has little trouble on the road

By Darron Thomas

The Trinity Saints improved to 16-4 on the season as they ventured to Vicksburg to battle the class 1A Flashes of St. Aloysius. The Flashes jumped on the Saints early enough to grab a 19-13 lead after one quarter of play. However, the second quarter belonged to Trinity as they imposed their will on the home standing Flashes and outscored them 26-12 to take a 39-31 lead into halftime. St. Aloysius was able to keep pace with Trinity in the third period and only trailed by seven points heading into the final quarter but the Saints outscore the Flashes by six points in the quarter to take a 70-57 win.

Trinity had balanced scoring as Givonni Dent had 16 points, Kent King 14, and Andrew Johnson added 12.

Trinity has regained the #1 spot in Da Man's Top 5 poll and will play at WCCA on Monday.

The Trinity girls squad had a much easier time with their game against St. Aloysius. The Lady Saints improved to 14-9 on the season and built an early 17-8 lead after the first quarter before exploding to a 42-19 advantage at halftime. To make matters worse for St. Aloysius the Lady Saints held them to only 1 point in the third quarter while putting up 24 themselves in building a huge 46 point lead heading into the final period. The Lady Flashes were able to outscore Trinity in the fourth quarter as the Saint bench was emptied. Trinity prevailed 70-38.

Trinity's Caroline Ketchings posted game high honors with 22 points and Leslie Pomeroy added 11.

Centreville over Central Private 57-44

The Centreville Tigers won a big district 5AA match up on Saturday as the Central Private Rebels paid a visit. Centreville lost to Bowling Green on Friday night while Central Private was coming off a solid home win against Silliman. Central Private could never get into a rhythm and found themselves down 25-16 at the half and never recovered. With the win Jason Horne's Centreville squad has inserted themselves back into the district race as teams start to eye seedings for district tournaments. They now sit at the third spot just behind Oak Forest and district leading Bowling Green. Three Tiger players scored in double digits as Kyle Brown, Jamie Dezendorf and Colby Lockwood each had 10 points on the night.

Britt Myer and Lance Wicker had 14 points apiece to lead Central Private.

Centreville improved to 7-8 on the year and will travel to Silliman on Tuesday while Central Private goes to Oak Forest.

Adams gets big district win 70-68

An Adams Christian basket with time running out in overtime gave the Rebels a huge district 3AA victory Saturday in Bastrop. Daniel Guedon popped in 21 points, two of which were the game winning points. ACCS had an eight point lead going into the fourth quarter but Prairie View outscored the Rebels 18-10 to force the overtime period.

Even though Daniel Guedon scored the winning basket teammate Lee Swinny led ACCS with 28 points on the night.

Chase Anderson led PVA with 18 points and Conner Smith added 15 for the Spartans.

Central Private stays in the hunt

(Photo above, SA's Florian Doeink checks CP's Britt Myer)
By Darron Thomas

Central Private hosted a big district 5AA match up with Silliman on Friday night to determine which squad would keep pace with front-running Bowling Green. Both Central Private and Silliman entered the contest with 1-1 district marks and the risk of another loss would seriously dampen the chances of either keeping pace the remainder of the way in district 5AA basketball.

Both teams seemed to struggle finding any rhythm in the first quarter and only combined for 13 points between them as CP managed a 7-6 lead after one quarter of play. Both squads did show lots of patience on the offensive end but cold shooting made for a slow start. The pace did quicken a bit in the second quarter as Central Private’s trapping defense began forcing Wildcat turnovers. Coach Rudy Smith’s Rebels did a solid job mixing defenses in the first half going from a 2-3 zone to man throughout the first half. Silliman grabbed its’ first lead of 8-7 at the 7:08 mark in the second quarter on a Florian Doeinck 17 footer. The game went back and forth until the 2:20 mark in the second quarter when Britt Myer’s two free throws put Central Private up 11-10. The Rebel defense then forced three consecutive turnovers in the last 45 seconds of the half to extend their lead to 16-10 at halftime.

The tempo picked up a great deal as the third quarter got underway with Central Private’s defense causing big problems for the Silliman offense. CP’s cold first half shooting was left in the locker-room as the Rebels put up a 17-8 quarter to extend their lead to 33-18 after three periods. A 3-point shot by Britt Myer at 7:35 of the fourth quarter gave the Rebels their biggest lead of the night at 36-18. With the game in hand Central Private emptied the bench and cruised to a 50-39 final.

Senior Britt Myer led Central Private pouring in 30 points on the night. Myer scored 12 of the Rebels 16 first half points and got stronger as the game wore on. He also had a solid night on the boards and has a motor than never quits. Jason Young had 6 points.

For Silliman, Florian Doeinck shook off a slow first half in which he only scored two points to finish with 22 and Cody Donze added 12 points.

Central Private improves to 2-1 in district play while Silliman slips to 1-2.

(Above photo) Central Private's Kayla Waltrip (#24) looks to pass against Silliman

In the girls contest Central Private didn’t look like a team that had lost their first two district games. Great determination and energy was evident for the Lady Rebels as they took an 11-8 lead into the second quarter. Two Haley Ussery free throws at the 6:51 mark of the quarter extended the CP lead to 15-8 but Silliman’s Sydney Sones converted two buckets to keep the Lady Wildcats in striking distance. Silliman closed the gap to 21-18 at the half but Central Private came out in the third quarter and extended the lead to 27-18 on a Jessica Creel basket with 3:19 left in the third quarter. Silliman outscored CP 13-7 in the final quarter and with a Sydney Sones 3-pointer with 51 seconds remaining cut the deficit to 35-31. Sones then added a free throw with 14 seconds remaining to cut the lead to 35-32 and then Silliman fouled Central Private’s Kayla Waltrip who bagged the front end of a one and one to ice the game.

Sophomore Sarah Fryoux had game high honors with 16 points and Haley Urssery added 10 for the Lady Rebels.

For Silliman, Sydney Sones had 15 points and Holly Costello chipped in with 6 on the night.

Central Private’s Lady Rebels improve to 1-2 in district while Silliman falls to 1-2.

Big ‘Shout Out” to all the Central Private fans on Friday night. I was a bit surprised at the large turnout at the game which says volumns about the Rebel fan support. The student section was entertaining as usual which adds to a great basketball environment. I also need to throw a ‘Shout Out” to boy’s head coach Rudy Smith who continues to get the most of his kids. I was impressed with the Rebel defense and offensive sets and they did a good job in the stall offense at certain points of the game. It wouldn’t surprise me to see Central Private in the mix at the end of January.
(Photo above) Silliman's Sydney Sones (#14) defends the entry pass
I’ve seen 7 of the 17 teams in AA south play so far this month and one glaring fact stands out………there is some good talent out there. Blaine Roberts of Brookhaven, Jaron Edwards of Bowling Green, Britt Myer of Central Private, Tanner Pace of Columbia, Florian Doeinck of Silliman, Drew Misita of Oak Forest……and this is only 7 games in! Trinity, Chamberlain-Hunt, and Simpson all have players I’m interested in watching over the next few weeks.

*Central Private Concession specialty....chopped barbecue beef sandwich!

Gonna be fun!

Prentiss girls vs Simpson Recap

Lady Cougars drop heartbreaker in Prentiss

By Clara Aucoin, Magee Courier

The Simpson Lady Cougars started their contest against Prentiss Christian well. They came out rebounding well, running the court, not making turnovers, and their shots were falling. The defense was getting the job done, and Prentiss was pretty much doing the same thing. That was the kind of game it was, right down until the final buzzer when Simpson lost a heartbreaker 38-35. If the Lady Cougars played with a deficit during the night, it was on the offensive boards. It would also be unfair to say they lived and died by the three-point shot, because that was not what their game was all about. However, both could be argued as true.

When the threes fell, it was all good. But when the threes ricocheted off the rim, there were no offensive rebounders to be seen. But Simpson was doing good work on the defensive boards.

Prentiss liked to run, and they had some size inside. When they did get the chance to run, they had good results because they could get the ball into their big inside players, or just leave the field with their quick point people. Usually, however, Simpson kept the Prentiss team well contained in their zone defense. After a productive first quarter, the Cougars slowed down markedly in the second quarter, as did Prentiss. Although the score was 15-12 at the end of the first quarter, at the half, it was only 19-17, Prentiss. In the third quarter, after making some half-time adjustments, the Simpson Lady Cougars went to their threes. Christa Smith, a junior, and Kasey McWilliams, a freshman, both lit up the scoreboard in the third quarter with good downtown shots. At the end of the third quarter the score was knotted 26-26.

The Cougars went to a man defense in the fourth quarter. That defense was opening up the lane for Prentiss, but the shots were not good and Simpson was flooding the defensive boards, snagging rebounds. Those rebounds kept them in the game because the Lady Cougars were still struggling with the offensive glass.

The two teams traded shots for the fourth quarter, both working hard. The lead changed frequently, the score was tied, and things went back and forth. Prentiss got a 38-35 lead with approximately one and one-half minutes left in the game, and although Simpson had time to get off several shots, they were all three point attempts and they all skittered off the rim to come down in the hands of Prentiss. Simpson worked hard to get the ball back and made some hard-working steals down the stretch, but the shots just didn’t fall. The final was 38-35. Simpson played Wayne Academy on Monday night, and will play Brookhaven on Friday night at home. Game time begins at 3:15. Brookhaven will be a big conference battle for the Lady Cougars.

WCCA at Oak Forest Recap

Jackets sting Rams

By Darron Thomas

Oak Forest played host to the WCCA Rams on Thursday night in Amite as both squads looked to get in extra work in a non-district match up. Wilkinson Christian’s boy’s team came into the contest with high expectations and were looking to beat the Jackets on their home court. The Rams have had decent success this year but ran into a brick wall Thursday night. WCCA was able to keep the game close in the first quarter and were only down 6 points as the first quarter came to a close. But that 17-11 deficit soon grew as the Jacket’s Brock Banos hit a two point basket at the 5:50 mark in the quarter and then Banos connected on a 3 pointer to extend the lead to 26-13 at 4:20 in the second quarter. Oak Forest took a 34-17 lead into halftime. The Jackets came out in the third quarter and pushed the lead to 45-22 and ultimately closed out the game with a 53-33 final as all 17 Jacket players saw playing time.
Brock Banos had game high honors as the senior pumped in 19 points on the night, followed by sophomore Drew Misita’s 12 and senior Travis Thornton added 10.

In the girls match up the #3 ranked Oak Forest Lady Yellow Jackets had little resisitance from the overmatched Lady Rams as they took an easy win by a 61-25 margin. Oak Forest hit eight 3-pointers on the night and had four players score in double digits. WCCA scored the first basket of the game before OFA put together a 15-0 run and pushed to a 20-7 lead after the first quarter. Both Lindsey Oliver and Ashlyn Neal had 6 points in the opening period. The Lady Jackets controlled the second quarter in the same fashion as the first with solid man defense which smothered WCCA ballhandlers. OFA took a commanding 41-14 lead into the half. The second half was totally dominated by OFA with the Lady Jackets building a 57-18 lead after three periods of play as most everyone saw playing time the rest of the ay. The final score was 61-25 as the Oak Forest girls upped their record to 19-3 on the year.
Senior Brittani Roy led Oak Forest with 14 points, senior Lindsey Oliver added 12, senior Cassie Bennett 10, sophomore Ashlyn Neal 10, and senior Lauren Brumfield 6 points.

(Above) Lady Jacket Cassie Bennett (#25) defends the post

Oak Forest has a lot to be proud of…..the boys team is the most improved group I’ve seen this season. Solid defense and lots of movement on the offensive end. The addition of sophomore Drew Misita has helped tremendously. Tonight was my first look at Misita and he has all the tools and potential to be special. Very good passer, has a knack at getting to the basket, and had two blocked shots in the first quarter. But I was most impressed by the play of senior Brock Banos who is a very versital player. Banos showed a good post game but also a smooth shot from beyond the three point line and good ball handling ability. New head coach Bo Coxen deserves lots of credit and I think the Jackets will be heard from come district tournament time.

(Above) Ashlyn Neal (#11) works around a WCCA screen

The girls squad can just flat out play….very fun to watch. The team I saw on Thursday night is the best girl’s team I’ve seen this season. Great outside shooting and defense has this team in the driver’s seat in AA south. Senior guard Lindsey Oliver hit four 3-pointers and Brittani Roy had three 3-pointers on the night and Ashlyn Neal had a great game in the post. This squad can be very hard to defend and with the senior leadership on the court it will take a huge effort to topple the Lady Jackets. Big “Shout Out” to girls head coach Jody Fekete!

Concession favorite at Oak Forest….chicken strips...the best!

Oak Forest hosts ASC on Friday.

(Above) Coach Fekete goes over the assignments

Central Private at Bowling Green

Bowling Green takes two from Central Private

By Darron Thomas

The Bowling Green Buccaneers hosted the Central Private Rebels on Tuesday night in a critical MPSA district 5AA match up. Bowling Green had big district wins over Silliman and Oak Forest and sat atop the district race going into Tuesday night’s contest. The first quarter between the Bucs and the Rebels was tight throughout and neither team could pull away from the other as the first quarter ended with Bowling Green maintaining a slim 12-11 lead. Bowling Green’s offense began clicking as the second quarter got under way and the Bucs put together a solid 17-8 quarter to build the lead to 29-19 at the halfway point. Bowling Green put together another 17 point quarter in the third to extend the lead to 14 points at 46-32 heading into the final period. Central Private closed the game with a flurry and at the 3:30 mark in the quarter cut the Bowling Green lead to 5 points on a Britt Myer 3 point play. To compound matters Bowling Green’s big man, 6’5” Shod Fortenberry, fouled out with two minutes left in the game and Central Private threatening. Junior Jaron Edwards picked up the slack hitting four free throws in the last minute to ice the game and the final margin of 58-49 to push Bowling Green to 12-6 and 3-0 in district play.
Shod Fortenberry led Bowling Green with 22 points on the night, Jaron Edwards had 10 points, Dylan Varnado and Andrew Wood with 7 each, and Dean King and Blake McGehee had 6 points each.
Britt Myer led Central Private with 21 points.

In the girls contest the Bowling Green Lady Bucs entered Tuesday night’s game in desperate need of a win to avoid falling to 0-3 in district play. The Lady Bucs lost at home to Silliman last week and then to Oak Forest, one of the better teams in AA basketball. Central Private proved to be the medicine the Lady Bucs needed as they jumped all over the Lady Rebels building a 15-4 lead after one quarter. Central Private fought back in the second quarter shaving the Bowling Green lead to 8 points to trail 20-12 at halftime. Bowling Green came out with a vengeance on defense in the third quarter holding Central Private to only two points and headed into the final quarter with a 30-14 advantage. Bowling Green maintained the 16 point lead throughout the final period as the Lady Bucs earned a 38-22 district win to improve to 11-9 and 1-2 in district.
Bowling Green was led by senior Cadie Robertson with 10 points, Callie Brock added 9, Beth Reedy 8 and Whitney Crowe had 7 points.
Central Private was led by Jessie Creel with 7 points.

Bowling Green travels to Centreville on Friday for another critical district battle and then to Brookhaven on Saturday to face the #1 ranked Brookhaven Cougars who Bowling defeated on December 19th.

Prentiss at Columbia Recap

Columbia Sweeps Prentiss
By Darron Thomas
The Columbia Cougars returned to action for the first time in 17 days on Tuesday night in Columbia against the Prentiss Saints. Not only had the Cougars not played in 17 days but Tuesday night was their first home game since a December 12th game with Bowling Green. A nice crowd was on hand as Coach Reid McCay's boy's squad entered Tuesday night's match up with Prentiss as the #4 ranked team in Da Man's Top 5 poll. Prentiss, guided by Coach Randy Holloway, came into Tuesday's contest with an 8-2 mark following a three point loss at home to Simpson this past Saturday.

Columbia looked rusty and showed signs of the long layoff but after a sluggish start the Cougars were able to build a 16-10 lead after the first quarter. That lead swelled to 37-23 at halftime as Columbia's full court man defense forced numerous turnovers in the second quarter. Columbia opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run, which included two Tanner Pace free throws, to push the lead to 43-23 at the 5:32 mark. Prentiss, to their credit, never gave up and went on a 9-4 run to finish the third period down 47-32. The Saints were effectively forcing Cougar turnovers with opportune trapping and ultimately shaved the lead to 8 points at the 2:35 mark in the final quarter but could get no closer as Columbia made critical free throws down the stretch to provide the final score of 54-46.

Columbia was led by junior Drew Broome and sophomore guard Tanner Pace with 17 points each while Keaton Stamps and Ethan Lee led Prenitss with 10 points each. With the win Columbia improves to 12-7 and 1-1 in district play while Prentiss drops to 8-3 and 0-3.

In the girl's contest on Tuesday night the Lady Cougars of Columbia jumped on the Lady Saints early as they built a steady 21-6 first quarter lead. That lead ballooned to 33-11 at the half and a 47-17 advantage as the third quarter came to an end. The Lady Cougars coasted to a 59-20 win behind the scoring of two sophomores, Ashton Scarborough and Hannah Martin who each had 12 points, and junior Olivia Ryals who added 11 on the night. With the win Columbia evens their district mark at 1-1 and now they await a big district battle next Tuesday night as Brookhaven comes to town. The Prentiss Lady Saints fell to 8-6 and 1-2 in district and will next face Copiah on Friday night. They were led in scoring by LeAnne Griffith who had 8 points.

There was a nice crowd on hand Tuesday night in Columbia and the facilities are first class as is the food (the chili is almost as good as my mother's). Prentiss brought a good crowd which is always a good sign. The Saints boys team has lost three straight games but they deserve lots of credit for their intensity and hustle on the night. They have lots of speed and they attempt to play a fast tempo style of ball but on Tuesday night it led to poor shot selection and too many turnovers. Columbia's boys are a young squad starting just one senior and will no doubt get better as January progresses. Sophomore guard Tanner Pace plays much older and junior post player Drew Bloome has a good overall game. Both girls teams are very young and have lots of promise ahead.

Thanks for all the hospitality, the Columbia and Prentiss folks were super nice!

see ya somewhere................

Coach McCay giving out instructions during a timeout in the girls game Tuesday night

Junior Drew Broome had 17 points against Prentiss Tuesday night

Columbia's Olivia Ryals (#11) gets past Prentiss's LeAnne Griffith (#22)

Silliman at Bowling Green recap

Bowling Green splits with Silliman
By Darron Thomas

Special to The Daily News
In Franklinton Friday night the Bowling Green Buccaneers and Lady Bucs opened up district play against the Silliman Wildcats and came away with a mixed bag. In the boys contest Bowling Green shook off a sluggish start against the Silliman 2-3 zone to earn a 63-34 win, but in the girls matchup Silliman pulled away in the 4th quarter to win 46-34.

Coach Pat King’s varsity boys improved to 10-6 on the year, but more importantly, opened up district play with a 29 point win over the visiting Silliman Wildcats. After ending the first quarter tied at 11 Bowling Green’s pressure defense enabled the Bucs to build a 27-18 advantage at the midway point. Bowling Green came out in the third quarter and took complete control of the game capitalizing on Silliman turnovers to increase their lead to 49-23 after three quarters. The fourth quarter saw Bowling Green up its lead to 30 on numerous occasions before the ultimate 63-34 outcome.

Bowling Green was led by Shod Fortenberry’s 12 points, Blake McGehee and Jaron Edwards each contributed with 10, Dean King had 8, Andrew Wood, 7, Dylan Varnado, Brady Edwards and Buster Brown all had 4 each, and Seth McVea had 1 point.

Florian Doeinck led Silliman with 7 points.

In the girls contest a slow start put the Lady Bucs in catch-up mode quickly as they trailed 11-4 after the first quarter. As with the boys game, Silliman played an aggressive zone defense throughout the game but Bowling Green was able to cut the lead to 19-12 at halftime. The Lady Bucs opened up the third quarter with a run and eventually cut the margin to 25-23 after three quarters. But the wheels came off in the final period as cold shooting and turnovers hampered the Lady Bucs’ effort and Silliman put together a 21-point final quarter to earn the 12 point win. The Lady Bucs fell to 10-8 on the year and 0-1 in district play. Sophomore Brittany Cooper led Bowling Green with 15 points, Cadie Robertson added 11, Beth Reedy, and Whitney Crowe had 2 points.

Holly Weaver led Silliman with 18 points.

� Bowling Green traveled to Oak Forest on Saturday and will host Central Private Tuesday.

South AA Recap

While the first full week of district games haven't begun yet the weekend was full of pivotal games both in district and across district lines. The week was highlighted by Trinity's boys beating Brookhaven to capture the Brookhaven Christmas Tournament on Tuesday night and Brookhaven traveling to Natchez on Saturday and beating the Saints 63-52. Senior Blaine Roberts lit up the Saints with 29 points and Jake Reid added 15 to push the Cougars to 12-4 on the season. Givonni Dent led Trinity with 20 points. After replacing Brookhaven in Da Man's Top 5 rankings at #1 earlier this week Trinity now falls back down to the #2 spot just behind the Cougars. Bowling Green maintained the #3 spot with district wins over Silliman and Oak Forest to start district play at 2-0. Speaking of Oak Forest, the Jackets pulled off a sweep of Centreville on Friday night. The Tigers weren't at full speed but district wins are at a premium and I'm sure OFA will take what they can get. Columbia holds the #4 spot and didn't play this past week but will host Prentiss on Tuesday night. Prentiss fell to Simpson 58-55 on Saturday for only their 2nd loss of the season. Tuesday night at Columbia will be a huge test for the Saints who find themselves sitting at 0-2 in district. Simpson moves into the #5 spot with the win at Prentiss. The Cougars improved to 13-5 and will take on Wayne on Monday night before gearing up for a home meeting with the defending state champion Brookhaven Cougars on Friday. River Oaks drops out of the Top 5 after a 1 point win over Claiborne and a 25 point loss to Riverdale.

I attended the Bowling Green/Sillman game in Franklinton on Friday to get a feel as to how good Silliman may be this season. While Bowling Green won the game by 29 points I did see that Silliman has some potential to be in the thick of things in district 5AA. Silliman's Florian Doeinck looks to be a talented player but I was hoping to see him post up more. He was bringing the ball up the court alot for a big guy and I feel this kid could be a huge impact against a man defense in the post. That being said, I just saw the kid one time and Coach Barham knows his guys better than I do. The other player that stuck out was Cody Donze (Hope I got it right) who has some size and can move up and down the court.

Congratulations to the Brookhaven's girls team as they won their tournament this past week with a narrow win over Oak Forest. Brookhaven followed that up with a big road win against Trinity. Look for the Lady Cougars to get on a big roll this month. Prairie View's girls had a successful week as well as they hosted the PVA Doubleheader on Friday and Saturday. With wins over Tensas, Tallulah, Briarfield, and a big win over Riverdale the Lady Spartans are playing well as district play begins. PVA's Caroline Oliphant continues to put up solid numbers for the Lady Spartans.

Now that I'm about six weeks into the web site I feel like I've gotten some positive responses. I'm still attempting to make more contacts with AA south schools in order to track the teams and their records. It's harder than I thought but over time it's my hope to have one easy site for information regarding all AA south sports. I never thought it would be so hard to get scores. The only negative response was my use of one particular newspaper's articles on my site. I attached credits under the headings but that paper wasn't comfortable with it so I stopped using their write-ups. On the other hand several others have be gracious enough to allow me to use their pieces anytime which I appreciate. I'm still going to attempt to see all 17 schools play this month. Three down and fourteen to go beginning this week. So if you see some old guy with a confused look on his face that you don't know and a camera in hand it's probably me.

If you're interested in reporting your school's scores please call or text me at 985-750-3455. I need your help!

God is great!

see ya somewhere...................

Silliman at Bowling Green

District 5AA Action Friday Night...Silliman at Bowling Green

Brookhaven and Trinity Title Game

Trinity wins Brookhaven Tournament

Trinity guards Brandon Daggs, Givonni Dent and RJ Fleming combined for 51 of the Saints' 69 points in the BA Holiday Tournament championship game against Brookhaven on Tuesday night. Daggs led all scorers with 30 points on the night with Dent adding 11 and Fleming 10 points in the Saints' 69-61 win in Brookhaven. Trinity (12-3) built a 55-38 lead after three quarters which included a huge 26-6 3rd period. Brookhaven's attempt at a 4th quarter run fell short but was aided by Trinity's struggle at the free throw line in the last quarter. The Saints were 6 of 21 at the charity stripe in the final quarter.

Brookhaven (11-4) was led by Jake Reid and Blaine Roberts with 15 points each.

With the win Trinity takes over the #1 spot in Da Man's Top 5 rankings.

Both teams will meet again on Saturday, January 3rd in Natchez.

Brookhaven Tournament Recap

Brookhaven Tournament Recap
By: BRETT RUTLAND, DAILY LEADER

Brookhaven Academy disposed of Copiah Academy in Monday night's semifinals. The Lady Cougars cruised to a 60-30 triumph and the Cougars roared to a 73-29 victory.

The Lady Cougars (12-4) placed 4 players in double digits, led by Terah Winborne's 13 points. Marion Allen pumped in 12 points, and Nicole Smith and Anna Katelyn Mangold 10 apiece.

On the backboards, Winborne's 5 rebounds led BA. She also head 4 steals. Smith dished out 4 assists and made 5 steals as Coach Barry Gray's girls cruised to a 35-16 halftime lead. The Lady Colonels (7-10), plagued by 24 turnovers, got 11 points from Brooke Wilson. Katie Vanlandingham and Amanda Pyron each had 5 rebounds.

The Cougars (11-3), coached by Dale Watts, raced to a 43-14 halftime lead. They were paced by Jake Reed's 15 points. Josh Winborne added 11 points and Jeremy Foster and Sam Furr 10 apiece. On the backboards, Furr grabbed 7 rebounds and Foster 6. Sidney Chaffin had 5 steals. The Colonels got a game-high 17 points from Dennis Harper. Ben Boone and Caleb Stewart each grabbed 7 rebounds.

Oak Forest Wins

Oak Forest's girls reached the title game with a 54-41 semifinals victory over Marshall. The Lady Jackets were paced by Lindsey Oliver's 16 points, followed by Brittany Roy with 12 and Lauren Brumfield with 9. Marshall got 20 points form Traci Rodgers and 11 from Callie Clanton.

Trinity Romps

Trinity roared to a 62-35 trouncing of Marshall, sparked by Andrew Johson's 16 points. Brandon Daggs tossed in 11 points and Giovanni Dent 10. Ten points by Caleb Byrd and 9 by Jake Omedeo led Marshall in scoring.

Consolation Action

In girls consolation games, Silliman beat Amite School Center 57-39, led by Holly Costello's 19 points., Sydney Sones chipped in 13 points. Twelve points by Melanie Reed led ASC in scoring.

In losers bracket boys action

Silliman swamped ASC 67-24, paced by Cody Donze's 23 points. Florian Doeinck netted 12 points. Eight points each by Jason Duck and Lucas Felder led the ASC Rebels.