The Mississippi Coliseum has always brought a wide range of players and coaches together with one common goal – winning a state championship.
The Mississippi High School Activities Association’s state tournament is now underway in Jackson with the boys playing at Jackson State University and girls playing at the Mississippi Coliseum, known to basketball enthusiasts as “the Big House.”
Each year, the tournament program is full of veterans team who almost always make Jackson, as well as some newcomers eager to play on the state’s biggest stage for either the first time ever or first time in a long time.
Our final two local participants represent both extremes. The West Point girls are making the rare appearance in Jackson, while the Starkville girls are there for a third straight season.
In Class 5A, West Point (19-5) takes on No. 1 in 5A West Jones (23-2) at 7 tonight. In Class 6A, No. 2 in 6A Starkville (29-0) takes on No. 4 in 6A Harrison Central (22-3) at 8:30 p.m. Saturday. This weekend’s winners will need two wins next week to win a state championship.
“Getting to Jackson is a major accomplishment for our program,” said West Point coach Dashmond Daniel, who is completing his fifth season. “You have to put that excitement away for a moment and focus on the task at hand. We are going there with the plan of winning games. Still, I am proud of the effort and all of the hard work. The goal was to make it Jackson. That has been the driving force since day one.”
West Point beat New Hope to win a region championship. Winning the region meant a first-round bye in the playoffs and a second-round playoff game at home. West Point had little trouble in that playoff game, routing Canton, 65-33.
“Playing at home is a huge advantage in the playoffs,” Daniel said. “When last season ended, we immediately set the goal of making sure we won enough games to host in the playoffs. It was a long-ride home from Lanier (after a second-round loss in 2016). That was really the motivation. The sophomores and juniors got together on that trip and set the goal right then of making sure we played at home and had a chance to go to Jackson.”
Daniel has slowly built a winner at West Point. After winning five games in his first season, the Green Wave won 21 games last season. The ability to beat some of the traditional rivals and to make strides in the region made this team even hungrier.
“We just play really well together,” West Point senior Tia McCrary said. “To win championships you have to have confidence in each of your teammates. I always have confidence in the rest of my team. On any given night, a different player can lead us on offense. We always play really hard on defense. That is what Coach Daniel is preaching all of the time. He wants us to be a great defensive team.”
Daniel knows the risks of taking a new team to the coliseum. He thinks his squad cane shake off the potential “stage fright” quickly.
“This team is rarely uptight,” Daniel said. “When the ball is thrown up, we are usually ready to play. We have been a fast-starting team this season. I think that will help us get the nerves out right away.”
Getting to Jackson has not been the problem for Kristie Williams and her Starkville squad. Each of the last two seasons have ended with a loss in the semifinal round in Jackson.
“Having played there (at the coliseum) will really be a huge advantage for us,” said Williams, who is in her 13th season. “Sometimes, you are concerned about how your team will react. However, we have been to Jackson before and we have played in some big arenas this year (Humphrey Coliseum for example), so I am hopeful that we will come out ready to play. The team that can start making it their kind of game the quickest usually has success.”
This will be the last go-around for senior all-star center Kelsey Jones. The memory of a two-point loss to Murrah in last season’s semifinal round still haunts the Lady Jackets.
“You just want to give it your all, because you don’t want to feel that way again,” Jones said. “You want to go out knowing that you have given your very best. If we play to the best of our ability, we have a chance to win.”
In 2015, Williams carried the Lady Jackets back to the coliseum for the first time since she was a member on the 1992 state championship team. It was a hard step to take. Now, winning the championship has proven even harder.
“We have been so close,” Williams said. “It is a motivation but you can’t let it consume you. You can’t lose sight of all of the little moments that it takes to get here. You have to embrace this challenge. You are one of the final eight playing for a championship. That has to excite you. At the same time, we certainly want more.”
Scott Walters is a sports reporter for the Commercial Dispatch. He may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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