The McAdams girls played well in the second and third quarters, but not in the first and fourth, resulting in a 56-34 loss to defending 
champion Pine Grove in the MHSAA 1A State Championship Game last Thursday at the Mississippi Coliseum.
“In the fourth quarter, I think we got a little tired. A couple of shots did not fall our way,” said McAdams coach Michael Huffman. “They (Pine Grove) played great defense. I have to give them credit. The biggest thing is I feel like we gave it all we had.”
Kneisha Erving made a layup for McAdams to tie the score at 2-2 two minutes into the game, the only time the Lady Bulldogs were even. Pine Grove scored the next 13 points before Erving broke the drought with another field goal.
Pine Grove led 16-4 after one quarter and stretched the lead to 22-6 midway through the period. McAdams was able to get back in the game by ending the half on a 10-2 run that included a four-point play by Jakrya Young, cutting the halftime deficit to 24-16. The Lady Bulldogs pulled within six in the third quarter and trailed 34-27 entering the final period.
Pine Grove effectively put the game away by scoring eighth straight points in the first two minutes of the quarter.
Huffman attributed the poor start to nervousness.
“I think the nerves got us a little bit. Once we got going in the second quarter we made some shots,” he said.
Pine Grove coach Katie Bates said her team's quick start was very important to their success.
“That's one of the things we talked about,” she said. “You have to win the mental battle before you win the physical battle, so we could settle in and get the nerves out.”
Pine Grove dominated the boards, out-rebounding McAdams 38-15. Bates felt that was the key to her team pulling away in the fourth quarter.
“We settled down on defense and made them take the shots we wanted them to take and Karlie Rogers came in and got the rebounds,” said Bates.
Rogers a sophomore, was named player of the game after pulling down 20 rebounds to go along with 10 points scored.
Loren Elliott, one of only two seniors on the Pine Grove roster, had a game-high 19 points and Taylor Fletcher added 11. Young was the only Lady Bulldog in double figures with 14 points.
McAdams was only 13 of 43 from the floor and 4 of 16 from the free throw line. Pine Grove was 20 of 44 on field goal attempts.
“I'm hurting a bit for them now, but I'm so proud of them,” Huffman said of his team. Looking to next year, he said the future is “awesome” for McAdams.
“I have my 10th graders who were starting. I want to let them know that we will be back,” he said.
Young, Kiara Brown and Aaliyah Lusk were in the starting lineup for McAdams as sophomores, along with two seniors, Erving and Ke'Mara Atterberry.
McAdams (22-10) made it to the championship game with playoff victories over Sacred Heart, West Lowndes, Blue Mountain and Leake County after being runner-up to Durant in the Region 5-1A tournament.
Pine Grove (34-3) ended the season with a 16-game winning streak since suffering a three-point loss to 3-A power Choctaw Central. The Lady Panthers’ only other losses were to Ingomar — the top-ranked team in 2A — and DeSoto Central, a 6A school.
McAdams won back-to-back championship in 2009 and 2010.
