Hawks top seed for tournament
For the sixth consecutive season, the Holly Springs Hawks are the regular season district champions.
Coach Sylvester Kilgore’s team defeated Water Valley 56-46 on the road Tuesday of last week to finish 9-1 in Region 2-3A play.
The Lady Hawks, continuing to make strides the past few years, downed the Lady Blue Devils 42-26 to finish 6-4 in the district and claim the third seed in the tournament.
Hawks
Kilgore called the Hawks’ overall showing “lackluster” until the fourth quarter, when they scored 30 of their 56 points.
“Then we made some adjustments, mainly mental, and were able to execute and make plays and claim an all-important district win,” he said.
Derek Fountain had a big night. He scored 27 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Cori Bell was also in doubledigit scoring with 12.
Deveon Miller and Ded’- drick Faulkner were the leading rebounders with 10 each.
“Our leaders stepped up in the absence of Tyhem Reaves (due to sickness),” Kilgore said, “and we also got a solid performance from Dylan King (eight points) and outstanding floor games from Ded’drick Faulkner and Marquavous Jones.”
Holly High out-rebounded the Devils 39 to 35 and shot 62 percent from the free-throw line (18 of 29).
Lady Hawks
The Lady Hawks turned in a solid defensive effort, holding Water Valley to just 26 points, and won by 16.
Celekeisha Brown led the way for Holly Springs. She had 12 points and 14 rebounds.
Ashanta Aldridge contributed nine points and five steals, and Arkajah Sims scored eight points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Other top rebounders were Destiny Hampton with eight and Arriyunna Washington with seven.
The Lady Hawks out-rebounded the Lady Blue Devils 43 to 35.
Coach Andre Jones likes where his team stands heading into the district tourney.
“I feel we are in a favorable position, and I’m excited to see how we perform,” he said.
The Region 2-3A Tournament is being played this week at Water Valley.
The third-seeded Lady Hawks (10-14 overall) met MS Palmer Tuesday in the first round. With a win, they will face Coahoma AHS Thursday at 7 p.m. in the semi-finals.
The Hawks (17-9 overall), top seed in the tourney, received a first-round bye. They will go against the MS Palmer-Water Valley winner Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in the semi-finals.
The finals are Friday.