By DAVID MILLER
Special to The Dispatch
It’s hard for outsiders to notice the little things in a winning basketball team, especially the negatives.
Often times, the dunks and 3-pointers – and wins – can overshadow what drives a coach crazy. Until those negatives turn wins into losses.
The Starkville High boys’ basketball team took a one-point lead over Murrah in the penultimate game of Day 1 of the Joe Horn Classic Friday night, only to surrender an open 3-pointer on the other end and miss two free throws that would have tied the game with roughly 20 seconds left.
The Yellow Jackets would fall 64-60 in a nip-tuck game that saw them commit more than 15 turnovers that led to countless fast-break buckets for Murrah. Starkville (9-2) went just 10 of 22 at the stripe.
“We know we didn’t play really well,” said Greg Carter, Starkville coach. “We did everything we could to lose. We missed free throws, gave up easy transition buckets, off rebounds … we did everything possible we could to lose this game.”
Murrah went on an 8-0 run to open the largest lead of the game in the second quarter. Starkville tied the game at 37 early in the third quarter, but a pair of turnovers each by forward Darrious Agnew and guard Jordan Temple helped Murrah build a 44-37 lead.
“Last year’s team was more guard-dominated,” Carter said. “We had some size, but they didn’t score as much. We had experienced guards that controlled the game, could pass and defend. Our post players dominate the game for us and control it for us on both ends. We depend on their scoring. Our guards are more inexperienced, and they’ll make some mistakes due to that inexperience.”
Starkville, once it took care of the ball and locked down on the defensive end, tied the game in the third and trailed by two heading into the fourth. Neither team led by more than four in the fourth, including Starkville, which led 52-48 after a 3-pointer from Blake Rogers. But the Jackets had another rugged string of possessions to set them back, including back-to-back turnovers from Temple and a pair of missed free throws by Jesse Little – who led Starkville with 21 points.
“It’s difficult and frustrating for a coach (to break in new guards),” Carter said. “You have to have patience with them because they’re going to make mistakes. But they’re making mistakes on things you work on in practice, so you’ve seen them do it. They have to be able to see it for themselves in a game to understand.”
Little was the focal point of the offense Friday against Murrah’s zone defense and found shots from every corner of the paint. Little is being recruited by American University, Austin Peay and Middle Tennessee, Carter said.
“Jesse has improved year by year since ninth grade,” Carter said. “His game has continued to develop. His body is still developing – we’d like him to be a lot bigger and stronger than he is. But his upside is tremendous. He’ll get better and better once he gets to college.”
Carter said the Jackets have to be more consistent and tougher mentally as they dive into district play. He said he’s tinkered with lineups and simulated things in practice to develop more toughness, but that it’s “hard to change.”
“We go through periods of time where we struggle to score, and I don’t know why,” Carter said. “Then we go through periods where we struggle defensively. There’ll be times when we look like one of the best teams in the state. I think it’s a combo of inexperience and I don’t think we’re very tough mentally.”
Rogers had a trio of 3-pointers and 17 points for Starkville.
Murrah was led by Damien Dear, who finished with 25.
South Atlanta 66, Columbus 40: Basketball without Robert Woodard is difficult.
Woodard, the reigning Mississippi Player of the Year, is the lone returning starter from the Columbus High squad that won the Class 6A state championship last season. Those facts alone don’t fully underscore his importance to the Falcons’ lineup. Woodard does it all; he rebounds, scores and handles the ball. But most vital to Columbus is Woodard’s direction of his teammates on both ends.
The Falcons were lost Friday without Woodard, who did not dress after spraining an ankle in practice earlier this week, in the nightcap of the opening day of the Joe Horne Classic, committing more than 20 turnovers in a loss to South Atlanta (Ga.).
“Regardless of the personnel you have, you have to remain organized and play as a team,” said Gary Griffin, Columbus coach. “Woodard is a big part of our team; he directs and he leads. He’s the only person back who contributed last year. With him out, you’re out there with a bunch of new guys who are inexperienced in terms of 6A basketball.
“What we tried to do tonight is keep them confident in their ability.”
Woodard’s timeframe to return to the Columbus lineup is unknown.
“If I knew the answer to that one, I’d probably be a millionaire,” Griffin said. “All we can do is continue to give him treatment and hope for the best.”
South Atlanta (9-1) jumped out to an 11-0 lead, taking advantage of four Columbus turnovers in that span. The Falcons (4-6) committed eight turnovers in the first quarter and trailed 22-4 at the end of the period. Griffin said he couldn’t tell if his players were nervous before the game, but that it showed once they took the floor.
“With high school players or students in general, they’re very hard to read,” Griffin said. “It’s hard to gauge where they are before they step on the court. You don’t get a sense of that until the game starts. We just preached to them to play hard and smart.”
Though the turnovers would continue throughout the game, The Falcons cut the lead to 13 in the second quarter following a 3-pointer from Greg King and later got it to 14 after a layup by Chris Blair. But Blair’s play illuminated a theme throughout the night: missed free throws. Blair was fouled on the play but missed the free throw and had a similar instance to end the first half. While the Falcons did well to get to the line – Denijay Harris went 7 of 11 at the line – the inefficiency at the line made the uphill battle even steeper, Griffin said.
“We missed 16 or 17 free throws, and you can’t beat anyone missing that many,” Griffin said. “We got too far on the other end in terms of fighting back. We tried to play hard, but it was a difficult task for a team that hadn’t been in that situation before.”
Blair and Dante Harris led Columbus with 10 each.
Devonta Pullins led South Atlanta with 19, while Frank Bailey, Jr. had 14.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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