West Point High School boys basketball coach Brad Cox remembers the nightmare of his team trying to guard Starkville High School guard Tyson Carter during a summer league game.
Cox said his young team hung tight through three quarters until Carter took the contest over.
In his team’s home opener Thursday night, Carter did the destruction much earlier.
The Dandy Dozen senior and Mississippi State commitment scored 25 first-half points to fuel Starkville’s 93-50 victory against West Point.
“Sharing the basketball, that is the best thing this team is doing right now,” Starkville senior guard Keith Harris said. “When we share the ball, we can be really good. I think that may be one thing this team does better than last year’s team. Hopefully, we will start doing more things just as well (as last year). That worked out for us.”
Starkville won the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A state championship last season. The Yellow Jackets began the season ranked No. 1 again by The Clarion-Ledger. A loss to Meridian served as a wake-up call.
Starkville (3-1) has responded with rollover wins against Noxubee County and West Point.
“(The loss to Meridian) reminded us to do the little things better,” Tyson Carter said. “We missed too many free throws, and you can’t do that. We know are going to get everybody’s best shot. It reminded us what we have to do to be successful against the really elite teams in this state.”
Last season, Starkville didn’t lose in the final 57 days of the season. Coach Greg Carter knows this team is capable of a similar run.
“Basketball is a long season,” Greg Carter said. “It’s the longest of all the seasons. It’s not that you lose a game. Instead, it is what do you learn from the loss. We have really shared the basketball the last two games, and I think that is a huge plus for this team going forward.”
On the way to a 28-point performance, Tyson Carter was 9 of 12 from the field, including 4 of 7 from 3-point range. He has scored 26 points or more three times.
Harris (career-high 21 points) had three 3-pointers.
Starkville used a 15-2 run in the final four minutes of the first quarter to open a 24-9 lead. The Yellow Jackets pushed the halftime advantage to 49-21. It was a stark contrast from a season-opening 77-59 win against West Point that was in doubt until the final minute of the third quarter.
Reserves played a large part of the second half, with senior Jemarkis Jordan pouring in 15 points. Senior starter Darrius Wilson added 10 points.
“(Losing to Meridian) really helped us with our mental toughness,” Harris said. “We didn’t face a lot of adversity in the second half of last season, so it was a little reminder of who we are and what we can become. I think it really toughened us up a lot.”
Shaunderrius Westbook led West Point (0-4) with 15 points. Austin Crowley had 10.
n In the opener, the Starkville girls improved to 4-0 with an 81-66 victory.
“We are getting a better effort on defense,” Starkville coach Kristie Williams said. “I think our on-ball defense has gotten better. We still have some problems understanding where we need to be rebounding. This was not our best effort overall, but we continue to fight for four quarters.
“The biggest challenge for this team is when you have a night like this when something is lacking, how do you to make up for that. You have to be better in some areas when you are lacking in others.”
Starkville built a 44-34 halftime lead and expanded it with a 10-2 run to start the second half. West Point closed within 10 points early in the fourth quarter but got no closer.
Tanita Thompson led Starkville with 23 points. Eryka Williams (17), Kelsey Jones (14), and Shannon Tate (13) also scored in double figures.
Amari Heard led West Point (1-3) with 33 points. Jamia Hollis added 18.
n In other action, Sarah Dill had 24 points to lead the Oak Hill Academy girls basketball team (9-3) to a 57-47 victory against Winston Academy.
The Oak Hill Academy boys (4-3) beat Winston Academy 57-36.
Allison Latham had nine points and Taylor Hickman added seven in the Pickens Academy girls basketball team’s 52-27 loss to Tuscaloosa Academy. The Lady Pirates are 1-1.
Mason Elmore had 12 points and Will Jones had six points and seven rebounds in the Pickens Academy boys basketball team’s 54-33 loss to Tuscaloosa Academy.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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