MADISON — The Starkville High boys basketball team clinched the top seed in next week’s Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 6A, Region 3 tournament with an 81-65 victory against Madison Central on Friday night.
Starkville made it five wins in the last six tries against Madison Central in a rematch of last season’s Class 6A state championship game. The contest was an easier victory than last month’s 57-56 Starkville win at home.
Starkville (5-1 region) received 21 points from Keith Harris, 17 points from Jesse Little and 10 points from Tyson Carter.
The Starkville girls finished an undefeated run through region play with a 67-34 victory. For the Lady Jackets (6-0 region), Kelsey Jones had 18 points, followed by Tabreea Gandy with 13 points, Jessica Outlaw with 12 points and Tanita Thompson with 10 points.
The region tournament starts Feb. 16 at Northwest Rankin.
n On Saturday, Starkville swept Southaven.
In the girls game, Thompson had 15 points in the girls team’s 56-49 victory. Gandy (12) and Jones (10) also scored in double figures for the Lady Yellow Jackets (20-2).
In the boys game, Carter had 17 points in a 92-41 victory. Darrius Wilson (14), Harris (13), and Markedric Bell (10) also scored in double figures for the Yellow Jackets (21-4).
n West Point splits: At Saltillo, in Class 5A, Region 2 play Friday night, West Point split a pair of games with Saltillo.
The West Point girls (17-7, 3-2) won 55-22, while the West Point boys (12-12, 4-1) lost 61-45.
West Point will play host to New Hope on Monday. With a win, the West Point girls will earn the No. 2 seed in the region tournament, which starts Feb. 16 in Oxford. The West Point boys will be the top seed in the four-team event.
n Columbus girls, boys win: At Batesville, the Lady Falcons secured the top spot in the Class 6A, Region 2 tournament with a 67-57 victory against South Panola.
Zaria Jenkins led Columbus (14-6, 5-1) with 24 points. Kayla Rogers added 18.
In the boys game, Robert Woodard II had 22 points to lead Columbus to a 61-47 victory against South Panola. Chris Deloach added 20 points for the Falcons (18-5).
n West Lowndes wins twice on the road: At Walnut Grove, the West Lowndes basketball teams grabbed a pair of road wins against Leake County.
The West Lowndes boys moved to 18-6 with a 58-54 win. Marcus Farmer led the Panthers with 24 points, while Casey Smith added 17 points and Tyshon Spencer had 14 points. The West Lowndes girls moved to 13-11 with a 55-53 victory.
n In Class 4A, Region 4 play, Noxubee County fell twice at Kosciusko, with the girls losing 55-54 and the boys losing 76-63. Caledonia dropped two games at Leake Central, with the girls falling 50-12 and the boys falling 57-36.
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