CLINTON — After two consecutive razor-thin losses to them in the state basketball quarterfinals, some fans of the West Tallahatchie Choctaws boys team might now consider the McAdams Bulldogs their nemesis or albatross.
In back-to-back seasons, McAdams has blocked West Tallahatchie's state championship aspirations just three wins shy of ultimate glory. Both games have been fiercely contested battles to the end, with a combined total of 5 points separating the winner from the loser.
On Feb.26, 2022, the Bulldogs nipped the Choctaws, 63-61, in a third-round showdown.
Fast-forward to Thursday night, Feb. 23, 2023, in a game played at Clinton High School, where McAdams squeaked past West Tally again, this time 51-48.
The Choctaws, who were Region 5-1A runners-up, finished the season with a mark of 10-11.
McAdams, now 22-2 overall, advances to face the 19-4 West Union Eagles in a semifinals game at the "big house," the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. West Union had edged Wheeler 63-59 in a game played Wednesday night.
McAdams and West Union will tip off at 1:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27.
On the other side of the bracket, the Byers Lions will face the McEvans Hawks in a game that starts at noon on Monday. Byers earned a ticket to the semis with a 70-67 win over Biggersville, while McEvans handled Bay Springs 69-58 to capture the berth.
The winners of those two games will square off in the finals — the state championship game — on Thursday, March 2, at 3 p.m.
The updated Class 1A playoffs bracket may be viewed here.
