River Oaks starting to hit stride

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

The River Oaks Mustangs grabbed their first lead at 5-3 early in the first quarter and never looked back as they cruised to an 80-56 win over Cenla Christian in Alexandria on Saturday night. With the win the Mustangs improved to 10-2 and enter the Southern Sports & Travel rankings at #10 this week.
River Oaks took their first lead just two minutes into the opening quarter when Vincent Moore nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key. Cenla’s Reagan Lane hit a basket at the four minute mark to keep the score close at 10-7 but River Oaks closed out the quarter with a Casey Rahn basket plus one to finish an 11-4 run and a 21-11 advantage heading into the second quarter. (Above) Martez Sellers with two of his game high 26 pts
Cenla stayed within striking distance to open the second quarter and with 5:39 left in the half David Ober converted on a River Oaks turnover to pull the Lions to within five points at 23-18. Martez Sellers answered for the Mustangs with an eight footer from the baseline and Tony Gilly added a 3-pointer from the corner to push the lead back out to ten points at 28-18 with 4:38 left. River Oaks ran off ten more unanswered points before Cenla got a Joey Sterling basket at the horn as the half ended with River Oaks on top 38-20.

River Oaks would take a 58-38 lead into the final quarter as Cenla would get no closer than thirteen points in the second half.
“We’re beginning to gel and get into basketball shape,” said River Oaks head coach Roger Stockton. “We finally had an opportunity where we could have three or four practices in a row this week.”
Martez Sellers had a game high 26 points for the Mustangs, Tony Gilly added 14 points, Vincent Moore had 13, Ryan MacGregor 7, Kaleb Legg 6, Darryl Barnes 4, Casey Rahn and Seth Lawrence 3 apiece and Taylor Frith 2.
“Our love our depth this year,” said Stockton. “We have several kids who can come off the bench and play and we have just one senior on the roster.” (Above) David Ober of Cenla drives to the rim
Cenla drops to 10-4 on the season and was led by Trey Green with 12 points, David Ober and Reagan Lane had 10 each, Dar Green 9, Joey Sterling 8 and Graham Kelly 7.
Next up for River Oaks is a road trip to face Riverfield on Thursday while Cenla will take on Red River Academy on Tuesday.

RO...21...17...20...22...80
CC...11....9....18...18...56

From the notebook………..

*January is here and now the gloves are off, no more holiday distractions. In just over three weeks post season tournaments get underway and pressure builds. District play has been ongoing for all teams with the exception of those in district 6AA who will fire things up next week. One of the most competitive districts in boy’s play looks to be 1AA. North Delta and West Memphis sit atop the standings at 3-1 while Marshall is just one game behind at 2-1 and those three teams all play each other next week.
*On the girl’s side Leake could very well run away with district 3AA. The top ranked Rebelettes have jumped out to a 4-0 mark in district play with Simpson just behind at 2-1. In district 1AA Kirk has raced out to a 17-1 overall record and a 4-0 district mark but the 3rd ranked Raiderettes may get some heat from a North Delta squad that is coming off big wins over Starkville, Magnolia Heights and Pillow.
*In AAA the Presbyterian boys let a golden opportunity slip by as Jackson Prep squeezed out a 51-49 win in Hattiesburg but they did make a statement that they belong in the top tier in their class along with Prep and MRA.
*Much of the talk in AAA girl’s play has been centered on East Rankin and Presbyterian but Jackson Academy, Washington and MRA are playing exceptionally well. None of those three have more than five losses on the season.
*Speaking of East Rankin and Presbyterian, I’ll be covering that game tonight if it’s not postponed and I’ve been warned that it will be standing room only in Hattiesburg. Katye Magee of PCS and Brooke Rhodes of ERA, arguably two of the best players in the MAIS, will face off in the first of two regular season matchups between the two.
*West Memphis guard David Robilio should begin getting lots of attention. The junior is averaging 22 points, 5 assists and 2 steals a game for the Black Knights who are ranked #8 with a 10-4 mark. Robilio is shooting 81% from the free throw line and has nailed 36 three-pointers on the season.
*Another player who really caught my eye last week was Brookhaven point guard Terah Winborne. The sophomore not only has the capability of putting up big numbers but she can flat out play defense. That was proven against East Rankin’s Brooke Rhodes last week in the finals of the Brookhaven Holiday Tourney. Winborne did a phenomenal job holding Rhodes to 10 points, just two in the second half.
*All our prayers should be with Dylan Pressgrove and Matthew Rymer of Trinity as they recover from an automobile accident, Callie Cole of Brookhaven who is home after three months in the hospital following an automobile accident and our Centreville friends who suffered the loss of 11th grader Emile Garrett in another automobile accident. Brodie LaFontaine was also injured and is at Field Memorial Community Hospital.

Quick notes……
*Did you know that the post season tournament format has changed this season? Only three teams will advance from each post season tournament instead of four. What that means is the third place game will now be an elimination game.
*Prairie View’s Mallory Hall has signed to play softball for Hinds Community College. The senior catcher has been assured a starting slot next season.
*The Columbia boy’s basketball team has four players averaging double figures in scoring this season.
*The Kirk Invitational basketball tournament began in 1971 and is the longest running in the MAIS.
*Brookhaven put on a great tournament last week that had a post season feel to it. Seven of the participating teams were ranked in the top five of AAA or AA polls. Their hospitality was great but I did receive some good natured ribbing about my pick to win the state title game in football.

Comments:

Anonymous said...
Thanks for all the info you provide, but the PCS Prep game was played at Prep.

Marshall improves to 13-5
Courtesy of The South Reporter

Marshall put a scare into Briarcrest Christian School of Memphis, Tenn., before falling 60-45 on December 28. The Patriots led 29-25 at the half and trailed by just one following three periods. But the Saints went on a 22-8 run in the fourth to ice their win. Jordan Wyke gunned in 22 points for MA, including four threes. He scored 12 of his 22 in the second quarter. Caleb Byrd added 11 points, nine of those coming on three-pointers. Dailey said his Patriots fought hard and the final margin was deceiving. “The kids executed our game plan extremely well,” he said. “We learned a lot about ourselves in this game.
The next day the Patriots were in cruise control throughout as they routed Starkville Academy 67-26. All 11 Patriots scored. Wyke led the way with 16, including four threes. Jake Omedeo scored 10 and Byrd eight. MA was up 34-9 at the halfway point.
The Patriots then faced St. Benedict Wednesday of last week in the consolation bracket championship game. Just 11 days earlier the big school from neighboring Tennessee had beaten Marshall by 24. But not this time. The Patriots, in one of their best efforts of the season, shocked the Eagles 56-50 in overtime. “I’m proud of the boys – not a bad response to the 24-point beating earlier,” Dailey said. “This is a signature-type win that can propel us to where we have to be. If we continue to grow defensively, it will be a fun year.”
MA took an 11-4 lead after one quarter on Taylor Maurey’s drive to the hoop. St. Benedict rallied to lead 24-19 at the half and 31-27 following three periods. The turning point came as the fourth quarter started. The Eagles’ coach was whistled for two technical fouls and ejected from the game. Jordan Brock calmly cashed in all four free throws and knotted the game at 31. MA went up 41-36 at the 3:08 mark on Wyke’s three. But St. Benedict didn’t die. The Eagles went up 43-41 with 1:29 left. Another Wyke three and Brock’s steal and short shot put the Pats on top 46-43 within the last minute. Then the Eagles hit a three with 11 ticks remaining to send the game to OT. MA took the lead in the extra period on another Wyke three. In the final 45 seconds, John Tomlinson and Wyke hit crucial free throws to nail down the six-point victory.
Wyke scored 21, including five threes, for the Patriots (12-5 on the season). Brock and Ferrell added 10 each. Maurey scored eight.
The Marshall boys struggled but downed Falkner 66-61 Saturday in the Premiere Shoot-Out at North Pontotoc High School. “This was a good win in a tough setting,” Coach Dailey said. The Pats, who led by 18-13 after one quarter, went up by seven in the second period on Byrd’s three, but they couldn’t pull away from a pesky group of Eagles. MA was on top 32-30 at the half. Marshall actually fell behind by as many as three in the third but went up 55-47 at the end of the period on Maurey’s drive and basket. It got tight again in the fourth. Falkner had snatched a 60-59 lead with 3:22 left. Wyke hit a jump shot, and Maurey and Byrd nailed some free throws down the stretch to secure the five-point win.
Maurey scored 19, Byrd 14 and Ferrell 11.
“I felt this eight-game stretch through Christmas and the first week back would tell us a lot about ourself,” Dailey said about his 13-5 squad. “This was a good start but Myrtle, Magnolia Heights and Hickory Flat to go.”

North Delta coach Douglas logs 600th win
Courtesy of The Panolian
Chris Brown poured in a season-high 20 points to lead the North Delta boys to a 60-40 romp over Starkville Academy last Wednesday afternoon to salvage the final game of the Magnolia Heights Tournament.
Geri Lamm added nine points while Corbin Baker and Ethan Frick contributed with eight and seven points. Derrick Shawn and Bryan Nickle chipped in with five points each. Bailey Guckert registered three while Matthew Barefoot finished with two points.
The North Delta girls were not as fortunate however as the Lady Wave fell to Magnolia Heights 49-41 in overtime.
Lauren Kimzey and Laci DuBravec each scored 12 points in the loss. Bradi Beard followed with nine points, six steals and six assists while Sara Waldrip added three points and pulled down nine rebounds.
Charla Shea Darby and Katelyn Still rounded out the scoring with three and two points each. North Delta (12-8) opened the tournament with a 40-39 squeaker over Starkville last Monday.
The victory was win number 600 in the coaching career of Green Wave head coach Phil Douglas.
Both varsity teams return to the hardwood tonight to face Pillow in the Kirk tournament.
The Lady Wave will tip off at 6:30 followed by boys action at 7:45.
A victory by the Lady Wave will advance them to the winners’ bracket Friday against the Oak Hill/ Indianola winner while a loss puts them in the losers’ bracket Thursday against the West Memphis/Heritage loser.

Glenbrook Apaches fall to McLeod in OT

Courtesy of The Minden Press-Herald
The Glenbrook Apaches traveled out of state Tuesday night for a non-district game with McLeod (Texas) High School.
The game went into overtime, before the Apaches lost 90-79.
“It went down to the wire,” Glenbrook head coach Chris Kourvelas said. “We hustled back in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but they out-hustled us in the o.t. That kind of sucked the wind out of us.”
Glenbrook out-scored McLeod 20-16 in the fourth quarter, but were out-scored 18-7 in the extra period.
“It was a learning experience for us,” Kourvelas said. “It’s a humbling loss before district starts. But once district starts, it won’t matter because you’re 0-0 at the beginning of district play and you have a clean slate.”
Thomas Beam had a break out game for the Apaches as he totaled 23 points, with 15 coming on five three-pointers. Colton Spurlock scored 25 points and pulled down 10 rebounds and DeAngelo McDonald had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
“We’ll learn for this,” Kourvelas said. “It’s all about keeping our minds on the overall goal, and that is making it to South State and then continuing on to State from there. We’re excited about starting district next week.”

Glenbrook fell to 12-5 with the loss.

Rebels move to 3-0 in district; Lady Mustangs win

Courtesy of The Greenwood Commonwealth
The Carroll Academy Rebels moved to 3-0 in District 2-AA play with a 42-37 victory over Oak Hill Tuesday night in Carrollton.
The Rebels improve to 14-1 overall and will continue league play Friday at Manchester in Yazoo City. Carroll led 33-27 at the half and 33-27 at the end of the third period. Breland Marett and Ken Daves led the way for CA with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Nick Mumme chipped in with 11.
The CA Lady Rebels lost 47-36 as Haley Liddell and Kacy Beavers scored eight points each. The Lady Rebels trailed 31-11 at the half.

The Pillow Academy Lady Mustangs defeated Washington School 44-41 Tuesday night in Greenville, while the Mustangs lost 51-49 to the Generals.
The PA girls improve to 10-6 overall. They led 27-17 at the half, but Washington tied it at 30 heading into the final period. Holly Ann Pannell led the Lady Mustangs with 18 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Dasha Tsema had nine points and nine boards, while Kaitlin McDaniel added eight points. Mary Langdon Gallagher had a team-high 14 rebounds and four points.
The Lady Mustangs face North Delta at 6:30 tonight in the first round of the Kirk Invitational in Grenada.

In the boys' game, PA led 25-21 at the half and trailed 36-34 going into the fourth period. Sam Shipley and Will Andrews had 14 points each to lead the Mustangs. Reed Cook added 10. The Mustangs (9-5) will face North Delta at 7:45 tonight in the first round of the Kirk Invitational in Grenada.

Saints turn back Prairie View

Courtesy of The Bastrop Daily Enterprise
Trinity Episcopal pulled away late for a 61-53 win over Prairie View on Tuesday night. It was tied 13-13 at the end of the opening quarter and 27-27 at halftime, before the Saints broke out to a 44-39 third quarter lead and outscored the visiting Spartans 17-14 in the final frame. “We played well enough to win except for the last two or three minutes of the ballgame,” said Prairie View coach Billy Pee. “We had too many turnovers late in the game. We missed nine free throws and got beat by eight points. “We’ve gotten better, but we can’t quite get over the hump in close ballgames. I thought Seth (Allen) had a good game handling the ball and I thought Connor (Smith) had a good game on the boards.”

Givonni Dent was Trinity’s offensive catalyst with 14 points and Jake Winston added 10. The Saints also received nine apiece from R.J. Fleming and Taylor Strahan and eight from Kent King.

Chase Anderson rattled home a game-high 22 points for the Spartans (12-6). Also contributing to the scoring were Dylan Tarver with eight, Robby Jones with seven, Gabe White and Smith with six and Allen with four.

Ogden rallies Trinity in fourth quarter
Courtesy of the Bastrop Daily Enterprise

Bethany Ogden scored eight of her nine points in the fourth quarter to rally Trinity Episcopal to a 41-36 decision over the Prairie View Lady Spartans on Tuesday night. Prairie View led 22-16 at halftime and carried a 31-28 advantage into the final quarter. Ogden drained a 3-pointer and made 5-of-7 free throws as the Lady Saints outscored Prairie View 13-5 in the fourth frame.

“We have to get better,” said Prairie View coach Dave Farrell. “We have to go back to work (Wednesday) and we have to go back to work in earnest.” Brandis White paced the Lady Saints (13-4) with 12 points and Madilyn Cross had 10. Prairie View (12-4) received 18 points from Caroline Oliphant, nine from Logan Tubbs, five from Jerri Ann Lord and four from Molly Gregory.

Prairie View will play at home Friday vs. River Oaks. Game time is 6:30 p.m.

Notes: Prairie View sophomore forward Victoria Billings missed the game with a turned ankle. ... Tuesday was a bad day all the way around at Prairie View. Bus trouble forced the players to travel in separate vehicles. Due to a problem with a drain at the school, Farrell was up until the wee hours of the night washing uniforms. Worst of all, Bucky Diel, a longtime supporter of the school, passed away Tuesday afternoon.

AAA Boys Action

MRA too much for Raiders

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

The top ranked MRA Patriots improved to 14-2 last night with a 50-35 road win at Jackson Academy. Justin Malone hit a turnaround jumper to start things off and teammates Craig Bell and Ryan Ellis nailed 3-pointers as the Patriots raced out to an early 8-0 lead over the home-standing Jackson Academy Raiders. Andrew Iupe hit a 3-pointer at the 2:58 mark of the first quarter to get the Raiders on the board and two Will Marley free throws closed the MRA lead to 8-5 with 2:21 left in the quarter. MRA closed the quarter with two baskets, the last a Craig Bell tip in at the horn to give MRA a 12-5 advantage.

(Above) Andrew Iupe (#3) of Jackson Academy shoots over Justin Malone (#34) of MRA
MRA pushed their lead to 17-7 at the 5:18 mark of the second quarter when Justin Malone muscled in a basket plus one, but the Raiders wouldn’t go away as they slowly began cutting into the Patriots lead. Clayton Dufrey’s eight foot turnaround jumper brought the Raiders to within seven at 22-15 with just under three minutes remaining in the half. Jackson Academy’s Keith Shumaker scored off a steal with seven seconds left as the Raiders finished the last 2:10 of the half with a 6-2 run to head into the locker room down 27-21 at the half.
After Jordan Stentiford of MRA hit an eight footer to start the half Jackson Academy pulled to within four points at 29-25 on two Clayton Dufrey free throws and Andrew Iupe’s drive to the basket, but the Raiders would get no closer as MRA put together a 9-2 run over the next five minutes to finish the quarter up 38-27. (Above) Caleb Miskelly (#13) of MRA checks Keith Shumaker of Jackson Academy
Jackson Academy could get no closer than seven points in the final quarter as MRA hit on 8/10 free throws down the stretch to seal the 50-35 win.
Justin Malone had a game high 14 points to lead MRA, Ryan Ellis and Jordan Stentiford each added 10, Jeffrey Rickels and Craig Bell had 5 each, Caleb Miskelly 4 and Robert Richardson had 2.
For Jackson Academy Clayton Dufrey had 12 points, Andrew Iupe added 9, Will Marley 8 and Keith Shumaker 6 points.
With the loss the #4 ranked Raiders slip to 8-8.
MRA will be participating in the Jackson Academy Invitational the remainder of the week.

MRA...12...15...11...12...50

JA......5....16....6....8....35

(Above) Justin Malone (#34) of MRA altered shots most of the night

(Above) Keith Shumaker (#32) defends Ryan Ellis (#21) of MRA

*Note* The girls game between Jackson Academy and MRA was postponed and re-scheduled.

(Photo at the top of page) Andrew Iupe of Jackson Academy (#3) defended by MRA's Caleb Miskelly (#13)

Canton girls fall to Simpson

The Canton Academy Lady Panthers resumed play after the holidays with a 46-31 district loss to the Simpson Academy Lady Cougars. Canton led 19-18 at half but could never get anything going in the second half offensively. In fact, the Lady Panthers were only able to get 10 shots off during the entire second half. Katie Pepper led Canton in scoring with 14 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds. Christa Smith with 16 was the only Simpson player in double figures.

CA....6...13...4...8...31
SCA..13...5...15.13..46

Canton falls to 0-4 in the conference and 6-10 overall. Their next game is Thursday at home against Veritas.

Simpson improves to 6-9 and 2-1 and will host Heidelberg Thursday.

CONGRATULATIONS TO NORTH DELTA GIRLS COACH PHIL DOUGLAS WHO WON HIS 6ooth GAME IN A 40-39 WIN OVER STARKVILLE ON DECEMBER 28th.

Young Patriots have matured

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

On Saturday February 20th one team will win its’ last game of the season and claim the AA state championship. The road to Indianola begins in earnest this week as teams delve into district battles to determine who advances through a four week post season that includes district, regional, state and overall tournaments. Assuredly the pressure will mount for many teams as February gets closer due to the new bracket format in which only the top three seeds will advance each week during post season. Those boring consolation games with little at stake are now elimination matchups. It only takes a quick glance at a few districts to realize that some solid teams will end their seasons early with the new format but the quality of basketball will be better for it.
In the latest Southern Sports & Travel rankings the top ten is split with half the teams coming from the south and the other half from the north, a considerable shift from last season. Only six will qualify for the state tournament and of those six its possible no one team will be a clear favorite to take home the hardware.
One team that could very well be in that mix are the Marshall Patriots out of district 1AA. The Patriots, under the direction of head coach Craig Dailey, finished 22-15 last season and are off to a 13-5 start and a #5 ranking.

Coach’s corner…….
This week: Marshall head coach Craig Dailey
*Last season's squad came only a few baskets of upsetting Bowling Green in the state tournament in Brookhaven. How many starters return from last season and how much depth do the guys have?
"Everyone returns from last year including Jake Omedeo & Caleb Byrd (seniors), Chase Ferrell (started as a freshmen last year), Jordan Brock, John Tomlinson, and Taylor Maurey (juniors) who all started last year. Jordan Wyke (sophomore) (a public school transfer from Alcorn Central) has fit into the starting lineup this season and a 9th grade post player, Matt Rappa, is playing up due to eligibility rules and has played quality minutes. We have had 7 players start on and off throughout the season so far. I am as deep as I have ever been, but that’s not saying a lot since most of my championships only played about 6 deep. We have another 9th grader off our undefeated junior high team that could possibly contribute down the stretch. My greatest challenge will be to get this group of individuals to combine into a cohesive unit. I'm not used to having this many options."
*Is there one particular player who is looked upon as the team leader?
"Our two seniors, Caleb Byrd and Jake Omedeo, have come a long way leadership wise. I feel that seniors will always be in a position to lead more than others regardless of their personality because they are the closest to that "final horn" as we call it. There’s something about a senior when it gets toward the end. These two have worked extremely hard trying to build this thing and they deserve a great finish."
*As the mid-point of the season approaches how would you assess your squad's play so far?
"Up and down especially on the defensive end. We must get back to what has made our program successful....We have got to guard first and figure out the rest later. St. Benedict, Briarcrest, two other AAA or public opponents Faulkner, Myrtle, Magnolia Heights and Hickory Flat all before we try to take the lead in the district vs West Memphis on January 11th should tell the tale for us. These opponents will force us to concentrate on the basics and there will be no room for error. St. Benedict spanked us at home and I scouted Briarcrest Tuesday and don't think any of the 5 that started for St. Benedict could start for Briarcrest. It'll be fun and the boys will learn to guard one way or another."
*What's your biggest pet peeve with regards to coaching or high school basketball in general?
"Our slogan for our program is "We Believe". It goes back to the death of my mom my senior year and the lessons that I learned from dealing with that and how it has impacted our program over the years. Every kid that has come through the "We Believe" program has heard the story and has in their own way bought into the belief in something greater than themselves. My girls last year definitely did. I couldn't have been any more proud of them if that had been us drilling that 3 with 20 seconds to play. My championship teams have all found their own piece of this on their run...this group of young men will have to as well. These lessons are what I try to teach the most."
*What is the biggest challenge in preparing kids for post season play?
"For us this year it will be travel. Indianola is in the North, but it is 3 hours away from us. We had to stay the night for our Jr. High district Championship games the last time they hosted. We then will have to travel to Leake for North which almost knocks 4 hours in the head and back to Indianola for State and 3 hours to Jackson for Overall. As I told my boosters, that'll be good problems to have and ain't nothing guaranteed. Two of Brookhaven’s titles wouldn't have happened with this 3 teams advancing format. We travel during the summer and the Brookhaven Christmas tournament most years so we get a lot of practice."
*Can you point to one game that has been the toughest loss while you've been at Marshall?
"T-Boy Lynch of Brookhaven going the length of the floor dagger and then losing to Delta the next day along with the other happenings that I've tried to wipe from my memory, but the losses make it so much sweeter when you win. Never forget sitting by the pool with Coach Deuce after we won our programs first two state titles in one day. We weren't talking about the wins we were talking about the "0-24 days" (My first boy’s team at Delta)."
* Biggest win?
"We set our heights pretty high so it probably hasn't happened yet, but the girls State run: Prairie View, Oak Forest are at the top."
*Overall has the teaching of fundamentals in high school basketball progressed or regressed?
"As a whole it has fell off. You see college and pros that can't hit a free throw, but I believe that the MAIS coaches have definitely held their own. Then again we have to and we have Dale Watts on our side so that counts for at least 20 normal coaches."
*If you could change one rule in high school basketball what would it be?
"I wouldn't. I think a big part of the life lessons we teach as coaches is to learn to play the game and adjust to the way the game is called. They better be able to adjust when they are earning a paycheck and feeding a baby."
*What will it take for Marshall to make a run at a state title in February at Indianola?
"A complete sell-out of self, an evolution into my best defensive team ever, and some luck."

The Dailey resume……
*Overall coaching record: 854-289
*Assistant to Mike Reans and Frank Miller at Delta Academy for one year.
*Spent one year at New Albany High School as girls coach.
*Coached both girls and boys at Delta for 12 years. Won nine state titles and overall runners-up three times.
*Dailey is in his 5th year at Marshall.