Girls basketball roundup: PCA clinches No. 1 seed; Vicksburg, WC have win streaks end
Published 10:44 am Wednesday, January 18, 2023
Porter’s Chapel Academy earned the first of what it hopes will be several championships this season.
Tiara Sims finished with 32 points and four steals, and the Lady Eagles defeated Benton Academy 47-33 on Tuesday to earn the No. 1 seed for the MAIS District 3-3A girls’ basketball tournament.
The district tournament begins Jan. 31 at Benton Academy, and the Lady Eagles (11-5, 6-2 MAIS District 3-3A) are red hot as the postseason approaches. Tuesday’s win was their sixth in a row.
Sophie Masterson added seven points to Sims’ total, and Anjel Walton finished with six points and seven rebounds. Hannah Henderson had 12 rebounds.
PCA held Benton to just nine points in the second half. Kaye Louise Purvis led Benton with 13 points.
Callaway 71, Vicksburg 65
Callaway surged past Vicksburg High by scoring 28 points in the fourth quarter, and handed the Missy Gators their first loss in nearly a month.
Vicksburg (19-5, 4-1 MHSAA Region 4-5A) had an eight-game winning streak snapped and fell into a tie for first place in the league standings with Callaway (18-5, 4-1). The Lady Chargers avenged an earlier loss to Vicksburg and won their fifth consecutive game.
Layla Carter finished with 22 points and nine rebounds for Vicksburg. Janiah Caples had 13 points and eight rebounds, Cynia Johnson scored 12 points and JaNa Colenburg had 11. The Missy Gators had two players foul out and three others finish the game with four fouls.
Vicksburg will go on the road Friday at 6 p.m. to play Provine.
Northwest Rankin 59, Warren Central 51
Kennedi Smith scored seven of her 11 points in the fourth quarter, Courtney Bilbro finished with 14 points, and Northwest Rankin (13-10, 3-0 MHSAA Region 6-6A) handed Warren Central its first loss in region play.
Warren Central (10-7, 2-1 Region 6-6A) had won its first two region games with big second-half surges, but couldn’t conjure that magic on Tuesday. It went into halftime tied at 29, then shot just 36.3 percent (8-for-22) in the second half.
Jamaiya Sanders and Jae’la Smith led Warren Central with 15 points apiece, and Kayleigh Karel scored nine. Sanders scored nine points in the second half.
Warren Central will play at Pearl on Friday at 6 p.m.