By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
OAK GROVE – What was billed as a Region 5-6A showdown between two of the top boys basketball teams in the state turned into a one-man show.
Oak Grove senior guard Jay Barnes poured in 39 points and fellow senior Blake Roberts added 23 as the Warriors raced past Petal 88-53 before a raucous packed house at Warrior Gym.
Oak Grove, ranked second overall and No. 1 in Class 6A in the Mississippi Gridiron state rankings, improved to 13-1 overall and 2-0 in the region. Petal, ranked fifth overall and fourth in 6A, dropped to 11-3 overall and 0-2 in the region.
The Warriors jumped out to a big early lead and were never seriously threatened, leading 22-7 after the first quarter and 41-19 at halftime
“That’s our motto,” said Oak Grove coach Laron Brumfield. “We want to start out fast. We practice like that. We got in a rhythm and started making some shots. Once we start making some shots, then our crowd got into it and our kids fed off that.”
In fact, the Warriors shot the lights out from start to finish and everywhere in between. Oak Grove converted 9 of 13 shots from the field in the first quarter and finished the game shooting 56.9 percent (33 of 58), including 16 of 24 from 3-point range.
The top sharpshooter was Barnes, who swished 11 shots from beyond the arc, including three consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter, putting an exclamation point on his brilliant night’s work.
“I came in with a dominant mentality,” said Barnes, who averaged 16 point per game. “In the fourth quarter, I was still in the killer mentality. I couldn’t do it without my teammates. They fed me the ball and trusted me to make the shots.”
As brilliant as Oak Grove was on offense, the show was started with tough defense in the first half. The Warriors forced Petal into eight turnovers in the first quarter and 14 for the first half.
The Panthers took better care of the ball in the second half, committing just seven turnovers after halftime, but they were in too deep a hole for it to make much difference.
“It all starts on defense,” said Roberts. “Defense creates good offense. That’s what Coach Brumfield teaches us all the time, and we believe in it.”
Roberts, and junior forward Dylan Brumfield got the Warriors going after Petal took a 2-0 lead. Brumfield and Roberts each took turnovers and turned them into drives down the baseline for baskets, then Brumfield got a steal and an uncontested fast break layup.
Petal hung with the Warriors briefly, as Caleb McGill got loose in the lane on back-to-back possessions, but Barnes hit a pair of treys to key a 12-1 run to close the first period.
It was more of the same in the second quarter. Barnes hit a 3-pointer to open the second-quarter scoring for Oak Grove, and Roberts finished the period with a pair of treys as part of a 10-0 run to close the half.
“I was getting good looks, so I was taking them,” said Roberts. “But I credit my teammates. They were getting me the ball in situations to succeed.”
Petal rallied to start the second half, reeling off 10 unanswered points to get the margin back under 20. McGill had six of his team-high 23 points on high-percentage shots in the Panthers’ surge.
But Roberts hit a trey, reserve guard Rahmil Thompson hit a 3-pointer after a Panther turnover, then Barnes converted a pair of shots from downtown in a 14-3 run that put the game out of reach.
“I tell the guys all the time, if we’re going to win, we’re going to have to play defense,” said Brumfield. “I thought we did a great job of executing our game plan.
“I thought Blake did a really good job making some shots tonight. When everybody’s coming at Jay, we’ve got have somebody else step up and Blake did a nice job doing that.”
Treylan Smith added 13 points for Petal, which will try to get back on track Tuesday at George County.
Oak Grove, meanwhile, doesn’t have much time to bask in the glow of its big victory, as the Warriors face another region showdown Tuesday at Meridian, which is ranked fifth overall and No. 3 in 6A.
“We can’t be complacent, because we’ve got another big game coming up,” said Barnes. “We just have to stay focused. If we stay focused, I think we can hold up a gold ball when it’s all over.”
The Oak Grove girls were equally dominant in their game, routing the Lady Panthers 49-23. Shakiya Bolton had 10 points to lead the Lady Warriors, as 14 players got on the scoresheet for Oak Grove (10-5, 2-0). Myesha Richardson had 8 points to lead Petal (4-13, 0-2).
Prep Basketball Summaries
Friday at Oak Grove
GIRLS
Oak Grove 49, Petal 23
Petal 3 3 3 14 – 23
OG 15 15 9 10 – 49
PETAL (4-13, 0-2 in 5-6A): Tayja Pittman 2, Myesha Richardson 8, Jayla Brunson 5, Latoyia Clark 4, Alysia Moore 2, Kniya Thompson 2.
OAK GROVE (10-5, 2-0 in 5-6A): Shakiya Bolton 10, Mya Spears 2, Janisa Ramsey 3, Taylor Norman 4, Kennidi Dean 6, Nhariya McDonald 2, Jordan McKenzie 7, Taliyah Griffin 2, Sharaya Graham 3, Nataliya Magee 2, Asia Ellzey 2, Shalea Boddie 1, Jada Tatum 2 Taniyah Wilson 2.
BOYS
Oak Grove 88, Petal 53
Petal 7 12 22 12 – 53
OG 22 24 19 23 – 88
PETAL (11-3, 0-2 in 5-6A): Caleb McGill 23, Marcel Blackwell 2, Treylan Smith 13, Jamar Jenkins 4, Triston Gatwood 8, Omarion Carson 5.
OAK GROVE (13-1, 2-0 in 5-6A): Jay Barnes 39, Dylan Brumfield 8, Blake Roberts 23, Corneilous Williams 8, Tyrus Crump 7, Rahmil Thompson 3.
