Basketball seasons come to end in state tournament

The Neshoba Central Rockets and Lady Rockets basketball teams’ quest for a state championship ended last week in the state tournament. 

The Rockets were eliminated in the first round, losing a close one 56-53 to the Columbus Falcons. 

The Lady Rockets bested first-round opponent Columbus 63-40 but then narrowly lost the second-round game to Lafayette 58-56. 

The Lady Rockets started the game down 20-11 after the first period but narrowed the lead down to 7 at halftime. The Lady Rockets made a final push in the fourth period, outscoring Lafayette 17-10 but were unable to come away with the win. 

They shared the same fate as the Choctaw Central Lady Warriors. 

The Lady Warriors won their first-round matchup against North Pontotoc 53-44 but were edged out in the second round 55-53 by Tishomingo Central in the 4A tournament. 

The Warriors won their first-round matchup against Ripley 79-60 before falling 66-50 to the Clarksdale Wildcats in the second round. 

The Union High basketball teams also shared similar fates, with both teams also ending their season in tournament play. 

The Lady Lady Yellowjackets won their opening round game, beating Port Gibson 47-39 before they fell 33-20 to St. Andrew’s on Friday in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs. 

The Union boys lost their opening round game on Tuesday, falling 71-23 to Port Gibson.