Hawks earn number one seed
Holly Springs basketball teams wrapped up the regular season in winning fashion, sweeping Water Valley twice and then taking two from Coahoma AHS.
All were district games.
With a 9-1 district mark, the Hawks entered the Region 2-3A Tournament this week as the number one seed. They’re 17-9 overall going into the tourney.
The Lady Hawks finished 5-5 in the district’s regular season and 9-15 overall. They’re the third seed.
Coach Sylvester Kilgore got solid showings from several players in an 80-41 win at Water Valley February 13.
“It was a great team and district win on the road with key contributions from a host of Hawks,” he said.
Dandy Dozen player DaQuan Smith was the top scorer with 27. He also had seven rebounds and six assists. Cori Bell had 15 points and Ladarius Stinson 13. Daveon Miller was the top rebounder with nine.
“It was a blue collar effort by Daveon rebounding the basketball, and Ladarius played his sixth man role in a brilliant way,” Kilgore said.
Holly High was in full control at halftime, leading 40-22, and then outscored the Blue Devils 23-2 in the third.
The Lady Hawks also cruised to a big win at Water Valley on Tuesday of last week. The final was 40-19.
Shretta Jeffries had a game-high 16 points. Jada Dowdy and Arriyunna Washington scored eight each.
Holly High teams then hosted Water Valley Thursday night with the same results.
The Hawks eased to an 81-41 win in their final home game of the season.
Bell led the way with 25 points, five rebounds and three steals. Smith had 22 points, five rebounds and four steals. Cornelious Bridgeforth pulled down nine rebounds and had eight points. Point guard Anthony Johnson dished out six assists.
Similar to the game earlier in the week, Holly High led 39-19 at halftime and outscored the Devils 31-9 in the third.
Coach Andre Jones’ Lady Hawks stormed ahead 19-4 in the first quarter and went on to rout Water Valley 45-29.
Dowdy was the top gun with 19 points. Jeffries had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Holly High-Coahoma AHS
The Holly High boys went into enemy territory Friday and left with a huge, momentum-building win over Coahoma. The final was 63-53.
“Our players committed themselves to defending, rebounding and big-time makes from the free-throw line,” Kilgore said.
His Hawks also protected the basketball well – only five turnovers at the half.
Smith scorched the nets for 31 points. He was 10 of 12 from the charity stripe. He also had eight rebounds. Bell followed with 13 points. Bridgeforth was the top rebounder with 13 and Miller had 11.
“It was a total team effort,” Kilgore said.
The Lady Hawks survived what Coach Jones called a “mentally and physically challenging game.” They won the district clash 53-50.
“The opponents gave everything they had, which I expected,” he said. “We fought hard and solid defense helped seal the deal in the last few minutes. My players committed themselves to also giving everything they had and that’s exactly what they did.”
Jeffries and Dowdy combined for 36 of Holly High’s 53 points. Jeffries scored 19 and Dowdy 17. Jeffries was also the leading rebounder with six, and she had eight steals. Washington added 12 points and six rebounds.
The Lady Hawks were down 12-10 after one quarter but a big second quarter, outscoring the home team 17-11, was the difference in the game.
The district tourney is being played at M.S. Palmer (Marks).