The West Tallahatchie High School boys’ and girls’ basketball teams are both back in the Mississippi High School Activities Association’s C Spire State Basketball Tournament for a second consecutive year.
Coach Roderick Hawkins’ 28-4 Lady Choctaws duel the 24-8 Newton Lady Tigers in a quarterfinals game Friday at 10:30 a.m. at Jackson State University.
Coach Bernard Berryhill’s 31-0 Choctaws boys’ team plays the 18-12 Prentiss Bulldogs in a quarterfinals match Friday at noon at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
In the semifinals on Tuesday, March 8, at 9 a.m., in the Coliseum, the winner of the West Tally/Newton girls’ contest faces the victor of Friday’s game between the 31-5 Ingomar Falcons and the 14-10 Bassfield Yellowjackets.
On the boys’ side next Tuesday at 4 p.m., also in the Coliseum, the winner of the West Tally/Prentiss boys’ contest faces the victor of Friday’s game between the 26-4 Baldwyn Bearcats and the 21-8 Heidelberg Oilers.
Semifinal winners advance to the state championship games at the Coliseum. The 2A girls’ title tilt will be Friday, March 11, starting at 1 p.m., while the 2A boys’ finals match will follow at 2:30.
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The West Tally teams punched their tickets to the state tournament by beating the teams that cost them state title chances one year ago.
The Lady Choctaws made it to the title game in 2015 but lost a 68-64 overtime decision to East Webster. Last Friday in Webb, the 2016 Lady Chocs got to exact a bit of revenge when they played host to the Lady Wolverines in a second-round playoff game. West Tally defeated East Webster 41-16.
In last week’s rematch, Nikkeria Harris led the home team with 11 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks.
Nakayla Hawkins scored 10 points. Vaquela Pimpton had 7 points, five steals and three blocks for West Tally.
The West Tallahatchie boys’ squad made their first-ever semifinals appearance in 2015, losing 73-67 to Okolona.
This year, the playoffs unfolded in such a way that Okolona had to visit West Tally for a second-round game Saturday night in Webb. The rematch went in favor of the home team, with Berryhill’s troupe winning a 65-50 decision.
The Choctaws led 17-11 after one quarter and increased their advantage to 32-23 at the half. Okolona tried to rally in the third, pulling to within 47-40 at the close, but an 18-10 West Tally run in the fourth salted the game away.
