Two Division I commits, three state champions and one eighth grader from five schools comprise the 2018 Premier Preps of East Mississippi girls basketball team. 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 each team. Here are a handful of numbers that defined this year’s girls basketball selections.

2 — Players who participated in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game: After winning the Class 3A state championship, Choctaw Central’s Kyannah Grant and Kyarrah Grant played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game. Kyannah Grant went 4-for-7 with nine points and four rebounds, while Kyarrah Grant was 2 of 8 with eight points and three assists and three rebounds. 

6 — Underclassmen on this year’s team: Lamar School eighth-grader Debreasha Powe checks in as the youngest member of this year’s Premier Preps of East Mississippi team. Meridian sophomore Ti’lan Boler, and the quartet of Andrika Carter (Philadelphia), Taylor Ben (Neshoba Central), Shawanda Gray (Enterprise) and Myja McNichols (Newton) round out the other five underclassmen.

4 — Premier Prep of East Mississippi slated to play in college: Choctaw Central’s twin duo Kyarrah Grant and Kyannah Grant committed to play for the Division I UT-Martin Skyhawks, while point guard Darien Tubby is headed to Copiah-Lincoln Community College. Meridian’s Chameria Washington is headed to Poplarville to play for the Pearl River Community College Wildcats.

11.9 — Points per game by selections:  Lamar School’s Debreasha Powe earned the distinction of having the highest points-per-game average, as she amassed 17 per contests. Enterprise’s Shawanda Gray, Meridian’s Ti’lan Boler and Newton’s Myja McNichols averaged 14 points per game, while Taylor Ben (Neshoba Central) and Andrika Carter (Philadelphia) tallied 13 points per game. 

5 — Players making their second Premier Preps appearance: Taylor Ben (Neshoba Central), Debreasha Powe (Lamar School), Andrika Carter (Philadelphia), Kyarrah Grant (Choctaw Central), Kyannah Grant (Choctaw Central) and Darien Tubby (Choctaw Central) have earned Premier Preps of East Mississippi honors for a second consecutive season. 

7 — Schools represented: Choctaw Central led the way with three (Darien Tubby, Kyarrah Grant, Kyannah Grant) selections. Meridian placed two players (Ti’lan Boler and Chameria Washington) on the list. Lamar School, Enterprise, Newton, Philadelphia and Neshoba Central each produced one selection.

2018 TEAM MEMBERS

Darien Tubby — Senior Guard — Choctaw Central

Why she’s here: Tubby recently committed to Copiah-Lincoln, but not before stringing together  a season where she averaged 8 points, 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds per contest in abbreviated minutes due to large leads the Lady Warriors built in games. Tubby helped lead the Lady Warriors to a second-consecutive MHSAA Class 3A state title this season, and she was named the state championship’s C SPIRE Player of the Game for the second time in as many years. 

 

 

 

 

Ti’Ian Boler — Sophomore Guard — Meridian

Why she’s here: Despite her status as an underclassman, that didn’t stop Boler from harassing opponents. She ended the year with 14 points and 10 rebounds per game. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Andrika Carter — Junior Forward — Philadelphia

Why she’s here: Carter dazzled again this season for the Lady Tornadoes and was rewarded with postseason accolades, as she earned spots on the All-Division 4-2A team and Region 4-2A All-Tournament team. She ended the year averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds per game. Carter, and MHSAA scholar athlete and Farm Bureau Player of the Week, was named the MVP of the Mid-Mississippi Challenge game.

 

 

 

Chameria Washington — Senior Center — Meridian

Why she’s here: Washington was a force in the paint for the Wildcats. She snagged All-Region honors after tallying a stat line of 10 points and 15 rebounds per contest. Washington is heading to Pearl River Community College next season to continue her academic and athletic careers.

 

 

 

 

 

Kyarrah Grant — Senior Guard — Choctaw Central

Why she’s here: Grant capped her senior season with a game-high 20 points in Choctaw Central’s Class 3A state championship win. Grant ended the year with 8 points per game, 2.9 rebounds per game and 1.6 assists per game even though she was routinely pulled early due to Choctaw Central’s large leads during the season. She is a four-year All-Region selection and will play for UT-Martin next season. 

 

 

 

 

Taylor Ben — Junior Guard — Neshoba Central

Why she’s here: Ben was a standout player for a Neshoba Central team that reached the MHSAA Class 5A quarterfinals. She averaged 13 points per game, 5 assists and 2.3 steals. Ben, who was a member of the 2017 Lady Rockets state championship team, shot 80 percent from the free-throw line and 51 percent from the field. 

 

  

 

Kyannah Grant — Senior Guard — Choctaw Central

Why she’s here: Grant will join her twin sister Kyarrah at UT-Martin. She recorded 13 points and a team-high six rebounds in the Lady Warriors’ state championship win. She averaged 7.6 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game, and did so despite being pulled early after Choctaw Central routinely built large leads in contests during the season. Grant was named to the All-Region team for the fourth consecutive year and played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game. 

 

 

 

 

 

Shawanda Gray — Junior Guard — Enterprise

Why she’s here: Gray helped lead Enterprise to a 21-4 record this year, as the Lady Bulldogs enjoyed one of their best seasons in school history. Despite an injury that forced her to miss time, Gray was still able to average 14.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4 steals, 4.5 deflections and 3.7 assist per game. She was named Enterprise’s MVP and landed on the All-Region team as honorable mention. 

 

 

 

 

 

Debreasha Powe — Eighth-Grade Forward — Lamar

Why she’s here: Powe appeared on the Premier Preps roster last year as a seventh grader. This year, she scored 17 points per game to go along with 11.3 rebounds per game to lead the Lady Raiders to their most successful season in school history. Powe earned MAIS Class AAAA, Division II All-District honors, and was named to the MAIS Class AAAA, Division II state All-Tournament team.

 

 

 

 

 

Myja McNichols — Junior Forward — Newton

Why she’s here: McNichols was a dominant force in Region 4-2A play this season. She averaged 14 points a game and 10 rebounds per game to help lead Newton to a 23-5 record and a sparking 8-0 record in regular-season divisional play. Alabama A&M and Hinds CC have shown interest.