HATTIESBURG — The Starkville High School boys basketball team showed Monday at the Hattiesburgh Holiday Classic why it”s considered the top-ranked team in Mississippi.
The Yellow Jackets, ranked No. 1 by The Clarion-Ledger in Jackson, jumped out to a 21-3 lead against Brookhaven after the first quarter and went on to a 70-41 victory at Watkins Gymnasium.
Starkville (11-0) held a 34-15 advantage at halftime and even though Brookhaven competed better in the second half, it couldn”t make up the huge deficit.
Edward Townsel and Southern Miss signee Rashad Perkins scored 16 points each for the Yellow Jackets and Jacolby Mobley also scored in double figures with 15 points. Tori Rice had seven points and seven rebounds.
Starkville plays tournament host Hattiesburg at 7 p.m. today in the tournament.
n Starkville 79, Brookhaven 55 (G): At Hattiesburg, the Lady Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 20-12 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in the first round of the Hattiesburg Holiday Classic.
Starkville (10-1) increased its margin to 48-26 by halftime.
Kala Williams led the Lady Yellow Jackets with 24 points and she also had four steals, which pleasantly surprised Starkville coach Kristi Williams.
Courtney Moore added 12 points and nine rebounds for Starkville.
The Lady Yellow Jackets play Oak Grove at 3:30 p.m. today in the tournament.
n North Delta Academy 40, Starkville Academy 39 (G): At Senatobia, the Lady Yellow Jackets were outrebounded 28-23 in being edged in the Magnolia Heights Tournament.
North Delta scored nine points off offensive rebounds, while Starkville Academy could only manage four points off offensive boards.
Starkville Academy (11-8) fell behind 13-8 after the first quarter and 21-15 at halftime, which didn”t please coach Glenn Schmidt.
“I was disappointed with our first half,” Schmidt said. “We got beat on the boards, which was an indication of how we played.”
Anna Prestridge and Tiffany Huddleston scored 12 points each to lead Starkville Academy. Huddleston added nine rebounds, while Maggie Gladney contributed six points and five rebounds.
The Lady Volunteers played Lewisburg (Tenn.) High School at 10:30 a.m. today.
Lewisburg is coached by Robbie Veazey, who Schmidt coached at Mississippi University for Woman
n Lewisburg (Tenn.) 63, Starkville Academy 43 (B): The Volunteers couldn”t stay with the public school competition as they fell behind 16-5 after the first quarter.
Patrick Jones had 17 points and five rebounds for Starkville Academy and J.R. Gerhardt scored eight points.
The Volunteers (1-15) were scheduled to play the loser of Briarcrest Christian and Marshall Academy at 11:45 a.m. today.
n Ridgeland 65, New Hope 60 (B): At Brandon, the Trojans left the court with an unfamiliar feeling Monday night.
New Hope suffered its first loss of the season when the Trojans went down to defeat to Ridgeland in the Northwest Rankin Tournament.
New Hope (12-1) was led by Jonathan Brandon with 28 points, Raymond Walters with 13 and Davis Lee with nine.
The Trojans were outscored 37-33 in the second half after trailing 28-27 at the intermission.
n New Hope 49, Ridgeland 32 (G): At Brandon, the Lady Trojans advanced to the winners bracket of the Northwest Rankin Tournament by beating Ridgeland.
New Hope (8-4) was led by Rachel Hollivay with 14 points, Kia Edmonds with 12 and Kelli Petty with nine.
The Lady Trojans led 25-19 at halftime and then pulled away by outscoring Ridgeland 24-13 in the second half.
n Hamilton 73, South Lamar 62 (B): At Millport, Ala., Cojuante McMillian scored 24 points and Demetrice Trimble scored 18 to lead the Lions past the host Stallions in the Soutn Lamar Tournament.
South Lamar (2-8) was led by DeShawn Davis with 29 points.
Hamilton (2-7) will play Meek at 7:30 p.m. today in the championship game of the tournament.
South Lamar will play Berry at 4:30 p.m. in the consolation game.
n Hamilton 67, South Lamar 61 (G): At Millport, Ala., Christy Willis led three scorers in double figures with 23 points to lead the Lady Lions past the host Lady Stallions in the South Lamar Tournament.
Also scoring in double figures for Hamilton (2-9) were Drew Cockerham with 21 points and Mary Willis with 18.
South Lamar (2-8) was led by freshman Angel Cunningham with a career-high 41 points and eighth-grader Nasheema Cunningham with 16.
Hamilton outscored South Lamar each of the first three quarters, leading 14-11, 31-26 and 50-42 at the breaks.
Hamilton plays Berry in the championship game at 6 p.m. today.
South Lamar will play Meek in the consolation game at 3 p.m.
n Wingfield 83, Noxubee County 58 (B): At Jackson, Daquairius Mallard scored 15 points in a losing cause for the Tigers in the Jackson Public School Christmas Tournament.
Also scoring in double figures for Noxubee County (8-5) were Earnest Hunter and Howard Spann with 10 points each.
n Noxubee County 55, Wingfield 35 (G): At Jackson, Geraldine Campbell poured in 27 points to lead the Tigerettes past Wingfield in the Jackson Public School Christmas Tournament.
Noxubee County (9-3) advances to play Wayne County at 3 p.m. today in the tournament at Forest Hill High School.
Aja Forte scored nine points and Cierra Chandler scored seven for the Tigerettes.
n Delta Academy 61, Immanuel 32 (B): At Marks, the Rams played without three starters in going down to defeat to the host team in the Delta Academy Tournament.
Immanuel (8-6) played without guards Christian Good, Nathanial Howell and Austin Johnston, who are on vacation for the holidays.
The Rams were led by Wade Lee with 15 points and Justin James with 10 points, six rebounds and seven blocked shots.
Immanuel plays Indianola Academy at 12:40 p.m. today in the tournament.
n Booneville 74, Aberdeen 71 (B): At Booneville, the Bulldogs came up short in losing to the home team in the Booneville Tournament.
Aberdeen (5-8) was led by Anthony McDonald with 20 points.
The Bulldogs play Ripley at 6:30 p.m. today in the tournament.
n New Site 64, Aberdeen 58 (G): At Booneville, the Lady Bulldogs also came up short in the Booneville Tournament.
The leading scorers for Aberdeen (10-2) were Jameika Hoskins with 20 points and Michelle Stewart with eight.
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