Center Hill girls fall in overtime to South Jones

image and article from CommercialAppeal.com

Center Hill senior Jasmine Golden pushes the ball up court against South Jones senior Chelsea Phillips during Tuesday's MHSAA Class 5A state tournament semifinals at Jackson's Mississippi Coliseum.

Even after one of his most heartbreaking moments on the court this season, Center Hill girls basketball coach Jonathan Moore didn't let a particular impressive statistic slip his mind Tuesday.

"I think we're 24-0 when we hold folks under 48 (points)," said Moore, following his team's Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 5A girls state semifinal contest against South Jones. "We couldn't do it (tonight). They got 50."

And it was a 50-46 overtime victory that will allow the Lady Braves (28-7) to return to the Mississippi Coliseum Saturday to play Oxford for the 5A championship. Center Hill ends its season at 25-7.

Moore, for starters, was appreciative that his club was able to rally from an eight-point deficit late in the fourth period to force the extra session.

"We've been little fighters all year long," he said. "We didn't quit. We made that Center Hill run. Our girls don't lay down. We're going to play until the buzzer goes off."

The Lady Mustangs had tied the contest at 44 when senior Jasmine Golden converted a layup with 14.5 seconds left.

South Jones had an opportunity to avoid overtime, but senior Khadejah Buxton's jump shot from the corner was off the mark as time expired.

Golden, who scored a game-high 22 points, put Center Hill up by two in overtime with her jumper, but answering for the Lady Braves was senior Keoshya Wilson. Knotted at 46, the Lady Mustangs played a vicious game of keep away.

"I was all right with taking the last shot. We had a special play that we called; their defense didn't allow us to run our play," Moore said. "We kind of had to ad lib."

Sophomore Kiara Golden's attempt to drive to the basket was denied, South Jones corralled the rebound and Wilson knocked down a jumper on the other end.

"I was just praying that it went in," said Wilson, who led the Lady Braves with 21 points.

A Center Hill traveling violation gave the ball back to South Jones and Makayla Burks was fouled with 14.9 seconds remaining. The senior calmly sank both free throws to close out the scoring.

"I told them to just keep their composure," said South Jones coach Sherri Cooley. "Don't let this game slip away. Let's take care of business. We can pull it out, and they did just that."

Added Moore: "We were going to try to get a quick basket, and of course, we'd have to foul, but time was against us and there wasn't enough time-outs left. That's really what it came down to."

Wilson also pulled down a team-leading eight rebounds.

"She took over," Moore said. "She did a good job, but they were solid everywhere. You couldn't find a weakness tonight."

Center Hill's fourth-period comeback came after a Wilson layup and a Lady Mustang timeout at the 2:49 mark. Junior Ciera White hit a quick bucket. It was followed by consecutive steals and layups from the Golden cousins. Kiara finished her night with 11 points and five rebounds.

Jasmine Golden chipped in seven rebounds.

"This is her (Jasmine's) last one," Moore said. "I hugged her neck and shared a tear with her. Since the ninth grade, she's been a big, big part -- been the face of the Center Hill girls basketball program for a long time."