McAdams rallies past Byers, into MHSAA 1A boys basketball state championship vs. Biggersville
For the second year in a row, McAdams is heading back to the 1A state title game.
The Bulldogs suffocated the H.W. Byers Lions with an oppressive second-half press, and Jacquese Greer and Jamar Teague provided the offense as the Bulldogs rallied past H.W. Byers 51-46 in the Semifinal Round of the MHSAA Boys Class 1A Basketball playoffs at the Mississippi Coliseum on Monday afternoon.
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McAdams (25-6) will face Biggersville (24-2) at 8 p.m. Thursday night for the Class 1A State Championship. The Lions defeated South Delta 72-48 in Monday's first semifinal matchup.
“Found a way to get back in the game and it was tough," McAdams coach Kyesun Jackson said. "We went back to what we’ve done all season in the second half with pressuring teams and causing turnovers. I had a feeling we had to go to what got us here. We were slowing them down with the zone and forcing them have to make shots.”
Byers controlled the first half. The Lions jumped out to an 11-4 lead to begin the game and held a 15-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter every time McAdams cut into the Byers lead, the Lions had an answer. And that response usually came from Omarrius Johnson, who scored 12 points in the first half. Byers led it 29-20 lead at halftime.
The Bulldogs made the switch to the full-court press to start the second half, and it worked — they forced 14 third quarter turnovers and scored eight points off of them.
The Lions still held a slim 37-32 lead headed to the fourth, but McAdams quickly tied it up at 37-37 early in the fourth as Kurt Mitchell hit a lay-up and a three-pointer with 6:13 left to tie the game.
After Byers regained the lead at 44-39 the Bulldogs answered with a 9-0 run to take a 48-44 lead that was highlighted by a Greer lay-up. The senior also hit one-of-two free throws to give the Bulldogs a 45-44 lead with 2:01 remaining. It was the Bulldogs' first lead of the game, and they never gave it back.
Byers had two looks to tie the game with a pair of late three-pointers, but both rimmed out.
Greer sealed the game by hitting a pair of free throws with five seconds left.
“We’ve had to play from behind the last couple games," Jackson said. "These guys have a grit factor and they are going to fight and stay in the game, and that’s what happened. These guys have a taste of what’s it like to come up short in this building and they don’t want that feeling again.”
Greer finished with 14 points to lead McAdams, while Teague added 12 points and Kurt Mitchell chipped in 11 points for the Bulldogs.
“We saw on film that they fumbled the ball a bit if you pressure them," Greer said. "And we told coach to put the pressure on them and just keep playing. I’m a senior, so those late buckets were a big moment for me, so I had to step up. When we face adversity, we just keep our head up and play.”
Johnson had a game-high 18 points to lead Byers, while Jabari Wright added 11 points and Marion Fitzpatrick chipped in 10 points for the Lions (25-4).
“We know what to do, we just didn’t do it and didn’t handle the press well,” said Byers coach Fred Stafford. “We played hard, but turnovers got us at the end. We were right there, and a turnovers got us.”
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