Lady Wildcats season comes to an End

By Josh Troy
Clarksdale Advocate

Clarksdale High School did not have its leading scorer, sophomore post player Caitlin Hall, in the second round of the Class 4A MHSAA girls' basketball playoffs, and it proved costly. The Lady Wildcats' (24-3, 8-0) season came to an end with a 47-13 loss at South Pontotoc on Friday night. Hall was not injured, but she was unable to be at Clarksdale's two playoff games. The Lady Wildcats won 44-29 at home in the first round of the playoffs against Itawamba Agricultural High School without Hall, but they could not beat South Pontotoc in her absence. "Again, we didn't have our post player Caitlin. They're a pretty good team also," said Clarksdale coach Greg Wilson about South Pontotoc. "I don't take anything away from them; we didn't play well."

Sophomore shooting guard and small forward Janterria Logan and junior guard Shacora Jurden led Clarksdale with 4 points each, sophomore guard Sylenthia Earl added 3, senior shooting guard Maya Chestnut contributed 2, and senior forward Janya Walker finished with 1. Wilson is hoping the Lady Wildcats will be able to advance further in the playoffs next season. "I think the ones that are coming back, they've got to work harder," he said. "To do something you've never done, you have to practice and prepare like you've never prepared." Preparation for 2023-24 begins in a week. "We'll probably take a week off," Wilson said. "We'll be back into the weight room and back running, training, and working on basketball individual skills."