Another impressive run toward claiming the gold ball has come to an end for the Gentry High Rams basketball team.
And when all was said and done, for the second consecutive year the Rams saw their season come to a halt in a State 4A Final Four contest played at the Coliseum in Jackson.
On this occasion the Rams suffered a 59-45 loss to Florence High School while seeing their season end with a strong 26-8 record.
Fueling their loss to the now 25-6 Eagles was the Florence squad’s ability to break the Rams’ press defense coupled with the wrong night to experience cold shooting from the field.
With their victory, Florence High will now move on to play defending state champion Raymond High School in Thursday’s 8 p.m. State 4A championship game.
In what proved to be their final game of the season, the Rams found themselves down 15-8 after one quarter of play, a seven point deficit which remained firm after a 14-14 second quarter saw the two teams trade points.
Although the Rams cut the Eagles lead to a five point margin by the end of the third frame, Florence High was able to stretch their lead to its final 14 point margin by game’s end.
Leading the scoring for the Rams in this contest was Darrius Clark, who finished with a strong 20 point outing.
Also reaching double digit scoring status was Robert Bell, who closed out his tournament play with a 12 point game.
The Rams had reached this Monday’s Final Four action following last Thursday’s 70-46 road victory over Pontotoc High School.
In this 24 point quarterfinal victory over the Warriors, defense was again key in claiming this game.
Once more employing an effective trap defense in this game, the Rams limited the now 29-3 Warriors to single digit scoring in two of the four quarters played.After opening the game with a 20-11 first period lead, the Rams moved on to take a 30-18 advantage to the dressing room by halftime.
Although Pontotoc temporarily had some success in the third period by posting 20 points on the scoreboard, the Rams matched those points to maintain their dozen point lead as the game entered the final period of play.
Finishing the game strong, the Rams outscored the Warriors, who had not lost a game since late November, by a 20-8 margin in that final quarter.
The Rams benefited from four players reaching double digit scoring in this game and the group was led by Darrius Clark’s 20 point outing. The senior’s scoring total was aided by netting nine of his 10 shots while at the free throw line.
Also turning in a strong game was Robert Bell as the senior’s double double included 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Rounding out the scoring leaders for Gentry High in this contest were junior Jesse Hull with 15 points while senior Shamarvious Hodges finished with a 10 point game.
Among this year’s roster of high achieving Rams were six seniors who wore the Gentry High uniform for the final time Monday night in Jackson.
Among this talented group were Robert Bell, Darrin Carpenter, Darrius Clark, Markevious Frazier, Shamarvious Hodges, and Bryant Smith.
