Sharon Murray wasn’t exactly sure how the season would play out. Losing three talented seniors to graduation after the 2016-2017 season left the season ahead with plenty of unknown variables.
So how did the season play out?
“It was a blessing to be able to play in the last big 5A game of the year,” said Murray. “We wanted to come out and do our best. We didn’t know how the season would turn out [in the beginning]. We lost three seniors who are now playing college ball. But we took what we had and made another run.”
After sweeping the Region 5-5A Girls Basketball Tournament with a 55-50 win over county rival South Jones, West Jones won its next two playoff games to advance to the MHSAA Class 5A State Tournament. There, it pulled together two more wins, a 59-50 win over Holmes County Central and a 72-60 win over Ridgeland, to make its appearance on the biggest stage in 5A girls basketball.
West Jones ended the season as runner-ups, falling to Hattiesburg 48-47 in the 5A title game.
“The girls came out and knew how to play well together,” added Murray. “We had girls that stepped up offensively and take the load as far as scoring.”
Three Lady Mustangs finished the season with double-digit figures in points per game. All were underclassmen. Sophomore guard Brikayla Gray led the team with 17.4, while juniors Jurnee McLaurin and Brianna Carr netted 16.4 and 11.7, respectively.
“We had other players that played key roles,” said Murray. “Our girls just knew their role and played it well. It ended up being a good team, a team with a lot of chemistry. Whenever someone didn’t have a good game, I would always have someone else step up and have a strong game for us. Our girls played with a lot of pride and competed in every game. We never really got blown out.”
Putting the pieces where they fit best, Coach Murray and the Lady Mustangs finished the season 26-4 overall and enjoyed win-streaks of four, nine, seven and six.
“It was a great season,” said Murray. “To be able to win district and go on to play in the final game of the year, I’m extremely proud of my girls in what they were able to accomplish.”
The former West Jones basketball player herself is a master at taking what’s there and using it to the teams advantage. In recent years, Murray’s players on the court have been gifted with speed. She’s used it to the teams’ gain. West Jones’ identify in the past several years has been its ability to score quick baskets in transition, not allowing defenses the time to set up.
“I’ve been really blessed,” said Murray. “God has blessed me with girls that do have some speed. You can’t always put speed in somebody, but as long as they have a little bit of speed I try to start with them. We try to get them to get as many fast break points as possible. But I couldn’t [use this method] if we didn’t have the players that could do it.”
Murray is our 2017-2018 Sports601 Basketball Coach of the Year.
