Rumble In the South: Allen Hughes helps Clinton pull away from Harrison Central 68-55
CLINTON — Kimani Hamilton gets all the attention when it comes to Clinton hoops, and for good reason.
But on Monday night, it was about Allen Hughes.
Behind the play of both Hughes and Hamilton, Clinton raced past Harrison Central 68-55 in the annual Rumble In The South at Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum.
“Started off slow, but got going in the second quarter and these guys are playing well and unselfish and that’s been key,” said Clinton coach Leonard Taylor. “Everyone is keying on Kimani, but Allen does things that doesn’t get notice and makes things easier for everyone else around him.”
Harrison Central held a slim 17-14 lead at the end of the first quarter.
With just over five minutes to go in the second quarter, the Arrows went on an 11-2 run to take a 25-19 lead and clung to a slim 31-27 lead at halftime.
The third quarter is when Clinton began separated themselves, as the Arrows outscored Harrison Central 17-10 to take a 48-37 lead into the fourth quarter.
The Arrows hit another gear in the fourth quarter, rattling off a 16-3 run to take a 62-42 lead and seal the game.
Hughes finished with a career-high 25 points and also had five assists, three steals and four rebounds to lead Clinton (12-5), the defending Class 6A state champions.
“One of those nights I came out ready to play, finished at the rim and behind the three-point line,” Hughes said. “We’re finally coming together as a team. Our chemistry is coming together and no one can really guard us man to man and so they zone us and we’re finally learning how to break the zone.”
Hamilton, a Mississippi State commit, added 17 points and also grabbed 16 rebounds and was named the games most valuable player for the Arrows.
“We got a lotto players on this team that can go and lately no one has been able to stop us,” Hamilton said. “Allen is my point guard, he knows what to do with the ball and is a great teammate.”
Demarius Coleman had 18 points to lead Harrison Central (13-8).
More: Josh Hubbard, No. 4 MRA dominant in 69-47 win over Murrah
In other action at Monday’s Rumble in the South:
Madison Central 65, Parklane Academy 52
Jordan Archer scored 17 points to go with four assists as the Jaguars eased past the Pioneers from Parklane Academy.
Caleb Kent scored 19 points to lead all scorers, and Isaiah Spencer chipped in 16.
Madison Central led for 31:40 out of 32 minutes in the game, and twice led by 16 points in the fourth quarter.
2023 Ole Miss commit Jacob Gazzo had 20 points and 11 rebounds for Parklane.
Jackson Academy 48, St. Andrew’s 41
Jackson Academy’s Merrit Nations earned MVP honors after scoring 19 points to lead the Raiders past 3A powerhouse St. Andrew’s. Saints star Javion Johnson had 24 points and 13 rebounds.
Provine 55, Terry 48
Provine held off a late Terry rally thanks to game MVP Samarion Grant, who finished with 12 points and four rebounds.
Northwest Rankin 67, Holmes County Central 55
Brendan Brown and Levionne Lindsey combined for 31 points and the Cougars put together a 14-0 run to end the first quarter and start the second.
The Cougars (14-6) led it 25-9 halfway through the second quarter, and never looked back. Malik Crigler scored 14 to lead Holmes County.
Callaway 47, Pascagoula 42
Kevion Hunt hit eight of his nine free throws and shot 5-of-12 from the floor to lead Callaway to it’s fourth win in a row.
Trace Joseph grabbed 13 rebounds and Pascagoula won the battle of the boards 33-20, but the Chargers (10-10) did a good job of getting to the charity stripe and cashed in 16 of their 22 free throws as a team.
