4A Playoffs: Elise Jackson scores 34 points to help Purvis past Bay High, 47-39

PURVIS – The playoffs are the time for stars to shine.

And no one’s star shone brighter Monday night than that of Purvis senior Elise Jackson, who carried the Lady Tornadoes past Bay High 47-39 in the opening round of the Class 4A girls basketball playoffs at the Purvis gym.

Jackson, a 5-5 guard who is headed for Jones College to play softball, lit up the Lady Tigers for 34 points, 12 rebounds and eight steals, as Purvis (27-2) advanced to the second round, hosting Quitman on Friday.

“I am relieved to get this win,” said Purvis coach Michael Thornton. “This was a very hard-fought game. Kelton Thompson does a very good job, so this was a hard win. I’m glad I don’t have a game tomorrow.”

Purvis never trailed against Bay (18-13), but the Lady Tornadoes did not pull away until the second half.

“I felt like I had to step up a little bit, especially after the first half,” said Jackson. “The first half, I felt like we were slacking a little on offense. We really weren’t scoring until the second half.”

Jackson’s first basket of the game, a pull-up five-foot jump shot at the left of the key gave Purvis an early 5-0 lead, and the Lady Tornadoes were able to keep by playing sound perimeter defense and denying the Lady Tigers any entrance to the lane.

“We didn’t want them to beat us inside,” said Purvis senior Andee Robertson. “They were not a very strong inside team, but we knew they were oriented toward the outside shot.

“Sometimes we had trouble finishing people, just sitting back and not closing out on the 3-point shooters. But tonight we focused on closing them out and making them work for jump shots.””

Indeed, of Bay’s nine field goals for the game, seven came from 3-point range. They kept the Lady Tigers in the game, but without a tough inside presence it’s tough to beat Purvis, which features not only the 5-11 Robertson, but 6-foot senior Halle Glover.

“I think a big part of our offense is getting the 50-50 balls, the offensive rebounds,” said Robertson. “We want to have at least enough to match their rebounds, if not more. We knew what was at stake. It’s the playoffs; it’s do or die.”

Purvis led 11-9 after the first quarter and was able to maintain command through the second thanks to free throws. The Lady Tornadoes were 10 of 16 from the line in the second period and 22 of 34 for the game.

“We got them in foul trouble, and we were able to get to the line,” said Thornton. “They played very good defense, but they had trouble keeping Elise out of the paint because of her elite speed.

“In my 36 years of coaching, she might be the best I’ve had at getting to the basket. She’s a slash-and-drive player, but she’s able to stop on a dime and pull up for a jump shot.”

Leading by five, 23-18, going into the second half, Purvis hit its stride in the third quarter, and it was all Jackson’s doing.

Jackson drove the baseline for a short jumper, she got a steal and a fast-break layup, she drove the lane, drew a foul and converted the and-one and closed the period with a pull-up jumper from the foul line to give Purvis a 35-25 lead.

“It was a little tough, because they weren’t calling a lot of stuff,” said Jackson. “I saw they were trying to take charges on me, so I started doing jump shots. When they saw that, they backed off the blocks and made it easier for me to get to the line.”

It was more of the same in the fourth quarter. Jackson took a Lady Tiger miss down the floor, pulling up for a little four-foot jumper. 

Later, it was another steal and another fast-break layup, then Jackson turned another defensive stop into a 12-footer to give Purvis its biggest lead, 41-27, midway through the fourth quarter.

Seniors Brennan Brooks and Katelyn McLain swished 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions for the Lady Tigers, the second coming after Jackson was called for a charge.

But senior Lillie Hale drew a foul and converted both free throws, and Jackson was 4 of 6 at the line to close it out for Purvis.

McLain scored 16 points to lead Bay High.

So, Purvis gets another home game in what Thornton says is his last season as coach of the Lady Tornadoes.

“We hadn’t hosted a playoff game in decades,” said Robertson. “Even in my sophomore year, when we got to the Elite Eight, we were on the road the whole time.

“That was a big deal for us, to host a playoff game, or two, and you could see our crowd was much better and we fed off them.”