January 11, 2022
The ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ Warrior basketball team returned to campus from winter break ready to play in 2022 as the Warriors defeated the Hinds Bulldogs 104-74 to open the new year Monday, Jan. 10.
With the win, ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ moves to 4-5, 2-1 on the season, while the Bulldogs fall to 2-9, 1-2. The 30-point win was ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ's second 100-point performance this year as the team defeated Royal Ambassador Prep 114-34 earlier in the season. The Warriors continue MACCC play this week with a trip to Itawamba on Thursday, Jan. 13.
The contest was tied 4-4 in the opening minutes, but a 14-2 ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ run that was sparked by a (Flowood) three-pointer quickly put the game in the Warriors' control. The early scoring burst saw an additional three straight three-pointers as (DeKalb) hit two and (Laurel) nailed one from the corner. The success of the long ball was established early and was a trend for the Warriors throughout the night.
The Warriors continued to pour it on the Bulldogs throughout the first half on the offensive end as ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ seemed unable to miss. On the defensive end of the floor, the Warriors locked down the Bulldogs and forced numerous turnovers allowing ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ to build a 33-9 lead with 7:43 remaining in the half. The Hinds offense finally broke through the tough Warrior defense in the closing minutes of the half, but the Warriors were able to take a 20-point, 48-28, lead into the half.
The second half was much of the same as the Warriors' lights-out shooting, from all parts of the floor, continued to build the lead. With seven minutes to go in the contest, the Warriors led by 40, 95-55. The Warriors' offensive production slowed in the final minutes as ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ let the shot clock drop before attacking the basket. At the buzzer, the Warriors led 104-74.
(Winona) led the Warriors with 24 points, while (Quitman) netted 21. An additional four Warriors scored in double-digits with (Mendenhall) adding 19 on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, Granger scoring 14 on 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range, Hatten scoring 10, and Mackey scoring 10. Hatten cleaned the glass for ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ with nine rebounds, while Keys and (Jackson) both hauled in eight boards. Other notable stats were Topps' team-high eight assists and Mackey's five steals.
As a team, the Warriors shot 46 percent from the floor and a staggering 57 percent (16-of-28) from three-point range, while holding Hinds to just 36 percent from the field and 29 percent from deep. At the free-throw stripe, ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ was 14-of-17 for 82 percent, a season-high. Hinds edged out the Warriors in rebounds 48-47, but the Warriors forced 28 turnovers while just committing 13.
Thursday's matchup with the Itawamba Indians tips off at 5:30 p.m. in Fulton, and links to the live stream will be made available on ÐÓ°ÉÊÓƵ's athletic social media accounts the day of the contest.
