STARKVILLE — Starkville High School girls’ basketball coach Kristie Williams rarely felt better after a loss.
When No. 2 Starkville dropped a 76-68 decision to No. 1 Olive Branch in December, Williams liked the fact that her team erased a 17-point deficit.
She knew if the teams met again, her team would be ready for a four-quarter fight.
Turns out, Starkville was more then ready when the rematch took place.
With a return trip to Jackson hanging in the balance, Starkville rolled over Olive Branch 76-54 in a second-round Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A playoff matchup Friday night at the Bee Hive.
Starkville (25-2) will face Jim Hill in a Class 5A quarterfinal matchp at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jackson State University. Olive Branch (27-3) ends the season with a loss to Starkville and two losses to region rival Horn Lake.
“You play games like the one when in December as a measuring stick,” Williams said. “You learn so much about your team. I think we learned a lot about ourselves in the first game. We showed what we can do when we compete at a high level for four quarters. Our job was to compete at a high level for four quarters.”
Starkville did just that. Thanks to a 19-0 run in the first quarter, Starkville built a 24-4 lead after one quarter and led comfortably 42-15 at halftime.
Erica Williams led Starkville with 21 points. Kelsey Jones had a field day against a guard-dominated Olive Branch lineup with 13 points and 22 rebounds.
“Making Jacksonn a year ago was a big accomplishment for the program,” Williams said. “You learn from that experience and you try to keep pushing onward.”
Starkville will head to Jackson with a 12-game win streak. The Lady Jackets are confident.
“The confidence level on this team is high,” Williams said, “We know what we are capbale of doing.”
We have worked really hard to have this success. No one is going to take a step backward now.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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