Harrison Central falls in 6A girls quarterfinals

JACKSON -- Harrison Central just could not find a answer for Callaway's Twila Hill.

Hill recorded a double-double as Callaway used a big second half to get past Harrison Central 60-49 in the quarterfinals of the MHSAA Girls Class 6A playoffs at Jackson State's Lee E. Williams Athletic and Assembly Center on Saturday afternoon.

Callaway (22-9) will face the St. Martin-Columbus winner in the semifinals at noon on Wednesday.

"At times we just did not have an answer for the big girl," said Harrison Central coach Nancy Ladner. "That was the one thing that concerned us coming in and she killed us on the boards today."

Hill, a Prairie View A&M signee, had a game-high 23 points and pulled down 22 rebounds. Elisha Blackmon added 13 points for the Lady Chargers.

Harrison Central held the lead at 14-11 after the first quarter, but Callaway took the lead for the rest of the game midway through the second quarter when Callaway's Tayanna Jackson hit a pair of free throws that would start a quick run for the Lady Chargers,

Callaway led 23-21 at halftime.

The second half is when Hill took over, scoring 13 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.

"We tried switching defenses at halftime to give them different looks and made several adjustments, but we just didn't have a answer," Ladner said. "I am proud of the girls for hanging in there and playing hard to the very end."

Arie'Anna Norwood would lead Harrison Central with 17 points. Chyna Allen added 15 points, while Adyn Strickland chipped in 10 points for the Red Rebelletes (20-10).

This was Harrison Central's fourth year in a row to make it to the State Tournament. And with Strickland the lone senior on the team, the future is quite bright for the Red Rebelletes.

"We are a young team and only had one senior. So we can build on this going into next year," Ladner said. "We told the girls in the locker room to keep their heads up we can be right back here next year."

Harrison Central finished the season with a record of 20-10.

This story was originally published March 5, 2016 at 8:02 PM with the headline "Harrison Central falls in 6A girls quarterfinals ."