Rematch between SHS, Tupelo boys highlight schedule

Events like the Travis Outlaw Slam Dunk at the Hump Classic present matchups that raise the eyebrows.

That’s what high school basketball fans will get this afternoon when the Starkville Yellow Jackets meet the Tupelo Golden Wave in the first boys game of the event at 1:30 p.m.

It will be a rematch of three weeks ago in Tupelo when SHS lost a tough 57-55 decision in overtime during the All-American Classic.

The Golden Wave now return the favor and head to Starkville after the Jackets played in their pre-holiday event.

“We don’t play in the regular season and we couldn’t work out dates to play during the regular season, so we decided to play in each other’s classics,” SHS boys coach Greg Carter said. “It’s a good time for us to play. Everyone looks forward to Starkville-Tupelo games. Hopefully we’ll play a little better this time and we’ll be able to pull it out.”

The tournament opens today when the Olive Branch and Louisville girls play at noon, then the Starkville girls take on Noxubee County at 3 p.m. after the SHSTupelo boys. The Itawamba AHS and Jesuit boys meet in the final game of the first day at 4:30 p.m.

On Thursday, the Louisville-Noxubee County girls start at noon, then the Tupelo-Jesuit boys take the court at 1:30 p.m.

This is the first time that Jesuit out of New Orleans has participated at the Travis Outlaw Tournament and Carter was glad to add it to the schedule.

“We’re grateful that they would want to come play in our tournament,” Carter said. “We’re excited to watch them play.”

The Starkville-Olive Branch girls play the third game on Thursday at 3 p.m. It’s a rematch of the 2017 Class 6A State championship game.

SHS girls coach Kristie Williams knows exactly what to expect from the Lady Conquistadors.

“I know Olive Branch is going to come out with a lot of pressure and that will be a good test for us to close out this half of our season,” Williams said. “We don’t expect anything less than them coming out and we having a good battle for four quarters.”

The Jackets will close out the event with an outing against Itawamba AHS at 4:30 p.m.

Carter said it’s always a nice postChristmas treat to bring squads into Humphrey Coliseum for competition.

“We look forward to it every year,” Carter said. “It’s an exciting time of year for us. We enjoy going out to Mississippi State, play and they allow us accommodations.”