2016-17 PREMIER PREPS GIRLS BASKETBALL

While winning a state championship wasn’t a prerequisite for a spot on this year’s Premier Preps basketball team, players from championship-winning squads are peppered throughout the roster. Premier Preps is The Meridian Star’s all area sports teams. Thought the different seasons, coaches nominate players from their teams, and the Star’s sports staff selects from the pool of nominees which players will make the squads. In basketball, due to the number of nominees and the level of competition, smaller schools and larger schools were divided into two separate categories. Seven players from Choctaw Central and Neshoba Central, winners of the 3A and 5A state titles, respectively, earned a spot on the list. Choctaw Central, represented by Premier Prep selections Kaedre Denson, Kyannah Grant, Kyarrah Grant and Darien Tubby, claimed its sixth state championship with a 75-42 win against Amanda Elzy in a game in which they built a 40-point lead. Neshoba Central, which placed Taylor Ben, Andria Carter and Relissia Ray on the Classes 4-6A Premier Preps list, defeated West Point 56-45 to cap a magical season for coach Fred Morris that saw the Lady Rockets win their first basketball title in more than two decades. West Lauderdale’s Mallory Thompson and Maggie Wooldridge earned a spot on the list after leading the Lady Knights to the state tournament, where they ultimately fell in the Class 4A semifinals. Thompson established herself as West Lauderdale’s go-to scorer, and she ended the year scoring 17 points per game. Wooldridge was selected to play in the North-South All-Star basketball game after tallying 13 points, three steals and three assists per game. Tiffany Wilson helped guide Newton County to a 21-8 record this season, giving the Lady Cougars their most successful season in a decade. The rangy forward averaged a double-double in every game this year behind 12.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest. She also blocked 12 shots and tallied 30 steals. Quitman’s Dyneshia House was a member of the 2016 Lady Panthers state championship team. This year, she led Quitman with 11 points per game, while also grabbing five boards per game. House earned the Lady Panthers’ Captain’s Award, and was named her team’s MVP.

2016-17 PREMIER PREPS GIRLS BASKETBALL

Photo Credit: Quitman High Athletics