By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
JACKSON – It looked grim for Hattiesburg heading into the fourth quarter with a championship in the balance.
The Tigers had just finished one of their worst quarters of basketball in quite some time, as Picayune rallied from 11 points down to take six-point lead late in the third period.
But HHS picked itself up off the mat, battled back, turned the tables on the Maroon Tide and came away with a 55-50 victory for its first state championship since 1974 in the MHSAA Class 5A Boys Basketball State Championships at Mississippi Coliseum.
Hattiesburg (24-7) finished the season by winning its last 16 games. Picayune, which also had a New Year’s turnaround, winning 13 of its previous 14 games, finished 18-15.
“It’s the togetherness,” said HHS head coach Ernie Watson, who finally won a championship after 31 years of coaching. “They fight for each other. They love each other. They understand that if one gets down that I have to pick the other one up.”
This was a thriller for most of the game, a back-and-forth affair that saw some huge lead swings, along with eight lead changes, three of them in the final 2:24.
The Tigers seized momentum midway through the first quarter on a 7-0 run, keyed by a pair of drives down the lane by senior Malik Walker and a 3-pointer by senior Kelby McKeller.
HHS led 16-10 after the first period, and extended the lead to 29-16 with a 13-6 surge. Junior Christian Moody nailed a 3-ball, then junior Stephen McCullon Jr. took a steal coast-to-coast for an uncontested fast break layup.
But after a Picayune timeout, the Maroon Tide began reeling the Tigers in. Picayune senior Troy Carter swished a 3-pointer, the first of what would become 18 unanswered points.
Still, Hattiesburg seemed comfortably in front at halftime 29-21.
“We came out (for the second half) nonchalant,” said Watson. “We thought we were going to blow them out. We threw the ball all over the place, had three turnovers in a row; it was shocking to them.
“I told them (Picayune) was going to make a run at them and they were going to punch us in the mouth, and they didn’t believe me. When they start listening to me and doing what I tell them, we start playing well again.”
The Maroon Tide did it by taking a page out of the Tigers’ playbook, driving the lane and attacking the basket.
Senior Tyran Warren drove unopposed down the lane on the opening possession of the third quarter, while the HHS offense fell apart.
The Tigers had 20 possessions in the period, and they finished it with 10 turnovers – they had 26 for the game – two offensive fouls, five one-and-dones, a free throw and two field goals, in just nine attempts.
Walker picked up three quick fouls early in the quarter, but after the Tigers continued floundering, Watson brought Walker back out despite having four fouls.
“That’s my guy,” Watson said. “I raised him up from ninth grade, got him in the gym and he’s become the guy for us.
“I told him, ‘I trust you with everything I have on this team that you’re not going to get that fifth one.’ And he didn’t.”
Moody finally broke the long scoring drought with a short jump shot in the lane, but Picayune had four more unanswered points to take a 38-31 lead. The Tigers closed the deficit to 38-34 at the end of the period and the Tigers got their bearings back in the huddle.
“Man, we were just saying, ‘we’ve got to do this for the community, for the City of Hattiesburg,’” Johnson said. “We couldn’t let up. We were just sticking together and staying a family.
“I just had to be smart and not go after reaction all the time. They were coming at me in the middle, trying to get me in foul trouble and I just had to play through it.”
Throughout Hattiesburg’s playoff run, different players have stepped up in moments of crisis, and this time it was McCullon’s turn to carry the load.
The 5-foot-11 McCullon signaled a different Tiger team, driving the lane from the left side for a layup, then McKeller hit a 3-point shot from the left side, and the Tigers ratcheted up their defense.
“It was all their doing,” Watson said. “They wanted to stay together, and they got in that huddle and they were the ones who said we’re going to win this game. It wasn’t anything I said; it was all about them.”
Picayune tried to maintain its advantage, with junior Dakeith Quinn leading the way on a pair of drives down the lane for layups, along with two foul shots, but Hattiesburg was simply too much on defense.
Johnson got drove the baseline for a layup, then McCullon hit four free throws, sandwiched around a steal, and the fourth one put the Tigers back on top 47-46 with 2:24 to play in the game.
Free throws, in fact, were a huge factor for HHS. The Tigers were 16 of 19 from the line for the game, including 8 of 9 in the final period.
“That fourth quarter, we just all came together,” said McCullon. “I think we wanted it a little more than they did. We’d been there before and got punched in the mouth, so we just had to get back together as a team.
“Free throws were big for us tonight. We work on them every day in practice, and tonight, we were comfortable at the line.”
Warren got a putback layup to put the Maroon Tide ahead one last time, but Johnson answered back with a putback of his own, then blocked a shot on the defensive end that led to two more foul shots for McCullon and a 53-48 lead.
The Tigers weren’t quite out of the woods, as turnovers on consecutive possessions gave Picayune a chance to tie the game after Warren got a fast break layup following the first turnover.
But McCullon got a defensive rebound and fired a pass the length of the court to a streaking Johnson for a decisive layup off the break with 14.5 seconds to play.
“It was, like, I ‘ve got to make this because it’s going to win the game,” Johnson said. “My teammates wanted me to dunk it, but I wanted to make sure I made the shot.
“It feels amazing, (Watson) deserves this. He’s been here so many times; it was his time.”
McCullon led Hattiesburg with 14 points, Johnson added 13 points and Moody finished with 12 points. Warren and Quinn each had 15 points for Picayune.
Watson came to Hattiesburg in 2010 because he beloieved it was a place where he could win championships. The Tigers have come close in the intervening 12 seasons, leading to this one, but ultimate victory has proven elusive.
“I’m more happy for the community,” said Watson. “Since the Purvis Short days (in the mid-70s), they haven’t done much.
“In 2004, Yama Jones, being the great coach that he is, got them here and got beat by a good Biloxi team, and they haven’t been back since. That’s bothered me. We have those banners (from 1972 and 1974), and we didn’t have one up there. But we’ve got one now.”
And as a senior who played a big role in the victory, Johnson knew he’d made history on this night.
“To be with a team like this is so amazing,” Johnson said. “We’ve been through so much as a team. This feels great.”
PREP SUMMARY
Friday at Jackson
Class 5A State Tournament
Championship Round
BOYS
Hattiesburg 55, Picayune 50
Picayune 10 11 17 12 – 50
Hattiesburg 16 13 5 21 – 55
PICAYUNE (18-15): Darrell Smith 4, Joshua Holmes 9, Dakeith Quinn 15, Troy Carter 5, Brunson Stockstill 2, Tyran Warren 15. FG 20-45 (3FG 3-15); FT 7-9 – 50.
HATTIESBURG (22-7): Darrian Johnson 13, Malik Walker 6, Kelby McKeller 6, Stephen McCullon Jr. 14, Christian Moody 11, James Griffin 1, Logan Burns 4. FG 18-40 (3FG 3-10), FT 16-19 – 55.
Photos courtesy of Jesse Johnson
