Starkville Lady Vols, State Champions

Southern Sports & Travel

The Starkville Academy Lady Vols won the school’s very first state championship in girls basketball on Saturday afternoon in Pelahatchie, Mississippi but the two day stretch of basketball that it took to achieve that milestone will be one to remember.

In Starkville’s semi-final matchup with perennial power Jackson Academy on Friday the Lady Vols found themselves down by 14 points with just 4:09 remaining in regulation but put on a furious rally to force the game into overtime where they held Jackson Academy scoreless and won 34-30.

In Saturday’s Class AAA state championship game with then top ranked MRA the Lady Vols found themselves in a similar situation. Down by ten points as the third quarter was winding down Starkville produced a 20-4 run that extended into the fourth quarter and propelled them to a 47-35 win.

“Two of the best come from behind wins I’ve seen in my 35 years of coaching,” said Starkville head coach Glenn Schmidt, who is in her ninth season at Starkville.

“We had a big 3-point shot in the fourth quarter of the Jackson Academy game that was critical and our girls did a great job of applying pressure defensively,” said Schmidt. “The two wins were a result of a combination of things. Our guards provided a big spark in the MRA win and our post play was very good.”

Also critical in the title game with MRA was Starkville’s effectiveness at the free throw line. The Lady Vols hit 19/22 at the line and Starkville also won the battle in another important area, rebounding.

Starkville (34-5) will enter this week’s Overall Tournament as the top seed in Class AAA and will meet the number two seed from Class AA, Bowling Green, on Wednesday at 3:00.

“Bowling Green is playing this week, so that tells me a lot about them,” said Schmidt. “They’ve played tough competition and are well rounded and a good defensive team.”
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Photos courtesy of Jim Lytle