Lady Rockets win 6A State Championship
The Neshoba Central Lady Rockets won their second state championship in three years after destroying Terry High School 53-39 on Saturday to put a crown on a nearly perfect season.
Neshoba Central High School Coach Jason Broom said his eight seniors matured into leaders this season to push the Lady Rockets to another 6A crown.
“They showed a lot of maturity and growth and we got it done as a team,” Broom said.
The Lady Rockets finished the season 32-1, with their only loss to Starkville 72-63, back in November. Since then, they were perfect.
Despite trailing 7-3 after the first quarter in the championship game, the Lady Rockets kicked it in gear and went into halftime with a 17-15 lead. From there, Terry didn’t stand a chance. Neshoba led by 10 going into the fourth quarter and despite trying to run out the game clock still outscored the Bulldogs.
Senior guard Zharia Leflore scored 15 points in the contest and earned the title of MVP for her performance. Sophomore Kyli Tuss had 18 points. Senior Jakaylin York had 8 points, followed by junior Lanayah Henry with 6 points, senior Kailyn Willis with 5 points, and senior Erica Lyons with 2 points.
They faced little competition in the postseason this year, annihilating opponents beginning with Center Hill in the first round. The Lady Rockets won that contest 75-49. Next up was Olive Branch, who they beat 69-43.
On Thursday, the Lady Rockets clinched their ticket to the finals by beating Hancock 48-30. Leflore led the squad with 12 points in the contest and senior Atyia Allen had 10 points.
The community rallied to support their local players and had a “Good Luck Send-Off” Saturday, as fans lined the streets to cheer the team on.
Broom said most of his seniors already had a ring from the Lady Rockets’ 2022 run at the title. He said he was proud of how the seniors took ownership of this team.
“I challenged them early on to finish this year as champions,” he said. “We knew going into the season we had the potential to be one of the best teams in the state. It's been an exciting season.”
The Lady Rockets went 24-6 last season and were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs.
Broom said his girls came into this season ready to work, stay healthy, and be competitive in practice.
“We already had an established identity,” Broom said. “We knew we had to come out and play fast and keep the pressure on all over the floor.”