STARKVILLE — Kristie Williams liked what she saw.
Entering her team’s Class 6A, Region 3 opener against Columbus, the Starkville High School girls basketball coach was curious to see how her young team would handle what was sure to be an intense, physical battle.
Turns out the young Lady Yellow Jackets are growing up.
Sophomore Kelsey Jones led all scorers with 17 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds to help Starkville build a big lead en route to a 50-28 win Friday night.
“They are learning,” said Williams of her team, which starts two seniors, a junior, a sophomore, and a freshman. “Tonight shows we are working hard and we are heading in the right direction.”
The Lady Jackets trailed once — 10-8 late in the first half — but took control behind a monster effort by Jones, a 6-foot-2 sophomore who controlled the paint.
Jones scored five points in the first half and grabbed nine rebounds.
“She’s just a sophomore, but she plays much older,” Williams said of Jones. “She always works hard, and our girls have learned that if we get the ball down there to her, our offense works much better. They’re learning that if we start in the post, she can kick it out and we get more open shots that way.”
The Lady Falcons (6-2, 0-1 region) struggled offensively in the second quarter. After Starkville owned a 12-10 lead after the first quarter, Columbus scored 18 points the rest of the way, including only four in the second quarter. Starkville’s defense played a big role, forcing 24 turnovers and holding Columbus to less than 30-percent shooting from the field.
“One thing we have zoned in on as a team is our defense,” Williams said. “We have been playing good defense and our team has bought into that. They are working hard and it shows.”
The Lady Jackets’ defense was smothering, so much so that no Columbus player reached double digits in scoring. Bethany Jones led the Lady Falcons with six points, while Rokila Wallace and Kayla Rogers added five.
On the other side, Jones was dominant, scoring 12 points in the second half. Eight came in the third quarter, when the Lady Jackets outscored the Lady Falcons 16-7 and turned a seven-point halftime lead into a 16-point cushion entering the fourth quarter.
She wasn’t alone, though, as guard Erica Williams scored 12 points and forward Taylor Price added eight for Starkville (8-0, 1-0).
“The emotions are always higher in a district game, especially a Starkville-Columbus game,” Williams said. “This puts us in a good position, winning our first district game.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brandon Walker on Twitter @BWonStateBeat
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