McEvans turned up the pressure and pulled away from McAdams for a 67-48 victory in the 1A boys championship game at the Mississippi Coliseum, denying the Bulldogs a fourth state championship.
It started off well for the McAdams. Three pointers by Tyrick Davis and Willie Perteet keyed the Bulldogs to 16-6 lead after one quarter.
But the game quickly turned when McEvans went to full court pressure at the start of the second period. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on their first five possessions and were outscored 18-5 for a 24-21 McEvans lead at halftime. McEvans took the lead for good on a basket by Jaden Smith that put the Warriors up 19-18. It was part of a 14-0 run by McEvans that changed an 18-10 deficit into a 24-18 lead.
“We got rattled. I don't know for what reason,” said coach Kenyon Ross. “The things we talked about in practice, we didn't execute.”
The third quarter wasn't any better as the Bulldogs were outscored 18-6 to trail 42-27 entering the fourth quarter.
The scoring of Cameron Fleming enabled the Bulldogs to get within 50-41 midway through the final period before the Warriors pulled away by outscoring the Bulldogs 17-7 to close the game.
The Bulldogs finished with 31 turnovers and the second lowest point total of the season, one point more than a 47-45 victory over St. Andrew's
In his last game for McAdams, Fleming had a game-high 26 points, 16 in the fourth quarter. But he was the only Bulldog in double figures. Sophomore Jamar Teague had seven points and a team high six rebounds.
Davis was helped from the court in the third quarter with a knee injury suffered in a scramble for a loose ball. He returned to the game briefly at the start of the fourth quarter. Ross took him out to prevent a possible aggravation of the injury.
“I didn't like the way he was moving.”
Smith and Brandon Hall both scored 18 points for McEvans. Hall made 7 of 11 shots, had six rebounds and four assists in receiving Player of the Game honors. It could just as easily have been Smith, who made 8 of 9 shots and had a game high seven rebounds.
All five McEvans starters are seniors, which Ross felt was a key to the team's success. “Those guys have been through the battle since seventh grade. We were playing ninth and 10th graders.”
The loss ended an outstanding season for McAdams with a 24-3 record. The Bulldogs won Region 6-1A for the third consecutive year and reached the championship game with playoff wins over Enterprise Lincoln, Simmons, West Tallhatchie and West Union. It is also the third consecutive year that McAdams reached the Coliseum, but the first time the Bulldogs got past the semifinals.
The school's championships came in 1983, 1984 and 2006.
McEvans (24-6) won a fifth state championship, but the first with the current name. It was Shaw for the last championship in 2015.
Senior Marcus Ball was McAdams' Scholar Athlete.
Ingomar won a 12th championship with a 53-38 victory over defending champion Biggersville in the girls1A title game. The game was tied 23-23 at the half, but Biggersville was scoreless for nearly six minutes to start the second half and was outscored 12-3 during the third quarter.
