MHSAA basketball Class 2A and 5A championships: Takeaways from Day 2 of state finals
The second day of the MHSAA boys and girls basketball championships at the Mississippi Coliseum is over and the Class 2A and 5A titles were clinched. Here are four takeaways from Friday's slate of games.
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Lake secures back-to-back titles behind Laneisha Palm
The final basket of Laneisha Palm's high school basketball career exemplified one of her greatest strengths on the court.
"She's got one speed and that's fast," Lake coach Holly Moncrief said. "She has truly been a leader for us this year. I've loved to see her play."
Palm easily passed several defenders in transition and got to the basket with ease with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter. Palm extended the Hornets' lead over Heidelberg (27-8) to 20-points and the celebration was on.
The senior finished with a game-high 32 points on 14-of-20 shooting, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in Lake's 67-48 victory. Lake (24-9) has won 48 games in the last two seasons and claimed consecutive Class 2A titles.
Coahoma County wins fifth state title since 2017
Derrick Brown and the Red Panthers wanted to remember last season's loss to Pine Grove in the second round of the Class 2A playoffs.
"We had a chip on our shoulder," Brown said. "Delta pride; nobody sees the Delta life. Every time we play we're walking out knowing we are representing the delta. Second of all, that loss to Pine Grove. We got a picture of that guy staring at us the last game of our season in our locker room.
"We knew what we left on the table. Anything other than a championship was a bust."
Coahoma County (29-2) lost its lost its first two games of the season and wouldn't loss again. The Red Panthers ended the season on a 29-game winning streak, including a 67-34 blowout victory over North Side (9-12) in the Class 2A title game.
The Red Panthers coasted through the postseason, defeating their opponents by nearly 16 points per game.
Cam'ron Bell led Coahoma County with a game-high 23 points, three rebounds and two assists.
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West Jones wins second state title, first since 1995
The Class 5A championship was over just before halftime. Callaway's sophomore duo of Anissa Branson and Jahanna Wilson combined for 46 points in the semifinals but were kept in check in the first half against West Jones. Instead, the Mustangs were in complete control.
Aasia Wilson's layup with one minute remaining in the second quarter extended the West Jones (29-2) lead to 19-points and a transition layup from Halei Keyes gave the Mustangs a 43-23 lead at halftime. The Chargers (27-7) couldn't recover.
West Jones rolled to a 53-31 victory to win its first state title since 1995 and the program's first since 1995.
"We've been knocking for several years," Coach Sharon Murray said. "Just everybody behind us, supporting us, to be able to make it happen this year is amazing.
"I'm proud of these girls. They really dedicated themselves to defense, fighting and doing whatever it takes to finish with the championship this year."
Hattiesburg wins first title since 1974
It's been nearly 50 years since Hattiesburg (24-7) has claimed a state champion in boys basketball.
Darrian Jordan helped changed that on Friday with 13 points, six rebounds and two blocks as the Tigers defeated Picayune 55-50 in the MHSAA Class 5A championship.
The victory secured the program's three state title and first since 1974. The Maroon Tide (18-15) started the second half on a 13-0 run but Hattiesburg recovered. Jordan and Stephen McCullon combined for the team's final 12 points in the five-point victory.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MHSAA basketball 2A, 5A championships: Takeaways from Day 2 of state finals
