Photo gallery: Rebelettes claim 21st state crown
The Leake Academy Rebelettes made short work of Hartfield Academy to take an 82-45 victory Saturday in the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools Class 4A girls championship game.
It was the school’s 21st state championship for the girls basketball program. The Rebelettes have also won 33 North/South state championships, five overall state championships and 19 straight district championships.
The Rebelettes had to win three games against top opponents to win the state title. They opened with a 70-48 victory over Simpson Academy. They then had to battle past tournament host Hillcrest Christian 52-49 to make it to the finals. Hartfield outsized the Rebelettes but Leake Academy brought its “A” game as they put the Lady Hawks away 82-45.
“Hartfield outsized in every position except one,” coach Amanda Hatch said. “We came out firing. I couldn’t have drawn up our defense any better. We took an early lead because our defense was so good and our offense was clicking. We were up 42-17 at the half. It was a total team effort, everyone worked well.”
Against Simpson, the Rebelettes trailed 14-12 after the first quarter. But they came back to outscore the Lady Cougars 22-6 in the second quarter and led 34-18. The Rebelettes outpointed Simpson 36-28 in the second half. Emeri Warren led with 18 points while Morgan Freeny put in 16 points. Emmi Harkins scored 15 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Miriam Prince scored 11.
Hillcrest gave the Rebelettes a run for their money before Leake Academy pulled it out.
Leake Academy went up 17-8 after the first quarter. The Rebelettes outscored Hillcrest 13-12 in the second quarter and led 30-20 at the half.
Hillcrest took control of the game in the third quarter when they outpointed the Rebelettes 19-5.
“Hillcrest pushed us,” Hatch said. “They were super athletic and aggressive. They made it hard for us to score, to their credit. They made it hard to get shots off.”
Hillcrest carried a 39-35 lead into the final quarter. Leake Academy responded to the challenge, outscoring Hillcrest 17-12 in the final eight minutes and pulled out the win.
“They were up by seven on us in the fourth quarter,” Hatch said. “It was tough, a struggle.”
Harkins scored 26 points and Prince scored 17.
That win put Leake Academy in the state for finals against Hartfield. The Rebelettes led 15-4 at the end of the first quarter. Then they outscored Hartfield 27-13 in the second quarter and led 42-17 at the half.
The Rebelettes widened the divide in the third quarter as they outscored Hartfield 27-13 in the third quarter and carried a 69-30 lead into the fourth quarter. Hartfield battled back in the final quarter with Leake almost matching them point-per-point.
Prince led with 21 points while Harkins added 18 points. Warren and Maybrey Mayfield both scored 12 points and Freeny scored 10 points.
Overall State
The 2020-2021 Rebelettes still have some business to attend to this week before they slip into legend.
In the past, the Overall State tournament has been played at Mississippi College. This year, the first and second rounds are being played at the schools while the semifinals and finals will be played next Monday and Tuesday at Hartfield Academy.
Leake Academy drew a first-round bye. They will host the winner between Bowling Green and Jackson Prep Friday night.
The winner will play in the semifinals Monday at 1:30 p.m. The championship game tips off at 5 p.m. on Tuesday.
“Winning the state is always our goal,” Hatch said. “But this year, we have had our eye on the gold ball. This year, we have everything we need to win it. There will be a disappointment if we don’t. If we play like we did Saturday and have a little luck on our side, we’ll have a good shot at it.”