STARKVILLE — The Columbus High School bench erupted when sophomore JJ Williams capped a long possession with a 3-pointer to send the Falcons into halftime tied 20-20 on the road at rival Starkville on Friday.
Little did the Falcons know that the shot would pave the way for Starkville to have an eruption of its own.
Williams’ shot ended a back-and-forth first half that “just gave us a sign telling us to wake up because they’re not playing around,” Starkville junior Coltie Young said. “Telling us to play even harder.”
A couple minutes into the second half, Starkville did just that.
With the score tied at 25-all, senior Eric Green hit a 3. Then another 3. Then another. Starkville big man Jacob Reese put back a miss for an easy layup, the Yellow Jackets got a stop and another layup, and senior Forte Prater stole the ball and laid it in.
It was a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it 15-0 run for the Jackets, giving Starkville all the momentum it needed. The Jackets took a 20-point lead into the fourth quarter and coasted to a 62-45 home win over the Falcons.
Columbus coach Phillip Morris provided an apt summation of Starkville’s high-powered offense, the unit that puts the Jackets among the state’s best teams.
“They just hit a bunch of 3s, and they kind of hit them quick, out of nowhere,” Morris said.
Starkville made nine 3-pointers in all, including five by Young, who finished with 21 points. Five of the long-distance connections were in the Jackets’ 27-point third quarter.
Young knows what allows Starkville to open up its offense: The team’s unselfish passing, which often discombobulates opposing teams. The Jackets employ excellent ball movement “in order to get the defense moving, get open cuts, shots and everything,” he said.
Columbus proved a victim of the pass-happy Starkville offense Friday, as Morris lamented the various looks the Jackets threw at his team.
“You don’t know what to take,” Morris said. “They set a lot of ball screens. You don’t know if you want to help on the roll or you want to stay tight on them. You’ve gotta give up something. You’ve gotta live with something.”
The Jackets got way more than just something against Columbus in the third, and it was perhaps due to Starkville coach Greg Carter’s halftime remarks to his team.
With the two teams knotted at 20-all, Carter told the Jackets to pick up their intensity on defense and get the ball moving on offense. Easier said than done, but Starkville did just that.
“He just gave us some momentum, and we just went on from there,” Young said.
Columbus, meanwhile, faded as the second half began. Morris said his team “laid an egg” after a promising start.
“I told the guys we’ve gotta play two halves of basketball,” he said. “I think the spotlight might have gotten too big for them. They weren’t as aggressive as they were supposed to be. They weren’t locked in like they were supposed to be.”
To complicate matters, junior Eric Caldwell, one of the Falcons’ reliable scorers, couldn’t get it going. Caldwell had just two points. Senior Gabe Williams stepped up with 24 points for Columbus, but he was hampered by a hip injury in the second quarter, and he couldn’t do it alone.
Starkville, on the other hand, happily spread the wealth. Apart from Young’s 21 points, Green had 12, senior Trey Jackson had nine, and Prater and Reese each scored eight.
For Morris, the Jackets’ balanced offensive attack wasn’t unexpected, but the Falcons still couldn’t stop it.
“They made shots tonight,” Morris said. “That’s what they usually do. We knew what they were gonna be doing coming in. Starkville’s a good team, one of the best teams in the state; we’ve just gotta deal with it and move on.”
The loss meant a sweep for Starkville of the two-game season series against the Falcons. Although Columbus moved down to Class 5A this season, the rivalry feel was still present Friday, and both teams know how much a victory means.
“It’s a blessing,” Young said.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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