JACKSON – It’d be hard to find a more experienced and more talented team in Mississippi than the Clinton Lady Arrows. Ranked pre-season No. 1, the Lady Arrows finished as good as advertised Saturday night, beating Meridian 53-44 for the Class 5A girls state championship.

All four of the Lady Arrows’ senior starters had key roles in the victory. None were bigger than 6-foot senior forward Ryan Herd.

If there was a ball to be grabbed, it was usually Herd that came up with it. Herd posted a double-double, scoring a game-high 18 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.

&#8220She’s our X-factor and she’s done that before but tonight it seemed like she got every crucial rebound,” Clinton coach Felicia Lofton said.

For Herd, the title game couldn’t have come quick enough.

&#8220I was ready to play at 6 a.m.,” she said. &#8220I came out aggressive and just went after every ball I could.”

Clinton (32-4), though, was more than just Herd. Shooting-guard Maranda Anderson made just three shots in the game, but all were key, long-range three-pointers.

&#8220Those were real big shots,” Herd said.

&#8220Maranda really gave us lift,” Lofton added.

&#8220I was just really hungry to win a state championship,” Anderson said.

Her biggest 3-pointer came right before the third quarter horn and prevented Meridian (31-6) from enjoying a big momentum push into the fourth quarter.

The Lady Wildcats had cut Clinton’s biggest lead of night, 12 points, down to two at 33-31 following a putback by 6-foot-1 center Whitney Hood. Anderson came right back, draining a long 3-pointer at the buzzer for a 36-31 lead.

&#8220I have hit big shots before. I made two game-winning free throws to win North State (against division nemesis Murrah),” Anderson said.

Herd went back to work early in the fourth quarter, putting back two Clinton misses for a 40-32 lead.

Meridian remained close, cutting its deficit in half at 41-37 with two minutes, 48 seconds left when Brittany Davidson converted a steal.

Clinton didn’t panic, and calmly sank six straight free throws, including a 4-for-4 effort by Anderson. The last pair made it 47-40 with 1:12 to play.

Meridian’s last gasp, a 3-point attempt by Davidson with 50 seconds left, was rebounded by Herd. She was fouled and promptly made both foul shots. She added two more to seal it up with 38 seconds left.

&#8220Emotionally, this game was so intense for our seniors. They knew this was their last chance at this,” Lofton said.

&#8220This was a great way to go out. I’ll remember this for a long time,” said Anderson who ended 5-of-6 from the line for 14 points. She also had five assists and three rebounds.

Katorra Lewis, Clinton’s 6-2 Dandy Dozen standout, had 11 points, 10 of which came in the first half as the Lady Arrows enjoyed a 26-15 halftime lead.

Clinton missed its first five shots in the game but then warmed up, making 6 of its next 7 to close out the first quarter on a 13-0 run. The spurt erased Meridian’s last lead of the game at 4-2 and gave Clinton a 15-4 advantage.

It was 29-17 with six minutes left in the third quarter when Meridian began hitting shots. Three-pointers by Mindy Mendiola and Tiara Parker made it 33-29.

Clinton made 17 of 39 shots from the field while Meridian was 15-of-40. The Lady Arrows were 16-of-25 from the line, but 13 of the makes came in the fourth quarter.

The Lady Wildcats were led by Davidson with 13 points and Hood with 12.