In the quarterfinals of the MAIS Overall bracket, Parklane’s girls basketball team battled Madison-Ridgeland Academy but ultimately fell by a score of 53-33 on Friday in Clinton.
After they outlasted ASC in the opening round, the third-seeded Lady Pioneers (24-9) couldn’t overcome 13 turnovers and some struggles from the floor against the top-seeded Lady Patriots (32-5) in a rematch of last year’s Overall Championship.
The opening quarter of the 2026 clash between these teams featured far more offensive production than the aforementioned game, which saw MRA lead 8-3 after eight minutes.
This time around, the early pace was frenetic. The Lady Patriots’ run-and-jump full-court pressure created plenty of turnovers on one end, but the likes of Lay Jackson, Zoe Alford and Carlyle Carruth were able to come up with some key deflections as well.
MRA jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to some Parklane miscues, but forward Anna Sawyer calmed things down when she scooped up a blocked shot and made a layup at the 5:30 mark.
As alluded to, Carruth then picked a pocket and converted the tying layup on the other end, and she followed that with a pair of free throws to give the Lady Pioneers their first lead at 6-4.
But more turnovers from the three seed allowed the Lady Patriots to mount a 7-0 run, which was only halted when Alford used a nasty move to put a defender in the air before she nailed a jumper.
The star guard then recorded a steal and hit a high-arcing floater, and Alford remained hot when she found the bottom of the net from deep.
That shot gave Vicki Rutland’s squad a 13-11 lead with 1:30 left in the opening frame, but the 4A D-II champs responded with a 4-0 run heading into the second quarter. Notably, Jackson picked up her second foul in the closing moments.
The Lady Patriots’ size advantage allowed them to do some damage on the offensive glass, and that played a large factor in them pushing the advantage to 17-13 early in the second.
Jackson knocked down a pivotal three-pointer in response, but MRA remained in control as it claimed a 21-16 lead with three minutes left before halftime.
Alford began to see consistent double and even triple teams at this juncture, as the Lady Patriots made it clear that they were not going to let the senior maintain her hot hand.
A triple from MRA made the score read 24-16 with just a minute left before half, but a Sawyer put-back halted a lengthy drought and gave Parklane some momentum heading into the locker room.
The Lady Pioneers trailed both at halftime and heading into the fourth quarter during last year’s Overall title bout, so this veteran group was largely unfazed by the halftime deficit.
An early three-ball from the Lady Patriots extended the lead to nine, but Alford answered right back with a step-back triple.
The lead grew to double-digits at 32-21, but as she’s done throughout the season, Sawyer came up with a crucial put-back to keep the Lady Pioneers within striking distance.
Still, MRA took a comfortable 37-24 advantage into the final quarter, meaning that Rutland & Co. would have to produce another furious rally to keep their season alive.
Carruth got things started on the right foot when she knifed through the lane for a floater, and Alford cut the deficit to 39-28 with just over six minutes left.
The Lady Patriots pushed the lead back out to 14 soon after, but Carruth continued to grit her way through a nagging ankle injury when she intercepted a pass and got fouled on the other end.
The sophomore’s free throws made the score read 42-30 with five minutes left, but MRA fired back with an 8-0 burst that effectively iced the game.
Alford brought the margin under 20 with another well-executed step-back triple, but it was too little too late as MRA advanced.
Alford led Parklane with 16 points, Carruth added eight and Sawyer tacked on six.
Despite being the smallest player on the floor, Jackson paced the team with seven rebounds, while Carruth tallied a whopping five steals.
The Lady Pioneers close their 2025-2026 campaign with a 24-9 overall record while finishing as runners-up in the 4A South-State bracket and claiming third place in the 4A State tournament.
*An image of the bracket is linked at top.*
