Bowling Green ends Leake’s reign to capture state

Southern Sports & Travel

Coaching in the same era as two Hall of Fame coaches can be a daunting task.

For Bowling Green head coach Pat King having to play Doyle Wolverton and Dale Watts teams during his nine years coaching at his Alma mater brought heartbreaking losses and denied King at least two chances of coaching his first state championship team.

At this time last season King saw his squad fall prey in the finals to the dynasty that is Leake basketball as Doyle Wolverton led his team to an unprecedented seventh straight state championship.

On Saturday the two met once again in a state championship meeting that seemed predestined since last season’s matchup.

In an electric standing room only atmosphere where fans were jam-packed in the front lobby and lining the baseline walls of a deafening Canton Gymnasium Bowling Green ended the most successful consecutive state title reign in the history of the MAIS by defeating top ranked Leake 55-49.

What followed was pandemonium as Bowling Green players, filled with the emotions of the moment, rushed to center court and a dog-pile ensued along with sobbing after realizing what they had just accomplished.

Sophomore Reagan Moody scored 13 points and five Lady Bucs each scored 8 points in leading Bowling Green to their first state championship since 1991.

Bowling Green looked rattled in the early stages of the contest as the Lady Bucs turned the basketball over on their first two possessions, the second resulted in a Hannah Moore basket in the paint to put the defending state champions on top 2-0 just over two minutes into the game.

Bowling Green senior Caroline Haik would sink two free throws at the 5:36 mark and the Lady Bucs grabbed the lead at 4-2 fifteen seconds later as freshman Ashley Foret drained two free throws.

Haik’s offensive rebound and put back at the 4:48 mark extended Bowling Green’s lead to 6-2 but Leake would explode in the final four minutes of the quarter behind the torrid shooting of senior Hannah Peoples.

Peoples hit a deep 3-pointer from the wing to pull the Rebelettes to within a point at 6-5 and Anna Kat Nowell converted a Bowling Green turnover into an offensive rebound score, plus one, to give Leake their first lead at 8-6 with 3:52 left in the quarter.

Peoples drilled another 3-pointer after Bowling Green’s fourth turnover of the quarter and the senior moved to the top of the key to sink her third 3-pointer of the quarter to give Leake a 14-6 lead and complete a 12-0 run to end the opening eight minutes of play.

Leake would extend their lead to 15-6 as Anna Kat Nowell hit one of two free throws at the 7:01 mark of the second quarter but the entire flow of the game was about to shift dramatically.

At the 5:55 mark Reagan Moody gave Bowling Green their first points since 4:48 of the first quarter as the sophomore hit a 3-pointer from the corner and Moody capitalized on a Leake turnover by draining another corner 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 15-12 with 5:09 remaining in the half.

Leake would return the favor as they picked up a Lady Buc turnover and it resulted in a Hannah Peoples driving basket off the glass, plus one, to push the lead back to 18-12.

Bowling Green answered back as Ashley Foret broke the Leake press and served up an assist to center Caroline Haik.

Chloe Thaggard hit two free throws to keep the Rebelette advantage at six points but Bowling Green would ring up six straight points in response.

Ashley Foret scored on an offensive rebound and put back and Melissa Crowe canned two free throws to get Bowling Green to within two points at 20-18 with 2:47 remaining in the half.

Breanna McNeese hit a 10 foot jumper from the baseline to tie the game at 20-20 and cap an 8-2 Bowling Green run with 1:38 left in the quarter but Leake would take a four point edge at 24-20 to finish the half as Anna Kat Nowell hit one of two free throws and Hannah Peoples hit an amazing fall away jumper from the top of the key at the buzzer.

Bowling Green wasted little time in cutting the Leake lead in half at 24-22 as Melissa Crowe scored on a fast break basket eighteen seconds into the third quarter but the defending champions were about to threaten putting Bowling Green into a huge hole.

Leake would push out to a seven point lead at 31-24 following a Mary Grace Key 3-pointer from the wing with 4:18 left in the quarter and the Rebelettes once again grabbed a seven point cushion at the 2:33 mark when Anna Evans scored off an offensive rebound but the final 2:19 of the third quarter would turn the tide of the entire game.

Bowling Green sophomore Kristina Jerrell would come off the bench and nail a 3-pointer and point guard Mackayla Dykes hit from 17 feet to pull the Lady Bucs to within two points at 33-31 but as Leake has been accustomed to doing they answered with a Mary Grace Key 3-pointer from the corner with under one minute remaining in the quarter to extend the lead back to 36-31.

What would prove to be one of the biggest shots of the game came in the closing seconds as senior Mackayla Dykes drilled a deep 3-pointer from the wing to send the teams into the final quarter with Leake clinging to a 36-34 lead.

Bowling Green tied the game on a Reagan Moody 16 foot jumper fifteen seconds into the championship quarter but Leake immediately grabbed the lead back at 38-36 as Hannah Moore scored in the paint.

Bowling Green then took their first lead since the 4:33 mark of the first quarter when Reagan Moody hit her third 3-pointer of the game to give the Lady Bucs a 39-38 edge with 7:11 still to play.

Although Leake would regain control once more at 40-39 on an Anna Kat Nowell 16 foot jumper the Rebelettes would witness something they aren’t accustomed to seeing as Bowling Green would control the remaining six minutes of the contest.

Kristina Jerrell’s 18 foot jumper, and one, would give Bowling Green a 42-40 lead with 6:01 to play and it would be a lead they would not relinquish.

With 3:21 remaining in regulation a Mackayla Dyles 3-pointer would give Bowling Green their biggest lead of the afternoon at 47-42.

Most in the boisterous Canton Gymnasium were sitting back anticipating a Leake run but with 2:10 remaining Rebelette fans were beginning to face the reality of what was about to take place as senior point guard Anna Kat Nowell notched her fifth foul.

Less than one minute later Bowling Green extended their lead to 52-44 following a Melissa Crowe free throw and a Kristina Jerrell fast break basket off a Leake turnover.

Hannah Peoples hit a 3-pointer and Katie Webb canned two free throws in the waning seconds but Bowling Green would hit on 3 of 4 free throws down the stretch to preserve a 55-49 win.

“We worked hard during the summer and we purposely strengthened our schedule tremendously to prepare our girls just for this game and it paid big dividends for us,” said Bowling Green assistant coach Barry Seal.

Bowling Green notched regular season wins against Class AAA heavyweights Presbyerian, MRA, Jackson Academy and East Rankin with their only loss of the season coming at the hands of defending Overall Champion Starkville by five points.

Bowling Green was led by Reagan Moody with 13 points, Mackayla Dykes added 8 points and 5 rebounds, Melissa Crowe had 8 points and 7 rebounds, Caroline Haik had 8 points and 6 rebounds, Ashley Foret had 8 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Kristina Jerrell 8 and Breanna McNeese 2.

Hannah Peoples led Leake with a game high 18 points, Hannah Moore added 8, Anna Kat Nowell 7, Mary Grace Key and Anna Evans 6 each and Chloe Thaggard and Katie Webb 2 apiece.

Bowling Green (36-1) will take on Class A #2 seed Tri-County (26-4) on Wednesday at 5:30 in this week’s Overall Tournament.

Leake (39-1) will play Class AAA #2 seed MRA (29-9) Tuesday night at 7:30.

Post Game with Bowling Green Head Coach Pat King

Post Game with Bowling Green senior Mackayla Dykes

Post Game with Bowling Green Sophomore Reagan Moody

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