In the Elite 8 of the MHSAA 3A playoffs, South Pike’s boys basketball team secured a comfortable 62-47 win over Crystal Springs on Thursday in Raymond.
After out-scoring their first two opponents by a combined margin of 129-102, the Eagles secured another double-digit victory in this meeting of top-seeded teams.
And it was again the sophomore guard duo of Ashton Patterson and Khai Brumfield who led the way, as they combined for 30 points in an intense game.
“My guards came to play,” head coach Reggie Chambers said. “We were resilient and battled through some adversity in a physical game. And in the end, we just found a way to win.”
Chambers is in his first year as the head coach of South Pike, having taken the job back in July after a stint as an assistant coach with Co-Lin. The man in charge says he really challenged this young group early on, but he sees the benefits of that paying off in the postseason.
“I wanted to set the tone from the start that mediocrity is unacceptable, we can’t be happy with it,” Chambers explained. “I wanted to change their mindset, because a lot of this game is just about attitude. When you believe you can win it, it’s amazing what you can unlock.”
Up next, the Eagles (19-9, 7-1) face the winner of the Booneville-East Webster matchup at noon on Tuesday in the Final 4 of the 3A state playoffs. The game will be played at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
“Confidence is dangerous, and when you play with it, the sky's the limit,” Chambers said. “If we believe we can win, we’ll be able to do it.”
