Horn Lake girls top Southaven for MHSAA North Half title

from Commercial Appeal

The foot stomps heard across the Horn Lake campus Saturday were justified.

They came courtesy of sophomore Alexyse Thomas, who was busy making big shots in the second half against Southaven as the Lady Eagles won their fifth consecutive Mississippi High School Activities Association championship with a come-from-behind 48-37 victory.

Thomas scored with 1:04 remaining in the third period to give Horn Lake (26-2) only its second tie of the game at 32. She added another big bucket at the 7:35 mark of the fourth and the Lady Eagles, who will be the No. 1 seed at the Class 6A state tournament at Jackson’s Mississippi Coliseum on March 6, never trailed again.

“Every time, in a big game like this, you have to be enthusiastic with everything,” said Thomas, “so I think my team definitely showed that tonight.”

Southaven also will be making the trip to Jackson on March 6. The Lady Chargers (26-5) just might have to do better than the five fourth-period points scored Sunday night.

“Horn Lake played well,” Southaven coach David Baldwin said. “Obviously, we had a chance to move the lead up and we couldn’t do it. We missed too many free throws and too many layups.”
The Lady Eagles, who have split the season series with Southaven at 2-2, began their string of clutch free throws at the 3:39 mark with one by Keneisha Winfrey. Lady Chargers point guard Olivia Cunningham followed with a basket, but the visitors wouldn’t score again.

Winfrey, Alondrea Rush and Treasure Evans made nine more free throws to close out the game.
“Early,” said Horn Lake coach Janna Lyons, “we missed so many free throws, so for them to knock it down when it counted, I was so happy.”

According to Brittany Grant, the Lady Eagles coach wasn’t so elated at the break. “Coach Lyons ripped into us at halftime because we weren’t playing Horn Lake basketball,” she said. “We were aggressive down the stretch. It felt good to get this win on our home court.”

Rush paced a balanced scoring attack with 13 points, and Evans and Thomas finished with 12 and 11, respectively.

“Just to have younger girls come in, buy into the program and get it done — I love ’em for it,” Lyons said.

Southaven, which led 14-5 after one period and 23-16 at the half, got a game-high 15 points from Cunningham.

Said Baldwin: “I wish coach Lyons and them lots of luck. Maybe round five will be in Jackson.”