Russ Whiteside doesn’t consider the Heritage Academy boys’ basketball team’s 68-37 loss to Briarcrest Christian School (Tenn.) a turning point in his season.
The setback, which happened Jan. 26 in the 28th-annual Hotbed Classic in New Albany, came on the heels of a big Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) Class AAA, District 2 win at home and served notice that there are a lot of very good teams out there.
The Patriots have responded from the loss by showing the rest of the state of Mississippi they are pretty good, too.
Heritage Academy, which is coming off winning its second-straight MAIS AAA State title last weekend, will take a 10-game winning streak into its game against Jackson Prep at 7 p.m. Tuesday in its opening game of the MAIS Overall State tournament at Mississippi College in Clinton.
Instead of serving as motivation, Whiteside said the return to health of all of his players has been a bigger reason behind his team’s push to a three-title campaign. Still, he acknowledged the game against Briarcrest Christian served as a little bit of a wakeup call.
“(The game showed) if you want to be at the top in your league you have to continue to work,” Whiteside said, “but I think the biggest part is just getting everybody back and trying to get everybody on the same page.”
Heritage Academy missed Steele Altmyer and Moak Griffin for part of the season due to injuries. Sickness also played a role in others not being able to play in every game. Whiteside hopes all of the injuries and illnesses are behind his team because he has enjoyed watching the pieces come together in the last few weeks.
Heritage Academy beat Hillcrest Christian 57-37 on Saturday at Leake Academy to win its second-straight AAA championship. It defeated Bowling Green 50-27 and Canton Academy 57-22 en route to the championship.
The AAA championship comes on the heels of a North AAA title run that featured victories against Lee Academy (81-33), Canton Academy (58-39), and Leake Academy (70-50) at home.
Heritage Academy also won the Class AAA, District 2 tournament at Leake Academy in Madden.
A win against Jackson Prep would push Heritage Academy into a matchup against Clinton Christian and Desoto School at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Whiteside said the Patriots haven’t settled into a set rotation. Instead, he said the team is relying on different players to contribute depending on the matchup. With post players like Eli Acker, Cameron Bell, and Jared Long, the Patriots can put imposing size on the floor. Whiteside also has the option of going with a smaller lineup that features guards Reid Huskison, Carter Putt, Griffin, and Altmyer. Adam Koussih, Mack Howard, , Gunnar Gale, Jack Kizer, and Davis Fitch add even more depth, which means the Patriots can try to push tempo for as long as they want with the luxury of not getting tired.
“The way we’re playing right now, we have got some guys coming off the bench maybe one game who are playing really good and the next game they don’t get that much time,” Whiteside said. “We’re fortunate to have a group of guys where we can adjust the lineup.”
Whiteside said the team chemistry has allowed the changing rotations to work so well. While he admits he has some pretty good basketball players, he said things have worked so well because the players have accepted the success of the team is greater than individual accomplishments. That’s why he hopes the Patriots can take a few more steps this season after losing to Madison-Ridgeland Academy in the semifinals of the Overall State tournament in 2018.
“I am really pleased with where we are. Hopefully we can keep it going,” Whiteside said. “I think last year the AAA State championship was really our goal and when we got that and went on to the Overall State tournament and performed really well, that was kind of an added extra. I think this year the Overall State tournament is kind of what these guys made their goal the whole year.”
Games available online
Games played Tuesday and Wednesday will be available via pay per view (see instructions at maisnetwork.org). These games will be broadcast using a single elevated camera placed at center court. On Friday and Saturday, the MAIS Network will be streaming each game with our full production crew with multiple camera angles and instant replay. The girls session will begin at 1 p.m. Friday. The boys session will begin at 6 p.m. Friday.
The girls championship game will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by the boys title game at 3 p.m. There will be no charge to view these games.
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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