Photo: 6A state trophies ready to be claimed on championship night at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
The Ridgeland Titans claimed its first-ever MHSAA 6A state boys’ basketball championship with a strong second half to defeat the Olive Branch Conquistadors Saturday night in Jackson. The 79-53 final gave the Titans the title and stopped the Quistors attempt at a second-straight state championship. It was also a rematch of last year’s final game that Olive Branch won.
Ridgeland took control early in the game, rallying from a 6-2 deficit to lead 15-10 after one quarter. The lead became 23-12 with five minutes left in the half before Xavier Poplar’s three-pointer got the Quistors back on the board.
Poplar hit another basket and Vonkerius Reed was on his way to a half-ending dunk but wasn’t aware of the time left and the horn sounded before he could throw the ball down.
Reece Garrison led Olive Branch in scoring with seven points and Tommy Callicut added four and nine rebounds.
Ashton Manuel led two Titans in double figures at halftime with 13 points. Phil Nelson added 11 in the first half.
Callicutt and King George took over for the Quistors and Ridgeland needed a timeout with 5:03 left in the third with a 35-30 lead. Olive Branch scored a basket and tied the game when Callicutt added a free throw, but the Titans retook the lead at 39-37 when George was called for a technical foul on the play and Josiah Davidson’s basket gave the Titans a four-point edge. George picked up his fourth personal with 18 seconds left in the quarter. George left the game and Taveon Mitchell came in to replace him.
Olive Branch thought they had a basket with 5:11 left in the game but James Hill hit the floor with an injury and the referee stopped play as a layup was about to go in the basket. Hill was attended to and the Quistors would hit a three once play resumed.
The Titans pushed the margin to 12 with three-and-half minutes left when an intentional foul was followed by a technical foul that put Nelson to the line for four free throws which he made followed by another Titan basket.
An intentional foul followed by a technical foul could put the game away for Ridgeland. Nelson hits four free throws and Ridgeland gets the ball leading 59-49 with 4:21 left.
“They get four free throws and then get the ball back,” Olive Branch coach Eric Rombaugh said. “I didn’t understand some of the calls down the stretch, but you know, it is what it is.”
The sequence took the steam out of the Quistors and the Titans continued to pour it after that on their way to the championship.
“It just got away from us at the end,” Rombaugh said. “It was a good ball game for three-and-a-half quarters.”
Rombaugh quickly pointed to another glaring statistic: 34 turnovers.
“You’re not going to be at anybody with 34 turnovers,” Rombaugh said. “The turnovers and missed opportunities pretty well sums it up.”
Callicutt led Olive Branch in scoring with 14 points, followed by George and Poplar with 11 points each. Garrison hit for 10 points before he fouled out in the fourth quarter.
MVP championship Player of the Game Phil Nelson led Ridgeland with 26 points and Ashton Manuel followed with 20.
ROMAUGH NAMED SCHOLAR ATHLETE: Each team is presented a scholar athlete award before the championship game. This year, the scholar athlete award for Olive Branch went to junior guard Landon Rombaugh.
