STARKVILLE — Kristie Williams says she is looking for someone who can take over a game when her Starkville High School girls basketball team desperately needs it.
Jariyah Covington showed signs Saturday night she can be that player.
All 12 of Covington’s points came in crucial situations and proved to be the difference in Starkville’s 45-40 victory against Columbus in a Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) non-district game.
Covington first made her presence known early in the second quarter. After the Yellow Jackets (7-1) struggled to a three-point deficit to end the first quarter, a Covington 3-pointer — her first points — erased that deficit. Columbus responded with two free throws, but a Donsha Lee offensive rebound, putback through the foul and ensuing free throw gave Starkville a lead.
Columbus and Starkville alternated the lead throughout the remainder of the second quarter before Covington’s biggest shot — her 3-pointer to end the third quarter — put the Jackets up by eight.
“Coach said we need to get the ball to a shooter,” Covington said. “I knew I could be a person that had to take the shot. I just had to take my time with my shot when I got it.
“Once I hit it, I get more comfortable in myself and I know I’m going to hit more shots.”
Her 3-pointer was the end of an offensive revival in the third quarter. Starkville struggled against an aggressive Columbus zone early. The zone wasn’t shy about stretching at the top to get into passing lanes. Williams said she didn’t make any tactical adjustments to break it.
“Nothing changed. We just finally made shots. The shots were there, we just finally made the ones we’ve been making all along,” Williams said. “I guess after a good chewing out at halftime, they came back and decided they better step up and play.”
Columbus’ Hannah White helped her team make another run with a 3-pointer that cut the deficit to six, but Covington came up again in the final minutes. She had another 3-pointer and a transition layup to extend the lead to eight and 10 points, respectively.
Jalisa Outlaw added 11 points and Tabreea Gandy had 10. Still, Williams plans to use the win as an example of what Starkville can’t do going forward.
“That was not our best effort. Let’s be real, that was not the best display of Yellow Jacket basketball,” Williams said. “We came out a lackadaisical effort on both ends of the floor and it showed. It became a grind-it-out type of game. We have to be better going down the line because the schedule just gets tougher.
“There’s no excuse. There’s no excuse for not being mentally prepared to play. It’s one of those where you have to find the will in you heart to be ready to play every time you step on the floor because nothing is guaranteed. To get back to Jackson, we have to take care of every little detail, every opponent on the schedule.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Brett Hudson on Twitter @Brett_Hudson
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