MRA girls roll over JA to stay undefeated in district play
The MRA girls’ basketball team rolled to a 47-26 win over Jackson Academy in a battle of undefeated teams in MAIS 6A district play on Tuesday night.
The Lady Patriots used stifling defensive pressure and an up-tempo offense to jump out to a 32-8 lead by halftime.
“We had a plan defensively that I thought we executed really well,” MRA Head Coach Stephen Force said. “The way that we came together and executed that plan as a team really excites me going forward because we were able to adjust and change some things that we don’t normally do defensively and just overall our team defense was fantastic.”
From there, MRA never looked back, holding onto that huge halftime lead and never looking back. Sophomore Anna Morgan Anderson and senior Allie Redding led MRA in the scoring column with 19 and 10 points on the night.
MRA also dominated on the boards in the win, out rebounding JA 40-21 overall and 16-7 on the offensive boards.
The Lady Patriots have a ton of height and length in their starting lineup and have effectively used that this year, winning their first three district games over PCS, St. Joseph, and Jackson Academy by twenty points or more.
“We have a lot of different lineup combinations that can allow us to have a big lineup on the floor and that really is a luxury,” Force said. “Tonight, we did not go with a lineup as big as we could have, but we did change defenses one time in the first half just to throw them out of rhythm a little bit, but I think our size does have some effects on the game.”
Coming into district play, MRA played a very tough non-district schedule, including a Christmas tournament in Collierville (TN), MAIS powerhouses East Rankin Academy and Leake Academy, and solid MHSAA teams such as Choctaw Central, Gulfport, and Harrison Central.
“We like to go somewhere and play over the holidays right before district play because we get to play some teams that we are unfamiliar with and are unfamiliar with us and that allows us to really fine-tune some things and make adjustments,” Force said. “Overall playing a tough non-district schedule helps us immensely as a team, as basketball players, and chemistry with our group.”
MRA will wrap up the week with a district road matchup against Hartfield Academy on Friday and home non-district game against Greenville Christian. As for Jackson Academy, the Lady Raiders will travel to St. Joseph on Friday for a district matchup and will also have a road non-district matchup against Starkville Academy on Saturday.