By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
JACKSON – It has been 19 seasons since the Hattiesburg High boys have played for a state championship, and 49 years since they won one.
It’s been a long time coming, but the Tigers ended the first drought and are on track to end the second after running past Canton 61-51 Tuesday night in the MHSAA Class 5A Final Four at Mississippi Coliseum.
HHS (23-7) won its 15th straight game – the Tigers have yet to lose in 2023 – and will play at 7 p.m. Friday against Picayune for a chance to add a third state championship to the ones they won way back in 1972 and 1974, along with the title the Tiger girls won in 2018.
“They had a bigger lineup, but I think our speed, our quickness and our heart that we displayed today was phenomenal,” said HHS coach Ernie Johnson. “They really showed out today.”
Once again, it was defense that carried the day for the Tigers. Hattiesburg forced 18 turnovers, including five straight possessions in the fourth quarter, turning a narrow 43-41 lead into a decisive 14-2 run that sealed the victory.
The Tigers were at a height disadvantage, with Canton’s front line going 6-foot-4, 6-5 and 6-8. But Hattiesburg built its defense around 6-7 senior Darrian Johnson and the quicker Tiger guards provided smothering double and triple teams any time the ball entered the paint.
“We didn’t want them to get going on the inside,” said Johnson. “My job on the team was to shut down the lane, so they couldn’t rely on those big guys.”
Initially, it was Canton that had the advantage, building a six-point lead in the first quarter, thanks to sizzling 3-point shooting from senior James Taylor, who sank his first three attempts from 3-point range.
Hattiesburg closed the margin to 15-11 to end the period, however, then opened the second quarter and promptly kicked their game into high gear, and it was senior Malik Walker who got the job done for the Tigers.
“When we got in the huddle (at the end of the first quarter), I just told everybody that we had to go out there and have no regrets,” Walker said.
“Win or lose, it was going to be the last week of basketball, and I told them that next week, you can’t have any regrets. You can’t wish you could’ve done something. You’ve got to leave it all on the court. After that, we seemed to get into gear, and everybody came to play.”
Walker drove the lane to get HHS started on what would be an 18-1 run over the first five minutes of the period to take the lead for good.
After a steal, Walker drove the lane again, drew a foul and converted the three-point play to tie the game at 16-16. Junior Stephen McCullon Jr. attacked the basket for the go-ahead points, and the Tigers kept right on motoring.
Walker scored all of his 14 points in the first half, including 8 of 10 from the foul line. He was in foul trouble in the second half, but still contributed on defense.
“It’s all about the preparation, knowing the guy you’re guarding,” said Walker. “Knowing I had a bigger guy on me, I had to focus, and I just had to play my role.”
The Tigers led by as many as 14 late in the second quarter, but Canton closed strong, with a 5-0 run over the last 30 seconds of the period, capping the half with a 40-foot 3-ball from junior Deandre Lewis.
Still, Hattiesburg appeared to be in good shape, leading at halftime 36-27
“I hate how we ended the first half,” said Watson. “It might have been different game if we hadn’t given up those five points right at the end of the half, but they went into the locker room with some momentum and they played better in the second half.”
Canton used the momentum from that final shot to get back in the game in the third quarter. Lewis and his brother, senior Deanthony Lewis, each scored six points in the period and cut Hattiesburg’s margin to one, 38-37, after Deandre Lewis took a steal for an uncontested layup.
But every time the Tigers needed basket or a big defensive play in the second half, Johnson stepped forward. The Tigers’ big guy scored 19 points to lead Hattiesburg, he added 9 rebounds and had 3 blocks. And those blocks were critical, all coming in the third quarter.
Johnson rejected two layups when Canton had a chance to take the lead, then got a layup at the other end. He also had an authoritative dunk on a putback, and the Tigers led 43-41 heading into the fourth quarter.
“We just couldn’t get a basket, and then … I don’t know, man, I just started playing basketball,” said Johnson. “It had been awhile since we’d gotten a shot to fall, so I just decided to take over the game.”
As it turned out, Hattiesburg had taken Canton’s best shot. The Tigers opened the period by forcing a turnover, and senior point guard Christian Moody found senior Kelby McKeller in rhythm for a 3-pointer – his only points of the game.
“Nobody’s figured out our defense yet; I hope they don’t figure it out,” said Watson. “We’re pretty tough out there on the perimeter. The kids buy into what we’re teaching them. They understand their role and they do their part.”
While Hattiesburg was only 2 of 5 from 3-point range, the two they made came at key moments, and the Tigers were 27 of 33 from the foul line, including 11 of 13 in the fourth quarter. Indeed, the Tigers only took four shots in the final eight minutes.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Watson said. “If you can’t make free throws in the Big House, you’re not going to win.”
And after hitting his first three tries from 3-point range, Taylor missed his last seven attempts from beyond the arc, and Canton as a team was 7 of 21 shooting 3’s.
“The biggest difference was to keep (6-8 sophomore Jamarion Fleming) off the boards, not to let (Deandre Lewis) get going and keep their other post player (Deanthony Lewis) from getting going,” Watson said.
“When they started settling for jump shots, we knew we had them. They could foul us all day and put us on the line, but they kept shooting over the top. When they did that, we felt comfortable.”
Deandre Lewis had 15 points to lead Canton (24-7), Armani Watson added 11 points and Deanthony Lewis had 10 for Canton. McCullon scored 13 points for Hattiesburg.
Hattiesburg played Picayune earlier in the season, defeating the Maroon Tide 54-47 at Watkins Gym on November 8. Picayune upset Provine 60-49 in Tuesday’s late game to punch its ticket to the final.
“This, I think, is my 19th time I’ve been up here,” Watson said. “It’s fun for me. I enjoy this building. I just haven’t been lucky enough to get a team to that final game since I was at Greenville (in 2008).
“For Hattiesburg, that community, it needs this. I’m glad I’m a part of that, I’m glad these young men bought into what we’re trying to. We’re looking forward to Friday.”
PREP SUMMARY
Tuesday at Jackson
Class 5A State Tournament
Semifinal Round
BOYS
Hattiesburg 61, Canton 51
Hattiesburg 11 25 7 18 – 61
Canton 15 12 14 10 – 51
HATTIESBURG (23-7): Darrian Johnson 19 (9 rebounds, 3 blocks), Deanthony Rancifer 3, Malik Walker 14, Kelby McKeller 3, Stephen McCullon Jr. 13, Logan Burns 2, Tristen Keys 3. FG 16-37 (3FG 2-5), FT 27-33 – 61
CANTON (24-7): Jamarion Fleming 0 (7 rebounds), James Taylor 9, Deandre Lewis 15, Deanthony Lewis 10, Quantrell Brown 3, Dwight Luckett Jr. 3, Armani Watson 11. FG 18-47 (3FG 7-21); FT 8-13 – 51.
Photos courtesy of Jesse Johnson
