The Hattiesburg Lady Tigers have never won a state title. But like several other instances, the program is close. One win away to be exact after Tuesday’s game, a 56-42 win over Lafayette in the Class 5A Semifinals.
Friday will be the third time the Lady Tigers (25-6) have played for it all.
“Haven’t won one yet. It stings, too,” Hattiesburg head coach Caronica DeBose Jackson said. “I think we’ve lost both of them by less than three points.”
If there ever was a season where Jackson’s Lady Tigers could get over that hump, it might be this one. Tuesday’s result only verified her feelings about her team in the here and now. That’s that they’re peaking and playing their best ball when it matters most.
“We’re extremely excited,” Jackson said. “We’ve got a young group. They’re just out playing. They’re loose, and I just feel good about where we are.”
It took them about a quarter to really get going against the Lady ‘Dores. When they did, they did in a big way, opening the second quarter on a 6-0 scoring run in taking an 18-12 lead.
“It was extremely big,” Jackson said of the fast start to the second. “We have a tendency of coming out and starting quarters slow. We talked about that, and our big thing was to make sure we stepped up the pressure this time, because of their two good ball-handlers.
“I think my girls did a really good job of stepping up the defensive pressure.”
Hattiesburg maintained a semi-comfortable lead up until the fourth quarter. Then, the Lady Tigers put the game away completely, building a comfortable, double digit advantage in cruising to the finish line.
Again, Melyia Grayson was a big difference for Hattiesburg. The sophomore finished with another playoff double-double (18 points, 11 rebounds). Teammate Chaise Stinson came close to one of her own with nine points and 12 boards.
“We’ve got our advantage of our size on the inside with Melyia and Chaise,” Jackson said. “They’ve been a good tandem for us all year working the high-low, and we hope it continues.”
If it does, it will come in the Lady Tigers’ final game of the season, the Class 5A title game, on Friday against West Jones. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 6 pm at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
“Hope we get the job done,” Jackson added. “The girls are playing well. I just hope we can take it into the next game on Friday.”
