Bay Springs seemed frustrated Friday night in the early goings of a round two MHSAA 2A playoff game against East Marion at home. The Lady Bulldogs struggled shooting from the floor, and didn't hit a basket until 3:21 was left in the first period to tie the game 2-2. They eventually worked out the kinks, and senior Jaliyah Shelby was a force in a 54-40 Bay Springs win.
“Jaliyah stepped up big tonight,” said Bay Springs head coach Nedra Hosey. “A lot of teams have been doubling her, so as soon as I saw them going one-on-one I knew that's where we were going with the ball. Anytime we are in a one-on-one, Jaliyah is our go-to.”
Shelby made it count, and the Lady Bulldogs needed a spark in the slow start. She was powerful in the paint and poured on a game-high 28 points, taking control in the second period with a 10-point effort and in the fourth period with a 12-point performance.
East Marion put up the first points of the game with 4:50 remaining in the first, limited Bay Springs' shot selection and created turnovers. The Lady Eagles led 4-2 with 1:50 left in the opening period, and with just over a minute Bay Springs got into gear. Kaitlyn Ellis found Hailee Nixon on an outlet pass that Nixon turned into a layup to knot the contest 4-4. Zaria Louis grabbed a steal and converted a layup to hand the Lady Bulldogs its first lead of the game, and Shelby hit one of several turnaround jumpers on the night to extend the advantage 8-4 with 30 seconds left in the period. Ellis then threw up a long three at the buzzer to put Bay Springs ahead 11-3. From there, Shelby and the Lady Bulldogs went to work and never looked back.
Bay Springs led 31-17 at the half, and entered the fourth period with a 39-23 cushion.
East Marion hung around in the fourth. Car'Miyah Bullock swished a three and Destiny Brown bagged two from long range with just under two minutes in the game to cut Bay Springs' lead to 49-40. Shelby kept the Lady Bulldogs on pace with jump shot connection, and Ellis hit three free throws to polish off the victory.
Following Shelby, Louis and Nixon both producted 8 points for Bay Springs. Ellis finished with 6.
“We get frustrated sometimes. If we don't hit that first shot, it's like it throws us off and we have to put things back together,” Hosey mentioned of the slow start Friday night. “We have to change our mindset. To me everything was just off tonight. I think we were just out of our rhythm, and we didn't have that killer instinct that we needed to have at the beginning of the game. From the next game on, that's going to be really important. If we can come in next week and have good practices, get focused, and have the right mindset, I think we can [make a run].
Bay Springs (24-3) will face West Lincoln (19-8) from Region 7-2A in the MHSAA 2A quarterfinals Friday afternoon at Pearl River Community College. The Lady Bears clipped Union, 62-50, to advance. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m.
