Hattiesburg surges into Class 5A Quarterfinals with 72-42 win over West Harrison

Senior Darrian Johnson had 15 points to lead the Tigers

HATTIESBURG – There are still three games left to be played before anyone can lift a gold-ball trophy in two weeks, but Hattiesburg gave every indication that it could be the team that does.

The Tigers played a nearly perfect first half, building a big lead early and never looking back in a 72-42 victory over West Harrison Saturday night in the second round of the MHSAA Class 5A Boys Basketball Tournament.

HHS (21-7) won its 13th straight game and advanced to the quarterfinal round at Marvin White Coliseum on the campus of Pearl River Community College in Poplarville. Hattiesburg will play at 7 p.m. Friday against Florence.

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“That was the key to the game, to get out early and make them catch up,” said Hattiesburg head coach Ernie Watson. “We wanted to come out and do it the right way, and I think we did that tonight.”

The Tigers came out with championship-level defense from the outset, smothering the Hurricanes with hands in the passing lanes and disruption in the backcourt.

While Hattiesburg was decisive on defense, the Tigers filled the basket on the offensive end with blistering shooting.

McKellar set the tone by hitting his first shot of the game, a 3-point shot from the right baseline, and junior Christian Moody swished another trey moments later to get the Tigers in the groove.

“I was a little worried about having a week off and trying to make sure our stamina was there and our conditioning was there,” said Watson “They did a good job all week preparing, and they did just an outstanding job playing defense tonight.”

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For the game, HHS was 10 of 22 from 3-point range (45.5 percent), and when they went making 3-pointers, the Tigers were driving the lane, driving the baseline, attacking the basket at every opportunity for either lay-up/dunk or a kickout to an open shooter.

The inside-outside game has long been a feature of Watson’s team at Hattiesburg, and this year’s team runs it as well as any he’s had.

Senior Darrian Johnson, a 6-foot-7 forward, was the lynchpin for the Tigers on both end of the court. He finished with a game-high 15 points, and also had 6 rebounds and 4 blocks.

“If Darrian plays like he did tonight, and our shooting comes around, we’re very tough to beat,” Watson said. “If he plays, and our outside plays, we’re going to be pretty good.

“We work on the shooting part every day, but the teamwork comes from them. They just believe in each other, and they pass the ball and share the ball very well.”

And it was all working for the Tigers in the first half.

After senior Jaxon Screws drove the baseline for a slam dunk to cut Hattiesburg’s lead to 10-4, the Tigers went on a 15-0 rampage through the rest of the first quarter and into the second.

Johnson drove the lane, drew a foul and made the free throw for a three-point play, freshman Tristan Keys, off the bench, hit a 3-ball, then closed the period with another trey.

Moody capped the deciding surge early in the second quarter by driving the baseline on a backdoor pass to give Hattiesburg a 21-point (21-4) and that was as close as the Hurricanes would get the rest of the game.

“We wanted to shut them down,” said Johnson. “Offensively, defensively, we wanted to get on their stuff early, so we wouldn’t have to worry about a close game.”

The Tigers continued their hot shooting in the second period, hitting 7 of 10 from the field. They converted 16 of 28 shots (57.1 percent) in the first half and were 21 of 40 (52.5 percent) through the first three quarters before Watson cleared his bench.

“We’ve been working in the gym on our shooting,” said McKellar, who had 12 points on four made 3-point shots. “We had a good shootaround this morning, so we felt good coming into the game.”

Defensively, Hattiesburg forced 20 turnovers – 18 in the first three quarters – and held West Harrison to just 6 of 22 shooting (27.3 percent) in the first half.

HHS also got good work out of its bench, with non-starters scoring 25 points, led by Keys with 12 points off the bench. Indeed, much of the damage in the Tigers’ decisive first-quarter surge was done with the second five on the floor.

“The bench is one of our strengths,” said Watson. “It’s good when you can get role players to play above and beyond what they think they’re capable of playing.”

Sophomore Reese Owens led West Harrison (9-14) with 9 points, as the Hurricanes had 11 players on the scoresheet.

A year ago, Florence, now 14-9 after defeating George County on Saturday, ended Hattiesburg’s season in the quarterfinal round after the Tigers had gotten past West Harrison in the second round. The Tigers hope for a different outcome this year.

“Tonight, it was just a matter of coming in prepared,” said Johnson. “Our coaches preached all week about being prepared not just for tonight, but for the whole playoffs. We’re hungry.

“Being a senior, and playing here means a lot to me. We’ve been playing great all season, but we want to win that state championship. It’s really important to me, it’s important to my teammates, and that’s all we focus on.”

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