Stakes are high for St. Martin-Callaway rematch
The St. Martin and Callaway girls meet for the second time this season in the Class 6A semifinals on Wednesday and the Lady Yellow Jackets hope the result is the same as it was in November.
The teams play at noon Wednesday at the Mississippi Coliseum with a spot in Saturday's 6:30 p.m. title game on the line.
St. Martin beat Callaway 58-41 on Nov. 27 in a tournament at Clinton behind 21 points from Savannah Jones and 12 from Deona Morgan.
Callway (22-9) was led by 18 points from 6-foot-2 post player Twila Hill, who has signed with Prairie View A&M.
Even though the win was decisive, St. Martin coach Gina Bell expects a different opponent Wednesday.
"They're greatly improved," Bell said Tuesday. "It's really going to be a matchup of (Daphane White) and Twila Hill. That's where most of their points come from."
White is St. Martin's 6-foot-4 sophomore who has quickly become one of the better post players on the Coast and in the state. She is averaging 11.8 points, 13.8 rebounds and 8.8 blocks this season.
The 6-foot-2 Hill is averaging 15.9 points a game this season, but she is playing her best basketball of the season in the state tournament. She scored 23 points and grabbed 22 rebounds in a 60-49 win over Harrison Central in the quarterfinals.
Bell pointed to White as the difference in the game when Callaway and St. Martin met earlier this season.
"We've got Daphane. She's 6-4, long and athletic," Bell said. "Most teams don't have a player like that. They might have a player with that height, but they don't have her length and athletic ability. She's got it all in one package."
St. Martin (28-2) topped Columbus 67-56 in the quarterfinals behind a season high of 36 points from Jones, who has signed with South Alabama.
Jones is averaging 23.6 points and 10.1 rebounds this season, but Bell has seen the 6-foot senior pick up her play even more of late.
"She's played in big games like this before," Bell said. "She's played in front of Division I coaches so this is an old hat to her. She doesn't get the nerves like everybody else. She comes out and plays basketball. She does what you need to do to get the win. She's really stepped up the last few games on and off the court."
While Jones is a leader on the team, Bell said Morgan, a senior point guard, is the most respected voice on the team.
Morgan is averaging 11.6 points, 4.2 assists and 2.7 steals this season.
"Deona has that attitude. She's just that natural leader," Bell said. "Her teammates naturally do what she tells them to do."
St. Martin relies on the trio of White, Jones and Morgan to lead the way, but St. Martin needs a full team effort to advance to Saturday's championship game against the winner of Murrah-Starkville.
"Everybody knows they have to fill their role," Bell said. "That's what we've done all season. Every player is happy to fill their role."
This story was originally published March 8, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Stakes are high for St. Martin-Callaway rematch ."