The Southeast Lauderdale boys basketball team has been focused on three trophy games since losing 47-35 to Booneville in the MHSAA Class 3A State Championship a year ago.

The Tigers beat Northeast Lauderdale 55-35 in the Sam Dale Tournament final in December, but they lost 53-51 to Morton in the Region 5-3A Tournament Championship. That left one more opportunity to raise a trophy at the end of the season, if only they could make it through five rounds of the state tournament.

The Tigers breezed past Franklin County 65-38, pulled out a 67-55 win on the road at Tylertown, crushed Magee 61-24 and beat Byhalia 63-60 in overtime. Then came the rematch with Booneville in the 3A Championship.

The Blue Devils got off to a hot start in the Mississippi Coliseum on Saturday, and the Tigers could not build any momentum after the first quarter. In the end, it was the Blue Devils raising the golden trophy once again after they earned a 70-51 victory.

“They made a lot of big shots, timely shots, so you’ve got to take your hats off to them,” Southeast Lauderdale coach Centel Truman said. “But I’m proud of my guys. They played extraordinarily. It’s just one of those things where you’ve got to make baskets and you’ve got to defend a little better, and today we didn’t do it.”

The Tigers quickly found themselves down 9-0 before the Tigers’ scorers roared back. 2023 3A Mr. Basketball Demondre Graham hit three shots and Elliot Tulip sank two to give Southeast a 12-11 lead.

“Last year we struggled a lot offensively,” Truman said. “This year I think we did a little better than we did last year, but not much. I just told them to weather the storm, keep fighting, keep pushing, you’ve been here before, just keep playing.”

The Tigers played their roles — Graham scored 12 points, Tulip hit three 3-pointers and Derrius Ramsey was in position for block after block — but Southeast never took another lead.

The Tigers began to take some questionable shots once the Blue Devils increased their lead in the second quarter, which allowed Booneville to take a 30-23 lead into halftime. It was more of the same in the second quarter, with Booneville hitting open attempts while Southeast slogged through a tough Blue Devil defense on the other end.

“It’s hard to play in here,” Truman said. “It’s very loud, so sometimes we missed offensive calls here and there. But, at the end of the day, Booneville did some things defensively to make us take some bad shots as well.”

The loss marked the last time Southeast’s nine seniors, including Graham and Ramsey, will step on a court for the Tigers. Truman has coached some of the seniors since they were in third grade.

“I often don’t get very emotional when I talk, and today I was very emotional,” Truman said. “They’ve been in my house, ate my food, slept on my couch, so they’re like my family. They’re like my children. It’s a special bond. They’re a special group of kids to get here back-to-back, so that tells you how tough of kids they are.”

While saying goodbye after a loss on the biggest stage was hard, Truman was thankful that a crowd of Southeast fans filled the arena to send the seniors off. After the game, he recalled an old running joke about fans watching the boys basketball team from when he first arrived at Southeast about ten years ago.

“They used to leave after the first quarter because the girls program was so good,” Truman said. “Now, you see a crowd like that. It means a lot. It really does. So I’m just so grateful for our community and the support they not only give to myself, but to the boys as well.”

The final horn at the end of a championship game signifies the end of one season, but it also marks the start of preseason preparation for another. Maybe the third time’s a charm for Truman and the Tigers.

“Same goal every year,” Truman said. “Every year since I’ve been at Southeast when I first got there I told them I was here to win championships, and they keep avoiding me, but I’m going to keep knocking on that door. Eventually I’m going to knock that door open and get one.”