Rumble In the South: Raymond's dynamic duo too much for Starkville in 62-57 win
CLINTON — The tandem of Tremaine Dixon and Jabarie Robinson has been hard to stop all season.
It was again Monday night.
Behind stellar play from the Raymond duo in the second half, the Class 4A top-ranked Rangers rallied to knock off 6A No. 3 Starkville 62-57 in the annual Rumble in The South at Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum.
“We didn’t play really well in the first half, so we made some adjustments in the third quarter and not let them beat us on the glass,” said Raymond coach Tony Tadlock. “Starkville is a very talented team and one of the best teams in the state, but we’re thankful to come out with a win.”
The first half was all Starkville, as the Yellowjackets held a slim 13-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 28-24 lead at halftime. Promising junior forward Makhi Myles had 19 points in the first half.
With the game tied at 32 with five and a half minutes left in the third quarter, Raymond went on a 11-7 run to finish the quarter out and hold a 43-38 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
To begin the fourth quarter Myles scored five straight points for Starkville to tie the game at 43 with 6:31 remaining. Connor Rogers hit a three-pointer with just over six minutes left to give Starkville a 48-45 lead.
From just under five minutes left to just under four minutes it was back and forth, but with 3:13 remaining Raymond’s Gekylenn Mosley hit a three-pointer to give the Rangers a 54-52 lead.
Raymond held on for the remainder of the game.
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“I think I have the best back court in the state with Dixon and Robinson,” Tadlock said. “The feed well off each other and Jabarie had the hot hand in the second half, so we just kept feeding him.”
Robinson had 21 points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead Raymond and was named the game’s most valuable player.
“Coming into the game plan we knew the game plan was their running through Makhi, so we adjusted to let him get the ball,” Robinson said. “The emphasis in the second half was lock down on him and make shots on the offensive end and that’s what we did.”
Dixon added 16 points for the Rangers (16-5).
Myles finished with a game-high 33 points, 11 rebounds and nine block shots to lead Starkville (14-4).
“In the second half they just wanted it more than us,” said Starkville coach Quavius Howard. “They were getting rebounds, 50-50 balls and everything. Late in the game guards win games and lose games and in the fourth quarter we gave up lay ups to their guards.”
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In other action at Monday's event:
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.
