JACKSON — Greg Carter’s answer was perfect.
Asked “How did you do it?” Thursday following a victory against Meridian, the Starkville High School boys basketball coach said he didn’t do anything and that all of the credit went to his kids. It was a fitting comment because the Yellow Jackets had three players score in double figures and two more add eight points to help them advance to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A State title game against Madison Central.
Starkville didn’t have quite as many offensive fireworks Saturday in a 43-40 overtime victory that helped it earn its first state championship since 2010, but it again received a balanced performance from all seven players who saw game action.
Tyson Carter, the game’s most valuable player, had a team-high 14 points.
Raphael Leonard had 11 points and 11 rebounds and made a steal and a layup for the go-ahead points in overtime.
Guards Keith Harris, Josh Skinner, and Nick Deloach helped run the offense and defend Madison Central’s deliberate attack.
Jesse Little hit 3 of 4 free throws in overtime after missing three in the fourth quarter, and teamed with Jamal Williams to help patrol the paint.
Carter admitted after the victory that those players and the rest of the Yellow Jackets on the bench probably aren’t the most talented team he has coached at Starkville High. Yet that didn’t stop the group from doing what many likely thought wasn’t possible. In the process, they beat Meridian, one of the state’s most athletic teams in the semifinals, and then overcame a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Madison Central for the third time in four meetings to capture the Class 6A crown.
For its accomplishments, the Starkville High boys basketball team is The Dispatch’s Prep Player of the Week.
Carter was honest after Saturday’s game when he said he “didn’t know” what was the spark that jerked Starkville out of neutral and helped it rally to tie the game in the fourth quarter and have a chance to win in regulation. He said his team picked up the defensive intensity late in the game, which allowed it to erase a 30-23 deficit with 5 minutes, 46 seconds remaining. Two free throws by Tyson Carter, a junior, including the first that hit nearly every part of the rim, gave Starkville its first lead, 34-32, with 2:02 to go.
“I can’t pinpoint it, but I just know once it happened we got on a roll,” coach Carter said. “We got over the hump in overtime and got the lead. They had a couple of kids foul out, which put a lot of pressure on them, too.”
Carter credited Leonard for coming out focused after he re-inserted him into the game with 2:16 left in the third quarter and the Yellow Jackets trailing 24-18. Leonard was called for two fouls in the first half and saw limited action. He picked up his third foul 41 seconds into the third quarter. Carter said Leonard’s absence affected the team’s play, just as his presence elevated the Yellow Jackets, especially in overtime when he stripped Leroy Buchanan of the basketball and went in for a steal that gave Starkville a 37-35 lead with 2:27 to play.
“A lot of times when he defends he will keep his ball hand low playing the cross-over,” Carter said. “I saw him put it down there, but I didn’t think he would be able to get it. I thought Buchanan would be able to keep it away from him, but he brought it right to his hand. When he did it, the ball stopped and you keep going, and he (Leonard) is going to the other way.”
Lost in the shuffle of big plays was a dance step, of sorts, by Little, the 6-foot-9 sophomore center. Clinging to a 41-38 lead with less than a minute to play, Little went to one leg to snare a pass through the middle that looked to be going out of bounds. But Little kept his balance on the baseline and possession of the ball and returned it to play. Skinner hit 1 of 2 free throws seconds later to extend the lead to 42-38. One more free throw by Harris helped account for the final margin. It wasn’t until Madison Central missed three attempts at a 3-pointer that Starkville could exhale and celebrate.
Carter credited Little for making the adjustment at the free-throw line after he missed three to the right in the fourth quarter. He also wasn’t sure how Little kept his balance and didn’t travel on one leg.
Little said he knew he had to step up to the line and “man up” and get the job done at the free-throw line. He smiled when asked how he kept his balance and didn’t travel on the save of the errant pass.
“Good balance, I guess,” Little said. “I was just trying to stay strong and lean the other way. … I just had to get it done.”
Little said it was “unbelievable” to contemplate the fact that a team few outside of Starkville would have won a state championship. He said it felt “great” to prove all of those people wrong.
Carter echoed those sentiments when he was asked what helped Starkville do it. His response was equally perfect.
“It’s great especially with this team,” Carter said. “This is not one of the best teams to play a Starkville High, but they are one of the scrappiest teams. They have gotten a whole lot tougher over the last month and a half to two weeks.”
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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