Andrika Carter

While winning a state championship wasn’t a prerequisite for a spot on this year’s Premier Preps basketball team, players from championship-winning squads are peppered throughout the roster.

Premier Preps is The Meridian Star’s all area sports teams. Through the different seasons, coaches nominate players from their teams, and the Star’s sports staff selects from the pool of nominees which players will make the squads. In basketball, due to the number of nominees and the level of competition, smaller schools and larger schools were divided into two separate categories. 

Seven players from Choctaw Central and Neshoba Central, winners of the 3A and 5A state titles, respectively, earned a spot on the list. 

Choctaw Central, represented by Premier Prep selections Kaedre Denson, Kyannah Grant, Kyarrah Grant and Darien Tubby, claimed its sixth state championship with a 75-42 win against Amanda Elzy in a game in which they built a 40-point lead. 

Neshoba Central, which placed Taylor Ben, Andria Carter and Relissia Ray on the Classes 4-6A Premier Preps list, defeated West Point 56-45 to cap a magical season for coach Fred Morris that saw the Lady Rockets win their first basketball title in more than two decades. 

West Lauderdale’s Mallory Thompson and Maggie Wooldridge earned a spot on the list after leading the Lady Knights to the state tournament, where they ultimately fell in the Class 4A semifinals. Thompson established herself as West Lauderdale’s go-to scorer, and she ended the year scoring 17 points per game. Wooldridge was selected to play in the North-South All-Star basketball game after tallying 13 points, three steals and three assists per game.

Tiffany Wilson helped guide Newton County to a 21-8 record this season, giving the Lady Cougars their most successful season in a decade. The rangy forward averaged a double-double in every game this year behind 12.9 points and 10.2 rebounds per contest. She also blocked 12 shots and tallied 30 steals.

Quitman’s Dyneshia House was a member of the 2016 Lady Panthers state championship team. This year, she led Quitman with 11 points per game, while also grabbing five boards per game. House earned the Lady Panthers’ Captain’s Award, and was named her team’s MVP.

TyMesha Reed’s contributions this year for Meridian give Lady Wildcats fans reason to be excited about the future. The freshman point guard averaged 10.4 points and 3.4 assists per game. The spark plug earned a spot on the All-Region team.

After averaging 15.8 points per game during her senior season, Kemper County’s Kiandrea Cherry announced she’ll continue her basketball dominance at Coahoma Community College. Cherry ended the year ranked No. 10 in scoring in 3A, and led 3A in scoring as a junior. The First-Team All-District player also hauled in 4.5 rebounds per game to go along with 2.3 steals per game this season.

A seventh-grader, Lamar School’s Debreasha Powe checks in as the younger player on the Premier Preps list. Powe averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game for the Lady Raiders. She also scored 35 points during a regular-season game, and was selected to the MAIS All-District second team.

Andrika Carter was a double-double machine for Philadelphia this year. The sophomore forward ended the season having scored 11 points and 13 rebounds per game, while averaging two steals per game. 

LaTonya Adams doubled as Clarkdale’s forward and center this year. Adams, who committed to Meridian Community College, ended the season with 12.9 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. Adams is a three-time Clarkdale team MVP, and is also a three-time All-District selection.

While the selection of the Premier Preps girls basketball teams may be over, the upcoming Premier Preps banquet on May 22 will further honor these athletes while also selecting a player and coach of the year. Be on the lookout for more information on that banquet leading up to that night.

SMALL SCHOOL

Darien Tubby

Junior

Guard

Choctaw Central

Why she’s here: Tubby earned C SPIRE player of the game honors after scoring a game-high 18 points in Choctaw Central’s  Class 3A state championship victory. Tubby ran point for Lady Warriors and averaged 12.4 points per game. She also earned All-District and All-State honors. 

Kaedre Denson

Sophomore

Center

Choctaw Central 

Why she’s here: Denson tallied double-double efforts in Choctaw Central’s quarterfinal and semifinal contests en route to a state championship. A gifted defender, Denson also proved a force offensively, as she averaged 11.6 points per game. The underclassmen garnered All-State and All-District honors.

Kyannah Grant

Junior

Guard

Choctaw Central

Grant poured in a 15-point effort in the 3A championship and was named C SPIRE scholar-athlete of the game. She averaged 11.3 points per game and did much of her scoring damage from beyond the arc. Grant was also an All-District and All-State selection.

Kyarrah Grant

Junior

Guard

Choctaw Central 

Why she’s here: Grant was an integral part of the Lady Warriors starting five and averaged double-digit scoring this season (10.4 points per game). She scored 11 points in the Lady Warriors’ state title game. Grant was also an All-District and All-State selection. 

Andrika Carter

Sophomore

Power Forward

Philadelphia 

Why she’s here: Carter averaged a double-double in each contest this season behind 11 points and 13 rebounds per game. She also averaged two steals per game. Carter was named to the Sebastopol Tournament’s All-Tournament Team, and was an All-Division 5-3A selection. 

Debreasha Powe

Seventh Grade

Guard and Center

Lamar School

Why she’s here: The youngest player on the list, Powe started for the Lady Raiders’ varsity and junior varsity teams. Powe scored a season-high 35 points, and averaged 16 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game. Powe earned the Lamar Christmas Bash All-Tournament Player Award and was named to the MAIS All-District second team.  

Kiandrea Cherry

Senior

Shooting Guard

Kemper County

Why she’s here: Cherry averaged 15.8 points per game this season. She also pulled in 4.5 rebounds per game, made 2.3 steals per game and dished 2.5 assists per game for the Lady Wildcats. Cherry, who will play at Coahoma Community College, was also a First-Team All-District selection. 

LaTonya Adams

Senior

Forward and Center

Clarkdale

Why she’s here: Adams led the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 12.9 points per game, while also grabbing 9.6 rebounds per contest. Adams is a three-time All-District selection and a three-time Clarkdale MVP. She was also named to the district tournament team on two occasions. 

LARGE SCHOOL

Mallory Thompson

West Lauderdale

Senior

Guard

Why she’s here: Thompson helped lead the Lady Knights to the state semifinal round of the Class 4A playoffs and was West Lauderdale’s primary scoring threat. She averaged 17 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals per game and was named regional MVP and first-team All-Region.

Maggie Wooldridge

West Lauderdale

Junior

Guard

Why she’s here: A North/South All-Star selection, Wooldridge ran point for the Lady Knights and finished with a season average of 13 points per game, three steals per game, three assists per game and three rebounds per game. She was also named first-team All-Region.

Relissia Ray

Neshoba Central

Senior

Forward

Why she’s here: An East Central Community College commit, Ray helped guide the Lady Rockets to a Class 5A state title this past season. She finished with 11.5 points per game and was 48 percent on 3-point shooting. 

Andria Carter

Neshoba Central

Senior

Forward

Why she’s here: A dynamic player for Neshoba Central, Carter averaged a double-double on the year with 13 points and 10 rebounds per game to go along with three steals per game. She has generated interest from East Central and Rust College.

Tiffany Wilson

Newton County

Sophomore

Forward

Why she’s here: Wilson played a big role in Newton County winning 21 games this past season, as she tallied 13 points per game and 10 rebounds per game. Wilson also accounted for 12 blocks and 30 steals on the season. 

Taylor Ben

Neshoba Central

Sophomore

Guard

Why she’s here: Ben helped the Lady Rockets win a championship this season by tallying 9.5 points per game and four assists per game. She was also an 84-percent free throw shooter, and was named the C SPIRE player of the game in the Class 5A title round after making 8 of 10 free throws in the game’s final two minutes.

Dyneshia House

Quitman

Senior

Guard/small forward

Why she’s here: As a junior, House was a member of the Quitman team that won the Class 4A title. As a senior, she helped lead the team with 11 points per game and five rebounds per game, earning her a spot on the All-Region team. She was also given the Captain’s Award and was named team MVP. 

TyMesha Reed

Meridian

Freshman 

Point Guard

Why she’s here: She may only be a freshman, but Reed was a valuable player for the Lady Wildcats this past season, averaging 10.4 points per game and 3.4 assists per game. She was also named to the All-Region team.