Biggersville headed back to state championship after 63-49 win over Bay Springs

JACKSON — The Biggersville Lady Lions are headed back to the Class 1A State Championship game following a 63-49 win over Bay Springs in the semifinal round Monday at the Mississippi Coliseum.

The reigning state champs will take on the winner of the Ingomar - Simmons game at 1 p.m. Thursday with a golden ball on the line.

“We’ve been hearing a lot of talk about Ingomar,” Biggersville senior guard Hannah Seago said. “And we’ve just let people talk. But when we get on the court, that’s when all the talking stops and it’s time to get down to business.”

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If the Lady Lions (25-5) play as well as they did Monday morning, they’ll be tough to beat.

Biggersville controlled the pace from the start. The Lady Lions built an 18-6 lead in the first quarter and held serve in the second, taking a 33-21 lead into the halftime break.

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They out-scored Bay Springs 16-12 in the third quarter and went into the final period nursing a healthy 49-33 advantage.

Bay Springs put together an impressive 11-2 run in the fourth quarter, at one point trimming the Biggersville lead to nine, at 56-47 with three minutes to go. But Seago drilled four consecutive free throws on back-to-back possessions to put the game back out of reach.

Seago led Biggesrville with 17 points and a game-high six assists. Forward Asia Stafford, the MVP of the 2022 1A State Championship game, put up a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds. Leileigh Moody chipped in 14 for the Lady Lions.

Biggersville's other big inside-player, senior Goldee Butler, saw limited time in her second game back from an injury that sidelined her for much of the second half of the season. Biggersville coach Cliff Little said he expects her to play significant minutes in Thursday’s championship game.

“It doesn’t matter which team we get,” Little said. “We expect it to be Ingomar, because they’ve got a great team, but either way, we are in for a fight on Thursday.”

Zaria Keyes and Anna Patrice Patterson each scored 19 points for Bay Springs (24-7).