RAYMOND — They are the defending Class 4A state champions for a reason.

And Raymond is on a mission.

Behind a strong start in the first quarter, the Rangers raced past Quitman 69-39 in the second round of the MHSAA Boys Class 4A playoffs Saturday night.

Raymond (26-6) will face Noxubee County in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A State Tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday night at the Mississippi Coliseum.

“We knew coming in with it being our home court we had to come out with a lot of energy. We preached that to the guys, and they responded well,” said first-year Raymond coach Tony Tadlock, who spent the last six years as an assistant at Meridian and helped the Wildcats to the 6A state title last season. “The guys came out and executed early on and played real hard and fed off of the crowd. They brought a ton of energy for us tonight.”

What could go right went right for Raymond. The Rangers jumped out to a 31-9 advantage at the end of the first quarter and extended it to 47-16 at halftime.

“When we jumped out on them early, it took a lot out of them, and we were able to stay up on them for the rest of the game,” Tadlock said. “That’s the best first quarter we’ve had all year, and I feel like we’re peaking at the right time. In late February and early March, you want to be playing your best basketball, and I feel like we are.”

Cameron Woodall had a game-high 18 points to lead Raymond.

“With me and Shardarrion (Allen) being the leaders of the team, we have to come out and bring the show, and the rest of the team feeds off us,” Woodall said. “We bring intensity and fire. We want to go back to the Big House and win another state championship, and now we have that chance.” 

Allen added 16 points for Raymond, while Jakorie Smith chipped in 10 points for Rangers.

“Those two have been leaders all year, and when big games come up, they step to the challenge,” Tadlock said. “These guys have been in this moment before, so it wasn’t going to be anything new, and made my job a lot easier.”

C.J. Keys had 14 points to lead Quitman, while John Lacy added eight points for Panthers (15-14).

“That’s the best team we’ve played all year hands down. The intensity; they play well together, and they aren’t selfish,” Quitman coach Chris Coleman said. “This team overcame a lot this year, especially since the middle part of the year, and I’m proud of them for that.”