Tishomingo County headed to MHSAA 4A Championship after dramatic 37-34 win over Quitman

The Lady Braves took the lead in the final minute and held on to punch their ticket to the title game

Tishomingo County’s girls will play for a championship after a heart-stopping 37-34 win over Quitman in Wednesday’s MHSAA Class 4A Semifinal at the Mississippi Coliseum.

The Lady Braves (29-3) will face Morton (29-2) in the championship round at 10 a.m. Saturday.

On Wednesday morning, the Tishomingo County never led by more than five points, but found a way to win thanks a couple of key fourth-quarter possessions.

After Quitman freshman Camille Laphand hit a layup to tie the game at 34-34 with a minute remaining, Meg Moore grabbed a clutch rebound and got the put-back to put the Lady Braves ahead by two with 23.5 seconds left.

The Lady Panthers (25-6) missed a couple of free throws on the other end on the ensuing possession, and Reese Moore made one of her two free throws to stretch the lead to three at 37-34 with 5.6 seconds left on the clock.

The potential game-tying three-pointer from Quitman bounced off the back of the rim as time expired.

“Sloppy game offensively,” Tishomingo coach Brian Middleton said. “I thought we were forcing a lot of shots early and should have been more patient. We just kept talking about it, and finally Reese was patient on a couple of drives and made enough plays. They never quit, and that’s something we preach all the time. I was proud of them for grinding it out.”

The Moore sisters combined for 18 points for Tishomingo County in a game where points were at a premium. The Lady Braves made just 14 of their 43 shots from the floor. Oddly enough, Tishomingo’s smallest player, point guard Yareli Ozuna, led all rebounders with 12.

Aaliyah Nixon scored 11 points to lead Quitman.