Several teams in our coverage area could contend for a state championship as we enter the final four weeks of the prep basketball regular season.
We should have a large group of participants headed to Jackson from the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s six classifications.
In the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools, the Heritage Academy and Starkville Academy boys are ranked among the best in the state. We also know the Starkville Academy girls, both teams at Oak Hill Academy, and the boys team at Columbus Christian Academy have a chance to advance, too.
As we hit the stretch run, let’s look at some of the remaining key games:
n Tupelo boys at West Point (Friday): While this matchup pairs teams from different classifications, it has a chance to be an excellent game.
Tupelo (18-1) has won seven-straight games and has emerged as a contender for the Class 6A title. After four wins by three points or less early, Tupelo is blowing out people, including impressive routs of South Panola and Horn Lake recently.
West Point has won eight-straight games to move to .500. The Green Wave turned some heads last week with come-from-behind victories against Saltillo and Oxford to begin Class 5A, Region 2 play. This game might be a tad bit out of West Point’s grasp, but it will be a good barometer for what lies ahead.
While we are at it, Columbus will play both teams: West Point (Jan. 19 at home and Feb. 9 at West Point) and Tupelo (Jan. 26 at Tupelo and Feb. 2 at home).
n New Hope boys at Neshoba Central (Tuesday): The teams remain No. 1 (Neshoba Central) and No. 2 (New Hope) in The Clarion-Ledger’s latest Class 5A rankings.
Neshoba Central won the last meeting, 78-64 at New Hope. The Rockets did that without two starters. They also did that without the normal student section attendance at New Hope, since the game was played at New Year’s Day. The victory came in large part to a 51-22 advantage for Neshoba Central in free throws attempted.
This will be another opportunity to see if New Hope can adapt to Neshoba Central’s style of play. Neshoba Central is 17-2 after a 60-45 loss at Ridgeland on Tuesday night. New Hope fell to 11-4 after a 63-59 loss to Saltillo in Class 5A, Region 2 play.
n Starkville Academy boys at Heritage Academy (Tuesday): It will be interesting to see if the second meeting lives up to the excitement of the first one. Starkville Academy scored late to pull out a 47-46 victory at home Tuesday night.
In The Clarion-Ledger’s latest MAIS Class AAA rankings, Heritage Academy checked in at No. 4, while Starkville Academy checked in at No. 5. Both teams struggled a season ago but have ridden experience and good benches to success.
Even in its recent struggles, Starkville Academy has held the upper hand in this rivalry. A third meeting likely will come in the postseason.
n West Point boys at New Hope (Jan. 22): The first of two meetings between the region rivals is set for New Hope. New Hope turned the tide in this series with a series sweep a year ago. New Hope’s seniors will try to keep the streak going.
On paper, this appears to be the most balanced region in Class 5A, so someone from the group that also included Saltillo and Oxford will miss the postseason. Since the regular-season games don’t matter and the region tournament decides postseason, there isn’t a lot of pressure here. However, West Point needs to prove that it belongs.
The teams also will meet Feb. 2 at West Point.
n Madison Central boys at Starkville (Jan. 22): This game will be fun.
Last season, Starkville beat Madison Central in three of four series meetings. The Yellow Jackets dropped the first series meetings with the Jaguars and didn’t lose again on the way to the Class 6A state championship.
Starkville beat Madison Central 43-40 in overtime in the state championship game after a 78-53 blowout win in the region tournament final. A lot of players from both teams return, so they will remember those outcomes.
Starkville (12-2) has lost to No. 1 Meridian and No. 4 Columbus. The Yellow Jackets rely on the shooting and leadership of Tyson Carter, but they must continue to play a high level of defense to be successful. Madison Central (7-4) is looking for more consistency and will up for this game.
The teams also will meet Feb. 5 at Madison Central.
n Southaven girls at Starkville (Feb. 6): In a potential Class 6A playoff preview, these heavyweights will meet in a non-region battle next month.
The Starkville girls are 14-2, while the Southaven girls are 12-3. Both teams are projected to win their respective regions. This game won’t impact the playoff races, but much like an earlier loss to Olive Branch, it should give the Starkville girls a good look at what to expect in the postseason.
Scott Walters is a sports writer for The Dispatch. You can email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @dispatchscott.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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