Lady Warriors win 4A crown

Choctaw Central girls basketball won their first state title since 2022 on Saturday, dominating Morton 52-31 in the MHSAA 4A championship game.

The Lady Warriors rolled from start to finish in this one, especially on the defensive end, forcing 30 turnovers from Morton in a 32-minute game.

“We work extremely hard on defense because we’re on the smaller side as a team,” Choctaw Central Head Coach Elyse Willis said. “I’m just so proud of my kids and the effort they put forth, they just work so hard.”

Sisters Raiyleigh and Kailynn Perry led the way for Choctaw Central in the scoring column, scoring 12 points a piece. Kailynn Perry was named game MVP with six rebounds to go along with her 12 points.

“They are really great and play really well together,” Willis said. “I hate that we’re losing Raiyleigh (Perry), she is really the motor that makes us go, but those two have a great relationship on the court.”

Raiyleigh Perry, a senior, and Kailynn Perry, a sophomore, may have played their last high school basketball game together, but the duo has made a huge impact on the Choctaw Central program.

“She has always been tough on me ever since we were little, but I love her so much,” Kailynn Perry said. “It does hurt a lot that she is leaving, but it was a great way to end our time on the court together.”

This is the first state championship as a head coach for Elyse Willis, who is in her second season at the helm of the Choctaw Central program.

Willis spent 14 years as an assistant coach at Choctaw Central and knows what the expectation is within the program. Now, Willis has her first state title as a head coach, the ninth now in the history of the Choctaw Central girls basketball program.

“As a coach, that’s what you work for and strive for,” Willis said. “The kids have really bought into what we want to do, they’ve worked hard, and done everything that we have asked of them since we got here. You just can’t describe this feeling of winning a state championship.”

The Choctaw Central fanbase was also out in full force for the Lady Warriors’ state championship win, bringing one of the best crowds of any team throughout the week at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.

“The Tribal community showing up for us really means a lot,” Kailynn Perry said. “That made coming back and winning this very important for us.”

Choctaw Central finishes the season with a 27-2 record, capped off by a state title. The Lady Warriors have now won four state titles in the last ten years.