A cold shooting first quarter doomed McAdams to a 62-45 loss to H.W. Byers in the semifinals of the MHSAA 1A state tournament Monday at the Mississippi Coliseum. The Bulldogs went the first seven minutes without a field goal and trailed 19-5 at the end of the first period.
“We’re used to having a slow start and picking it up. I don’t understand why,” said coach Kenyon Ross. “I thought we had figured it out. It seemed like we weren’t ready to play.”
The Bulldogs were able to cut the deficit to 23-15 in the second quarter, but Byers stretched it out to 29-17 at the half and led by double digits throughout the second half.
Omari Barron Hampton rises up against a defender with a smooth layup off the glass.
Chris Todd
“It was just little things, missed layups and missed free throws,” said Ross. “If we had made some layups and free throws, their lead would not have been what it was.”
Ross said Byers’ quickness was a factor. “That was one of the keys. We talked about keeping them out of transition and keeping them off the boards. Those are two things we didn’t do. Not a lot of teams run like they do,” he said.
The Bulldogs were outrebounded 36-27 and were 9 of 21 from the line.
Kendarrius McBeath made 6 of 10 shots and led McAdams with 13 points. Cameron Fleming had nine points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
Michael James scored 14 points for Byers and Devin Moore had a strong all-court game with 10 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and five blocks.
McAdams shot 36.9 percent (18-49), Byers 55.3 percent (26-47).
McAdams finishes 20-9 and Byers improves to 22-4. The Lions will play defending champion Biggersville in the title game Wednesday.
McAdams won the Region 6-1A tournament and three playoff games to advance to the semifinals, the third a 63-61 victory over West Tallahatchie on Saturday behind a strong performance by Tyrick Davis.
Tyrick Davis maintains focus while driving the ball down the court.
Chris Todd
The Bulldogs overcame a poor third quarter with a strong final period for the victory.
McAdams led 33-27 at the half but was outscored 19-9 in the third quarter to fall behind 46-42. The Bulldogs raced out to a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter and held on for the victory.
Davis led the Bulldogs with 24 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals. Fleming had 15 points.
A key to the victory was that McAdams forced 26 turnovers, resulting in 25 points. The Bulldogs struggled from the line much of the season, but made 15 of 20, including 9 of 10 by Davis.
West Tallahatchie was able to stay in the game with 50 percent shooting, including 9 of 22 on three-point shots.
McAdams reached the semifinals for the second year in a row. The Bulldogs lost to Biggersville at the same stage a year ago.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction. We just have to learn to win down here,” Ross said.
He plans to have players hit the weight room in the off season.
McAdams has only two seniors on the roster, McBeath and Jalen Greer.
The season is not over for Fleming. He will play in the 1A/2/3A North-South All Star Game for juniors, March 19 at Mississippi Coliseum.
In the other semifinal, Biggersville broke open a close game with Bay Springs by finishing the third quarter on a 12-2 run, including two 3-pointers by Brooks Brand, for a 45-32 lead and went on to a 66-53 victory.
