JACKSON — Two schools known for great athletic traditions will meet for the Class 2A Boys basketball championship today at the Mississippi Coliseum.

Hinds AHS (31-2), the South State champions, will square off against the North State champions West Bolivar Eagles (24-6) at 2:30. The game will be televised live on the Mississippi Public Broadcasting System.

Hinds reached the final after beating Kemper County 76-64 on Feb. 28 in the semifinals. West Bolivar ended the season of the Coahoma County Red Panthers and the coaching career of Mississippi coaching legend Isaiah Peterson with a 48-46 win on Monday.

Hinds coach Keith Williams knows all about West Bolivar, formerly known as Rosedale, as four-time state champions in football (1983, 1985-86, 2007) and four team titles in track and field. Hinds has won six state titles in boys track and in 2001, won the Class 2A title in boys basketball led by former Southern Miss player Sam Richardson.

“West Bolivar is a very athletic bunch,” Williams said after the Eagles held off the Red Panthers. “They don’t have a lot of size, but that’s what scares me, because they are very athletic. We have got to play. We have to bring our ‘A’ game because they have good athletes and are well coached.”

West Bolivar’s Willie Earl Thomas has been here before. In 1998, he brought to the Coliseum one of the best teams ever out of the Delta. That year, the Eagles took a 38-0 record into the Class 3A final and then lost to Morton.

“Of course we’re not like that now,” Thomas said. “We had (Tavarius) Bennett along with some other good players.” Bennett, a 6-foot-7 forward, went on to play for the University of Minnesota.

“This year’s team plays with a lot of hustle. They play well together and they’ve been together for awhile,” Thomas said.

Because of his long-history and friendship with Peterson and his family when they were at Shelby Broad Street, Thomas did not scout Hinds’ game against Kemper County.

“Little Pete (Peterson’s son Karshae) gave us a report. They’re not big, but they are athletic. They have a lot of speed,” Thomas said.

The fact that Thomas’ Eagles were able to beat Peterson’s team is a cause for concern for Williams.

The War Dawgs will send a team out that loves to run. Hinds has been one of the state’s highest scoring teams. Junior guard Keeslee Stewart equaled his season average of 25 points in the win over Kemper County.

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Contact Jeff Byrd at jbyrd@vicksburgpost.com