Starkville High School girls basketball coach Kristie Williams believes in the “one-game-at-a-time” mantra.
However, Williams quickly admits the second of her team’s two games in the Travis Outlaw Slam Dunk at the Hump holiday hoops tournament should be a dandy.
No. 2 Starkville (11-0) will face No. 1 Olive Branch (14-0) in a potential Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A state tournament matchup. That game will be at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
The 12-game, two-day event opens with six games today at Mississippi State’s Humphrey Coliseum. The Starkville girls face Raleigh Egypt (1-4) of Memphis, Tennessee at 5:30 p.m. today, while the Starkville boys (11-1) will face Bolton (6-3) of Arlington, Tennessee at 7 p.m.
“The Olive Branch contest will be outstanding,” Williams said. “It is the type of game you want to play in as players and coach in as coaches. The teams are Nos. 1 and 2 in the rankings. When you play the No. 1 team in the state, it is always a measuring stick. It gives you a gauge of where you are.
“We want to come away with the Gold Ball (awarded to the state champion in March). To win that, you will have to beat somebody like Olive Branch, so it’s a chance to see if we have the type of team that can do that.”
The fifth installment of the tournament features fewer local teams than in the past. Only the Columbus boys will join the two Starkville squads in the competition. The tournament also has been pushed back from its usual standing on the calendar due to Christmas day falling on a Friday.
“Everyone looks forward to this event,” Starkville boys coach Greg Carter said. “Losing one day (two days instead of three due in part to the MSU women playing Monday and the MSU men playing Thursday) did have an effect. However, we have a quality group of teams coming and we look to put on another great event.”
A year ago, the Starkville girls advanced to the Mississippi Coliseum for the first time since 1992. The ability to play in a large open-end senior college arena in December helped the team prepare for the state tournament.
“I’d like to think it helped us to adapt,” Williams said. “It is just a great environment for the kids. It’s something different and you always like to try something different. This is an exciting time for us because we are not only hosting a great tournament, but we are bringing teams into the Hump.”
The Starkville boys enter the tournament at 11-1. Leading scorer Tyson Carter will get a chance to play in his future home. Prior to the season, he signed a National letter of Intent with MSU.
Last season, the Starkville boys won the Class 6A state championship. The Starkville girls fell to Horn Lake in the semifinals of the Class 6A state tournament. This season, both squads have Jackson firmly in their sights.
“This team has shown a lot of growth and maturity this year,” Williams said. “Last year was a hard pillow to swallow. But we got to Jackson playing two freshmen guards. We feel like we have the caliber team that can make another run at it.
“The players are excited about playing Olive Branch. I have already talked to coach Blake Jones. Their players are excited, too. This is what it is all about. It will be a fun game.”
n Starkville Academy sweeps Eupora: At Maben, the Starkville Academy girls and boys basketball teams defeated Eupora on the opening day of the East Webster Tournament.
Sydney Passons had 20 points and seven steals to lead the Starkville Academy girls to a 79-40 victory.
Kacey Faver had 10 points, nine rebounds, and two steals, Sarah pellum had 10 points, five rebounds, and two steals, Hays Miller had eight points, and Milla Davis, Bonner Hughes, and Adrienne Futral had six points.
In the boys game, Codie Futral had 23 points, three rebounds, three assists, and eight steals in Starkville Academy’s 72-38 victory.
Ade Amusa had 13 points and seven rebounds, Luke Templeton had 10 points, three assists, and two steals, and Carter Roach had seven points.
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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