By Brandon Shields
Special to The Dispatch
JACKSON — At this time of the year an ugly win is something worth taken.
And Starkville coach Kristie Williams will take it.
With a strong defensive performance and the shooting of Jariyah Covington the Lady Jackets got past Harrison Central 35-27 in the quarterfinals of the MHSAA Girls Class 6A state tournament at the Mississippi Coliseum on Saturday night.
Starkville (30-0) will face Biloxi (24-9) in the semifinals on Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
“It was a very defensive game and we knew coming in Harrison Central was going to take away what we do best which is get it to Kelsey and it worked,” said Starkville coach Kristie Williams. “A win is a win and we will take it.”
Starkville trailed 8-6 at the end of the first quarter, but with a little over four minutes to go in the second quarter Starkville’s Jariyah Covington hit a three-pointer that gave the Lady Jackets the lead for good at 13-10.
Starkville never trailed from that point on.
“Just one of those nights where the shots we normally make didn’t fall,” Williams said. “It was a game of stops and key rebounds and thankfully we were able to get them.”
Covington, Starkville’s point guard, had a game-high 18 points to lead Starkville. Jalisa Outlaw added six points and Kelsey Jones chipped in five points and seven rebounds for the Lady Jackets.
“At first we started out real nervous and at this time of the year it happens to everybody,” Covington said. “We knew what was at stake so we had to come together as a team and push each other for us to find a way to win and we did.”
Now it is on to the semifinal round for the third year and that has been the hill that the Lady Jackets haven’t been able to get over.
Last year they fell to Murrah and the year before to Horn Lake. Both of those teams went on to win the state championship.
“We now have to get over this hump,” Covington said. “This is our third year to make this far, so it’ll be tough but we have the faith we can do it.”
Arie Norwood had 15 points to lead Harrison Central (22-4).
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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