First round of Class 3A State Championship: Choctaw Central vs Belmont. Lady Warriors advance to play Ripley Thursday, March 3, for the title.

    Willis Tullos had barely taken the Choctaw Central girls program back over in June when he started talking about winning a state championship.

    The Warriors are now just one step away from that title after dispatching of defending MHSAA Class 3A champion Belmont 61-49 on Friday at the Mississippi Coliseum.

    “When we first started practice back in the summer, about the third or fourth practice, I told the girls we can win the state championship,” Tullos, the legendary Choctaw coach, said. “They bought into it. It was a lot different and they had to make a lot of adjustments.

    “But they did. And they’ve worked their tails off. This is a great feeling and it’s a tribute to our players.”

    The Warriors get that opportunity at 1 p.m. Thursday against Ripley, which defeated Southeast Lauderdale in the other semifinal. The Tigers ended Choctaw’s season last year in a semifinal before falling to the Cardinals.

    “They’ve got a great team,” Tullos said of Ripley. “It’s a privilege to get to play them again.

    “Ripley is very, very good. They deserve to be here. But I feel that we do, too.”

    In pulling away from Belmont, the Warriors (31-3) proved they are. Leading 26-22 at halftime, Choctaw opened the second half on an 11-3 run to take firm control. Kristen Dixon led the surge, scoring six of her 11 points in the run, while also assisting on an Anissa Allen bucket to end the streak. Allen, who finished with 11, started it with a 3-pointer, her third of the game.

    Belmont, though, would rally, pulling within four late in the period, but the Warriors had a response to every Cardinal run. After the Cardinals climbed to within 43-39 with 1:06 remaining in the third, Choctaw rattled off five straight as (1) drained a 3 and then assisted on a Chenice Ben basket.

    Then, after Belmont (26-7) pulled with 55-49 with 3:23 left on a pair of Angelia Allen free throws, Choctaw methodically milked the clock, shutting out the Cardinals the rest of the way. It helped that Choctaw hit 11 of their final 14 free throws after making just three of their first eight. Mildred Jimmie made 8 of 11 on her way to a team-high 16 points.

    “First part of the ballgame with it being the state tournament and the Coliseum and adjusting,” Tullos said. “It takes a few minutes. And after they adjusted to the surroundings, I thought they shot the ball real well the second half. I thought our free throw shooting the second half was outstanding.

    “And we shoot free throws well. We only missed one in the South State championship and two in the semifinal. So we shoot free throws well, but we didn’t that first half. I think it was just a matter of getting used to the surroundings.”

    The charity stripe was also kind to Belmont, especially early. The Cardinals hit all 10 of their attempts in the first half to remain close to the Warriors. Angelia Allen scored 15 of her 23 points at the line, connecting on all but three of her tries. Leslie Robinson added 11 points, while Kelsie Montgomery finished with 10.

    “I thought we fouled too much and that was the only way they stayed in the ballgame the first half,” Tullos added. “When you have free throw shooters like (Robinson) and (Angelia Allen), you’re asking for disaster.

    “I thought we did a real poor job with that. We made some fouls that there was no rhyme or reason for making. But we didn’t do that the second half. Our kids understand the game and they know how to make adjustments.”

    When they weren’t getting to the line, the Cardinals struggled to score against the Choctaw, in large part due to the presence of Dixon at the back of the Warriors’ frenetic pressure defense. The 5-foot-11 sophomore blocked eight shots – five in the first half. Her ability – she is averaging 6.8 per game – also helped the rest of the Warriors play aggressively enough to force 25 turnovers. Belmont also made just 28.3 percent of their shots – 13 of 46.

    “I do that every game,” Dixon said after she also scored 11 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, handed out five assists and made three steals. “I’m just glad we got back and hope we can win the state championship.”

    Added Tullos: “That means everything to us. When you have somebody back there that you know is going to make it difficult for them to shoot those layups, it just makes it so much easier for you to use that pressure.

    “She erases a lot of mistakes.”