On many previous occasions, we have used this space to compliment some of Tallahatchie County’s student-athletes for their efforts and excellence, and the 2019-20 West Tallahatchie High School boys basketball team is certainly deserving of the same recognition.
After finishing the 2019-20 regular season with a record of 14-9, the Choctaws won three playoff games, advancing to the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A boys semifinals.
They narrowly lost that hard-fought contest, 61-55, to Baldwyn at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, but no one could doubt that they belonged in the state tournament.
Third-year head coach Corey Grayson deserves a lot of credit for helping them get there.
After four straight seasons of postseason action under then head coach Bernard Berryhill, including a 2015-16 campaign that saw the Choctaws compile a perfect 34-0 record and win a Class 2A state championship, with bookend semifinals appearances before and after that flawless run, Berryhill moved on and Tutwiler native Grayson came in to shepherd the program.
During the 2017-18 campaign, the Choctaws finished 9-13 and missed the playoffs. Last season, they finished 7-19, including a first-round playoff loss. This year’s semifinals appearance saw the team continuing an upward trajectory that leaves them hungry for more.
Congratulations to the Choctaw players, coaches, managers and others who played a role in what was a very successful basketball season.
