The West Tallahatchie High School Choctaws travel to Clinton High School in Clinton Thursday to face the McAdams Bulldogs in a state Class 1A boys quarterfinals basketball matchup.
With a full slate of four games planned for the afternoon, West Tally plays in the 9 p.m. nightcap, sporting a record of 10-10. McAdams is 21-2. Tickets for the game may be purchased here.
A year ago, these same teams squared off in the 2022 1A quarterfinals, with West Tally falling by a razor-thin two-point decision, 63-61. Two days later, Byers eliminated McAdams in the semis.
The Choctaws finished as runners-up to McEvans in the recent Region 5-1A tournament, but the green and white machine has taken care of business in first- and second-round state playoff games.
In the first round on Feb. 14, West Tally whipped the Region 7 No. 3 seed Taylorsville Tartars 75-57 in Webb.
On Feb. 18, the Choctaws traveled to face Region 8 No. 1, the then 17-9 Richton Rebels, spanking them 69-30.
Either West Tally or McAdams will advance to a Feb. 27 semifinals game at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson to face the winner of Wednesday’s 25-5 West Union Eagles and 15-10 Wheeler Eagles showdown.
Two of those teams will play in Monday’s 1A boys semifinals game, which tips off at 1:30 p.m.
On the other side of the bracket, the winners of Biggersville vs. Byers, and Bay Springs vs. McEvans, will face off in a 1A boys semifinal Monday at noon.
The 1A boys final, the state championship game, will be played Thursday, March 2, beginning at 3 p.m., at the Mississippi Coliseum.
See the 1A boys basketball bracket here.
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The Choctaws are the only Tallahatchie County team still standing in the playoffs and one of only eight Class 1A boys' units yet in play.
In a Class 1A girls first-round game on Feb. 13, the Region 7 No. 1 Bay Springs Lady Bulldogs (now 20-6) walloped the Region 5 No. 4 West Tally Lady Choctaws 61-19 to eliminate them. The Lady Chocs ended the campaign with a mark of 10-11.
On that same date, the 2A girls Region 2 champion Charleston Lady Tigers lost a 46-43 decision to the Region 4 No. 4 Bruce Lady Trojans at the Tigers Den at CHS.
The next evening, in the first round of the 2A boys playoffs, the Region 2 runners-up, Charleston Tigers, were eliminated by the Region 4 No. 3 Choctaw County Chargers in a 69-67 nail-biter. The CHS boys finished 12-9 on the season.
