DeSoto Central drives past Greenville Christian at MHS Classic
Photo: Shaun Banger (3) of DeSoto Central sets up the offense during Monday’s victory over Greenville Christian at Magnolia Heights. (Bob Bakken/DeSotocountynews.com)
SENATOBIA, Miss. – Behind a balanced offensive attack and a suffocating defensive performance, DeSoto Central cruised to a 65-19 victory over Greenville Christian on Monday at the Magnolia Heights Memorial Basketball Classic.
The Jaguars established dominance early and never looked back, utilizing a scoreless second quarter to build a massive halftime lead. Langston Simpson led the charge for DeSoto Central, finishing with a game-high 16 points.
Defensive Dominance
The story of the first half was the Jaguars’ defense. After jumping out to a 19-7 lead in the first quarter, DeSoto Central completely shut down the Saints’ offense in the second frame. The Jaguars went on a 21-0 run to take a 40-7 lead into the locker room.
The scoring drought for Greenville Christian extended deep into the third quarter. The Saints finally snapped the streak halfway through the period when a free throw—following a technical foul for hanging on the rim—ended a nearly 12-minute scoreless stretch.
With a 48-9 lead shortly after, the game moved to a running clock for the remainder of the second half.
Jaguars Share the Wealth
DeSoto Central head coach Blake Orman was most impressed by his team’s discipline despite the lopsided score.
“They stayed together and played unselfish basketball,” Orman said. “A lot of times when you’re up big, it becomes about ‘getting mine,’ but I thought we did a good job of continuing to move the basketball.”
Simpson’s 16-point performance was a standout moment for the Jaguars. Orman noted that Simpson is one of the team’s best shooters in practice and hopes this performance serves as a springboard for the rest of the season.
“Once he gets going, he can really shoot the basketball at a high level,” Orman said. “I’m hoping this is a confidence builder for him.”
Simpson was joined in double figures by Blake Price (11 points), Ace Webster (10 points), and AJ Hussey (10 points). Greenville Christian was led by Erron Robinson, who finished with nine points.
A Major Test Awaits
The tournament victory serves as a tune-up for DeSoto Central as they prepare for the rigors of district play. However, a much stiffer challenge looms immediately.
The Jaguars return to the court at the Magnolia Heights Memorial Basketball Classic on Tuesday afternoon at 1:10 p.m. to face West Union. The undefeated Wildcats enter the matchup as the No. 1 ranked team in Class 1A.
“Tomorrow we’ve got a very big challenge,” Orman said. “They are playing extremely good basketball right now, so that’s going to be really good for us to see where we are.”
