INDIANOLA — The Greenville High School girls basketball team never stopped BEE-LIEVING.
On Monday night in the opening round of the Region 2-5A Tournament at Gentry High School, the Honeybees had their biggest win of the year in their 33-31 victory over Yazoo City. The Greenville victory not only advances the Bees to the semifinals of the tournament where they will host Holmes County at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, but the win also gives them a place in next week’s regional tournament.
The victory for the Honeybees snapped a nine-game losing streak and was a validation of coach Dakedreon Lampkin’s message of never giving up.
“I kept saying, throughout the whole month of January, even though we have been losing, losing and losing. I said when the district tournament starts it is a new season, and everything you did both good and bad means nothing and is erased and everything is over. That is the mindset we went into with this game.”
The Honeybees won Monday’s game by making a number of clutch shots down the wire. The Indians from Yazoo City had two opportunities to win or tie the game in the last 10 seconds, but both times the Honeybees stayed strong.
Greenville (13-13) broke a tie ball game and took a 33-29 lead when junior guard Charlisa Barney, who finished with 10 points, four rebounds and five assists, made a breakaway basket with 2:10 on the clock and then sophomore post player Coriyonna Brown sank two clutch free throws. Brown led Greenville with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Greenville’s Tykeria McCullum added 8 points.
“What I liked most about the game was when we missed a layup at the end, instead of criticizing and blaming one another, we came back and got a stop and a rebound and we won the game regardless,” Coach Lampkin said.
“One thing I kept preaching throughout the whole month was to keep playing. I told them that even though we are losing, we are right with these folks. We have played Yazoo City three games now, and all three games were close. I just had to tell them that a few plays here or there, and this game could be different.”
Monday’s game was tied 25-25 heading into the fourth quarter when Greenville employed the tactic of ’stall ball’ for the next four minutes as Barney calmly dribbled the ball near half court. Tykeria McCullum then broke the tie with a 3-pointer to give the Honeybees a 28-25 lead.
The Hornets were giving the Indians a piece of their own medicine as Coach Lampkin explained.
“I wanted them to come and guard my guard (Charlisa Barney) one on one. But, when they stayed back and the game was tied. I said, ‘You know what, I am going to wait him (Yazoo City Coach Joffre Washington) out’. He had done that several times where he held the ball. I said, ‘You know what, let me try it and see what happens because they didn’t have anyone who could stay with my guard (Barney).
