JACKSON — For years, Bogue Chitto has been on the verge of something big, only to fall short. That’s not the case this year.
The Lady Bobcats will play for the 1A state title after beating Biggersville 77-40 in the semifinals Monday at the Mississippi Coliseum.
Bogue Chitto (30-3) connected on 12 three-pointers and outrebounded the competition 45-22.
The Lady Bobcats will play Shaw in the state championship on Thursday. Shaw defeated Vardaman 49-47 on Monday.
Zariah Matthews and Christian Black have been with the team since they were in junior high school under head coach Christi Terrell and are now one game away from a title.
Matthews was able to cut through the Biggersville defense to have an open basket look. Matthews finished the game with 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Karlie Williams connected on four 3-pointers in the first half. The Lady Bobcats turned a 3-point first-quarter lead into a 16-point halftime lead.
Bogue Chitto has not lost a game since Dec. 12 and is carrying a 20-game winning streak into Thursday’s state championship game.
“These girls are so focused and playing some of the best basketball,” Terrell said. “They played well offensively, which made up for the sluggish start on defensive end. The key ingredient is they are playing together. These girls are so close and have one goal in common. We have one more game to prepare for. We must be ready to play ball.”
Bogue Chitto led 17-14 at the end of the first quarter and 41-25 at halftime.
Taneshia May contributed with 14 points and 7 rebounds for Bogue Chitto. “Williams had 12 points, two rebounds, three assists and one steal. Shay Jefferson had 10 points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Black had 4 points with 7 rebounds. Terrah Nelson had 4 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two steals. Perstashia Henderson had 3 points with thwo rebounds. Baileigh Jackson had 3 points. Karly Leake had 2 points with two assists. Cheyenne Hall had 2 points with one rebound.
