West Harrison aims for spot in 5A title game vs. Hattiesburg

The West Harrison girls can lock up their first spot in the Class 5A state title game with one win.

The Lady Hurricanes face Hattiesburg at noon on Tuesday in a semifinal contest at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson. The winner of the game will play the winner of Lanier-Holmes County Central at 6:30 p.m. on Friday in the championship contest.

West Harrison (24-2) earned a spot in the semifinals with a 49-43 win over Ridgeland on Friday at Jackson State.

West Harrison lost to Pearl in the quarterfinals last year, making this season another step forward for head coach Otis Gates and his Lady Hurricanes.

"We've been talking about a state championship since I got here," Gates said. "That's our focus. We've had other teams that were pretty good and we made a little run. This year, we kind of gelled together and have been playing well together. We've been defending well and that's giving us a chance."

Gates called Friday's win "a step in the right direction."

"I don't think we played as well as we have before, but we did the things we needed to do down the stretch," Gates said. "We made our free throws. We didn't shoot well early on free throws, but we made our free throws late and that was important for us. Last year, that was a problem."

Senior forward Ameshya Williams, a Mississippi State commit, continued her impressive play against Ridgeland with 27 points and 13 points.

Gates continues to see a steady progression from his 6-foot-3 star.

She has been strong all season with averages of 24.9 points and 14.1 rebounds, but Gates has seen her improve most in the mental aspect.

"She's starting to show patience," Gates said. "She's getting so much attention, being double-teamed and triple-teamed. She's able to not get frustrated and not start pushing people to get out of her way. That allows her to stay in the ball game. She will eventually get the ball and be able to score."

Hattiesburg enters Tuesday's game with a record of 26-4 after beating Oxford, 49-42, Friday in the quarterfinals.

Much like West Harrison, Hattiesburg relies on a go-to player to provide much of its scoring.

However, Hattiesburg's top scorer is in the backcourt.

Senior Tamia Stinson is averaging 19.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 5.1 steals for the Lady Tigers this season.

Gates coached Stinson in the MAC North/South All-Star Game last year so he's familiar with what Stinson is capable of.

"A big focus is to contain her," Gates said. "She can knock down a 3-pointer and she's probably their best defender. She gets her hand on the ball and she can score.

"It's going to be tough. I'm sure (Hattiesburg coach Caroinca Debose Jackson) will have them ready. We've got to defend real well and keep our turnovers down. Like I said before, we've got to make our free throws."

This story was originally published March 7, 2016 at 5:07 PM with the headline "West Harrison aims for spot in 5A title game vs. Hattiesburg ."