Young Rockets team pushing forward
The Neshoba Central boys’ basketball team is battling in one of the state’s toughest regions and with a team on the younger side this season, there is plenty of reason for optimism for the Rockets going forward.
Neshoba Central currently sits at 8-10 overall and 1-3 in region play, with those three region losses coming against three of the state’s top programs in Ridgeland, Columbus, and Callaway and an impressive road 58-53 region win over Vicksburg.
Kendarius Thomas and Alex Thompson led the Rockets in the scoring column in the win over Vicksburg, with 17 points and 15 points each.
It is a very young team for the Rockets this season, with three sophomores in the starting lineup and 12 of the 17 players on the varsity roster being sophomores as well. Despite the youth on the roster, Neshoba Central has still pulled out some impressive wins, beating teams like Lanier, Madison Central, and the 7A defending state champions in Meridian.
"I've been really pleased with the progress we've made this year with such a young team,” Neshoba Central Head Coach Justin Childs said. “We've shown our youth in a lot of games, but we have also come together and won some games that no one expected us to."
The top two scorers this year for the Rockets are sophomores as well, with Thomas averaging 13.2 points per game and Tae’Shaun Shumake averaging 12.1 points per game. Senior Max Weir has also been one of the leaders for this Neshoba Central team, averaging 11.6 points per game and 2.8 assists per game.
Sophomore Cam Hickman has also had a monster year on the boards, averaging 8.8 rebounds per game on the season.
After falling to Callaway on Monday, the Rockets will travel to take on 6A’s top-ranked team once again in Columbus and will host Warren Central on Friday for senior night, before turning their attention towards their final four region games.