STARKVILLE — The Starkville High School boys basketball team had a much more enjoyable experience this season in the Humphrey Coliseum.
After going winless a season ago in the Travis Outlaw Slam Dunk at The Hump tournament, the Yellow Jackets reversed that trend and won all three games they played in this year’s event.
The final victory was a 42-39 decision against Mt. Lebanon (Pa.) that capped the three-day, 13-game event.
“Tonight was not a game that flowed in the pace we wanted it to flow,” Starkville coach Greg Carter said. “They want a couple of guys to take their shots, so they are going to set screens until one of those guys gets the ball. For us, this was a grind-it-out type of game. I am really happy we stayed with our plan and stayed within ourselves and made sure we grinded out the win.”
Starkville (12-2) may have played its most complete game of the season Friday night in a 51-18 victory against Lausanne Collegiate (Tenn.). On Saturday night, the Yellow Jackets appeared a step slow and never found an offensive rhythm. Still, nine-straight points erased a 28-26 deficit and placed the Yellow Jackets in good shape. The lead stretched to 11 before a flurry of points by the guests in the closing minutes.
“This will really help the confidence level of our team a lot,” Starkville senior Zeb Rice said. “It was good to play against teams from other parts of the country. We saw some different styles and some different plans. I thought we really learned a lot this week.”
Rice scored 14 points and was a key force during the game-decisive run. Richard Evans also came up big with two steals on the heels of a 17-point performance against Lausanne.
In the tournament opener, Starkville beat Parkview (Ark.), 63-52, helping give the Yellow Jackets three wins against out-of-state opponents.
“We beat three really good opponents,” Carter said. “We saw three teams that will go a long way in their respective playoffs. When you get into the region tournament and North State playoffs, you have to have the energy to play back-to-back nights.
“In tournaments like that, you might have things not go your way. You have to learn how to handle the adversity. We did a really good job of that, especially in this game.”
Starkville held the lead for almost the entire game against a Mt. Lebanon (4-4) squad that went winless in the event.
The Yellow Jackets held a three-point lead after one quarter and then stretched the advantage to eight before leading 23-20 at halftime.
“We are used to playing fast-paced ball because we are usually over-matched by height,” Rice said. “The full-court trap they ran really slowed us down. We did a good job of making offense in the half-court. It was really big that we stayed patient and found a way to make plays.”
Starkville used fourth quarter defensive pressure and a big run to put away Parkview. A similar run took place in the third quarter Saturday night, as Starkville held Mt. Lebanon without a field goal for a seven-minute stretch to erase the 28-26 deficit.
“Our defensive pressure was really good there at the end,” Carter said. “They were doing a really good job of controlling tempo, so we knew we needed to make one run. If we could make that one run and get some separation, we felt really good about our chances.”
Jonny David led Mt. Lebanon with 15 points. Patrick Ehland added 14.
Against Lausanne, Starkville scored the first 19 points. After a lethargic second quarter, the Lynx closed to 24-11 at halftime.
Starkville put the game away by outscoring its opponent 19-2 in the fourth quarter.
“We knew we had to really turn it up on offense,” Evans said. “We really built the lead and got too comfortable. We quit doing the things that we needed to do on offense. However, we came back out in the second half and played like it was a new game. We had a lot more energy and determination.”
Dontavius Self had 10 points for Starkville in the victory.
With Jontavius Baker, Evans, and Rice each leading the team in scoring in the tournament, Starkville’s confidence level should only grow. It is a far cry from last season when the Yellow Jackets left Humphrey Coliseum frazzled.
“We have a lot of different guys who can carry the load on this team,” Rice said. “That is what makes it a lot of fun to come out here and play every day. You never know who is going to step up and have the big night.”
n In other local action, Aberdeen High School completed a 3-0 run through the tournament with a 65-60 victory against Lausanne Collegiate (Tenn.) Saturday afternoon.
“We played really well in the tournament,” Aberdeen first-year coach Cornelius Gilleylen said. “We have played in this tournament all three years, so I think that really gives us a little bit of advantage. The kids are comfortable in this surrounding.”
With the victory, Aberdeen improved to 9-4. The Bulldogs have won six of their last seven games.
The latest victory didn’t win come without a fight. Aberdeen used a dominating defensive performance early to build a 28-21 halftime lead. The Bulldogs stretched the lead to as many as 15 in the third quarter before a huge comeback by the guests.
“We let our guard down a little bit and we let them get back in the game,” Aberdeen junior forward Marcus Carouthers said. “We knew we were playing good teams in this tournament and you can’t let up against good teams. We let them get too many easy baskets late in the game.”
Lausanne hit two 3-pointers in 35 seconds to close within 63-60. The Bulldogs then got a huge block shot on the defensive end by senior forward Tylan McMillian. McMillian would later recover the possession and hit two free throws with 6.5 seconds left to seal the victory.
“We were a little tired there late in the game, having played three straight nights,” Gilleylen said. “I thought they did a really great job with their full-court pressure and we had too many turnovers. Offensively, we really had some great patience. I thought we did a great job of running our sets and getting some really good shots.”
Carouthers led Aberdeen with 22 points, while McMillian had 14 second-half points to finish with 20 points. McMillian also did his work at the line, where he hit 6 of 8 free throws in the final quarter. Nicholas Sims added 13 points.
Lausanne received 19 points from Isaiah Stokes and 13 points from Aldair Carlos.
Follow Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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