Jacorriah Bracey took matters into her own hands during Wednesday’s semifinals match against Tylertown, scoring 35 points.
Photo: Chris Todd
When Jacorriah Bracey was in the seventh grade, she made a promise to her mother.
The 2015 season had ended in a quarterfinals loss for Chaquita Bracey’s girls, but her daughter, who had yet to be named a top 50 player in the nation by ESPN, told her mother she would see her to the state tournament.
“We lost in the quarterfinals of the state tournament, and after that game I was so down and depressed, and she told me, “Mom, I’m going to get you to the state tournament. Don’t worry about that,’” she said. “Lo and behold, it’s taken another five years, but here we are. She’s always been a workhorse, and she’s always been a kid who is determined.”
Jacorriah Bracey, who is set to make her SEC debut next fall as a member of Ole Miss’ women’s basketball team, indeed made good on that promise in her senior season at Thomas E. Edwards Senior High, leading the Lady Tigers to a 55-52 victory over Tylertown on Wednesday morning.
The Lady Tigers advance to play Senatobia, who defeated Crystal Springs on Wednesday.
The title game will be played in Oxford at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
The No. 48 player in the country, according to ESPN, Bracey had some early-game jitters against the Lady Chiefs on Wednesday morning, as the two teams vied for a 3A state title game berth at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
But once she got into a rhythm, there was no stopping her and teammate Shamiyah Thomas.
The two combined for 52 of the Lady Tigers’ 55 total points, 35 for Bracey and 17 for Thomas.
“This is a long time coming,” said Lady Tigers Head Coach Chaquita Bracey after the game.
Bracey is in her 15th season as a coach, and this is her first trip to the state title game.
The Ruleville girls have never won a championship.
Thomas got the Lady Tigers on the board early with a 2-point shot, but Tylertown surged early, hitting one three-pointer and layup after another, taking a 14-7 lead at one point. “The girls were kind of rattled,” Bracey said. “There were those first-game jitters, thinking the game was bigger than it was, but I had prepared for that.”
Bracey said the important thing was for her to remain calm and talk the girls through each quarter of play.
The Ruleville girls had a strong finish, behind Bracey’s 7-point first period and tied the game 14-14 going into the second.
Tylertown once again took charge early in the second period, piling it on the Lady Tigers to take an eventual 28-18 lead.
With less than two minutes to play in the first half, Bracey exploded to help the Lady Tigers climb back to a respectable 30-26 deficit at the half.
Bracey and Thomas took control early in the third quarter, taking their first lead since the early two-point lead in the first period, but Tylertown stayed with the Lady Tigers, taking a 35-33 lead with 5:15 to play in the third.
With 4:13 to play in the game, Thomas hit two free throws to tie it up again.
Bracey got the ball with just under four minutes to play, shot a three and was fouled in the process.
The ensuing 1-for-2 free throw attempts put the Lady Tigers up 39-35.
At this point, the Ruleville girls began to add on, and the Lady Chiefs were running out of time.
Late in the fourth quarter, Tylertown climbed back to within two points with a 54-52 deficit, but a free throw put the Ruleville girls up by three late.
Some missed free throws by Bracey in the final minute of the game gave Tylertown some life, as they grabbed a rebound with 34 seconds to go, but in true MVP fashion, Bracey reached out and stole the ball.
“She is always thinking one step ahead of the play,” Coach Bracey said. “She knew she missed those free throws, so then she knew she had to get back into defensive position.”
Bracey would be fouled again by Tylertown, as the Lady Chiefs were looking for one last chance at getting a rebound and a game-tying shot.
Still unable to get the ball into the ocean from the line, Tylertown had a four-second chance at a game-tying shot, but that throw went off the backboard and onto the court for a Lady Tigers win and a chance to play in the state title game on Saturday.
Makayla Williams accounted for two of the other three points for Ruleville on the day, while Jakyla Lewis scored one on a free throw.
