JACKSON — For the first time in program history, the West Tallahatchie High School boys’ basketball team will play in the Class 2A state championship game, which tips off Friday afternoon at 2:30 at the Mississippi Coliseum here.
The Choctaws (33-0) will face a familiar foe in the Coahoma Agricultural High School Tigers (20-9).
The teams have met three times this season, with the Webb squad winning 63-58 in overtime on Nov. 20, romping 84-51 on Jan. 22 and taking a 50-43 victory in their most recent showdown on Feb. 9.
“It’s difficult to beat a team multiple times, because they’re going to make adjustments,” said West Tally boys’ head coach Bernard Berryhill.
West Tally and Coahoma Aggie finished first and second, respectively, in Region 2-2A this year and have a storied rivalry. Berryhill said his team is “ready to go.”
“We’ve got one more game to play,” he noted. “In order to win a state championship, you have to put yourself in the state championship game. We’ve done that. Now we have to finish.”
If they win Friday, the Choctaws would not only claim West Tallahatchie’s first state championship in basketball, but they would become the first Mississippi boys’ team since 36-0 New Albany in 1985 to run the table in the process.
“We’ve played every game one at a time, and the guys continuously find ways to win, to stay together, to stay focused on the goal that we set out at the beginning of the year — and that is to win a state title,” Berryhill noted. “I’m very happy, I’m very grateful, that the young men have matured on and off the court and given us this opportunity. It’s a blessing to be a part of it.”
Aggie, of Clarksdale, advanced to the big game with a 77-67 win over Calhoun City (25-4) Tuesday night.
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The Choctaws earned the championship berth by drubbing the Baldwyn Bearcats 63-44 during a Tuesday afternoon semifinal match at the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s C Spire State Basketball Tournament. Baldwyn ended the season 27-5.
Senior Malik Bailey posted 21 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal for the Choctaws.
Senior Marquis Orange Jr. also scored 21 points, snatched seven rebounds, had one assist and made two steals in the big win.
Junior Dan Locke IV scored 10 points and had six rebounds for West Tally, while senior D’Andre Houston scored 2 points and led the team with 10 rebounds.
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In a Friday quarterfinal contest, West Tally beat Prentiss 63-52.
Orange had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Bailey added 15 points and Locke scored 14 for the Choctaws.
Prentiss ended the year 19-12.
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THE WEST TALLY GIRLS, one year removed from a slim loss in the 2A state championship game, were upended in the quarterfinals Friday at Jackson State University.
The Lady Choctaws (28-5) were beaten 60-35 by Newton (25-8).
“They were very quick. That kind of caught us off guard,” West Tally girls’ head coach Roderick Hawkins said of Newton. “I’d never seen them play in person. I watched a little film on them, but I couldn’t tell they were actually that quick. They ran a lot of bodies trying to wear us down. They had a good strategy and a good game plan for us.”
Despite the disappointing end to the season, Hawkins pointed to some positive attributes that were never more on display than during Friday’s season-ending loss.
“We’ve made tremendous growth, as far as maturity and character on and off the court. I was very pleased with that,” Hawkins said. “When your back is against the wall, the true you will come out and show. And so when our backs were against the wall, we showed great character still.”
Junior Nakayla Hawkins scored 11 points, senior Nikkeria Harris had 10 and senior Vaquela Pimpton added nine for West Tally. Nikkeria Harris led the Lady Choctaws with seven rebounds while sophomore Jada Harris paced the team with four each of assists and steals.
The Lady Choctaws will be losing four players to graduation this year, but Hawkins said the younger players coming up are eager to step in and try to continue the recent successes of the program.
“From the leadership that our seniors displayed this year, they strived to work hard,” he noted. “The young kids watched it, they understand what it takes to get to that level, so they’re ready and excited about getting back to work. They learned from the seniors that they’ve got to push themselves and push each other.”
Hawkins said the West Tally fans have been nothing but supportive.
“Even after the season had ended, the buzz was still in the air,” he explained. “The fans were still showing their support, love and appreciation for what the kids had done during the previous year. Win, lose or draw, the fans have still been there for us.”
Hawkins said he is happy to see the Choctaw boys competing for a state title.
“I’m really excited for the coach, the team, and more so the community,” he noted. “Our community really needs this. We’ve been distanced for so long, and this has really brought us together.”
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Berryhill, who also is athletic director for the West Tallahatchie School District, said having both varsity teams in the state basketball tournament during back-to-back years, and one competing for a state title in each of those seasons for the first time in school history, lends itself to a worthy goal.
“We want longevity and consistency, to be around for a while — not just a couple of years, but multiple years,” Berryhill said. “We want to work every day on giving the young elementary West Tally kids something they will want to be a part of and look forward to, so they will one day say, ‘I want to play West Tally basketball.’”
IN THE PHOTO: West Tally’s Marquis Orange Jr. (No. 3) blocks out a Prentiss player while eyeing a rebound in March 4 quarterfinal action at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. Orange, who had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds to go with six assists, was named the Magnolia Hoops Player of the Game. (Photo by Larry Gordon)
