Mid-Mississippi Challenge has loaded field once again

Throughout the years, Choctaw County’s Mid-Mississippi Challenge has become one of the top-flight basketball events in the state of Mississippi.

It started with a day’s worth of girls basketball featuring some of the top players in the state. Victoria Vivians of Scott Central was one of the best to come through the event and draw a crowd. Now, Chargers head boys basketball coach Gary Beals has expanded it to an even bigger day of hoops.

“It’s grown because we got boys teams involved in it and there are some quality teams this year,” Beals said. “There is competition to get good teams to participate, but we’ve added those three games this year. I had a coach give me a suggestion that if we got more boys teams the tickets would double so that went into it.”

Saturday at Ty Cobb Gymnasium, nine games are on tap featuring six girl’s contests and three from the boys. Among those in attendance will be area team East Webster, Ingomar, Choctaw Central, Coahoma County and Booneville boys and girls as well as Holmes County, Philadelphia, Puckett, New Site, Pine Grove and Leake Central girls teams.

The girls games feature three defending state champions with Ingomar, Choctaw Central and Pine Grove. After East Webster girls kickoff the event playing Philadelphia at 10 a.m., Ingomar battles Holmes County in a matchup with the state’s top Class A school and No. 2 in 5A.

New Site plays Puckett at 2 p.m. before a featured matchup between two defending state champs and top teams in 3A and 1A respectively with Choctaw Central and Pine Grove.

Booneville girls play Leake Central at 4:30 p.m. with the Booneville boys set to match up against East Webster at 5:45 p.m.

In the nightcap, Choctaw County will play the final two games on its home court against Coahoma County. Coahoma has one of the top teams in 2A in both the girls and boys side of things. The girls are currently second in the state at 15-2 for the year and the boys are defending state champions and at the top of the rankings again this year.

Beals sees both games as a challenge for his and Cory Guyton’s teams as the Chargers prepare for district competition coming up next week.

“The girls game will be a quality matchup for us," Beals said. "It will be a great challenge heading into district play. My team will have a great challenge as well against a great team in Coahoma County, who also won the state last year. We couldn’t ask for a better matchup before we get into our big games coming up.”

Admission for the event starting at 10 a.m and running all day is $7.