Madison Central continues run to state title game
Madison Central continued their impressive state tournament run with a 57-44 over Brandon in the MHSAA 7A semifinals on Monday to advance to the program’s first state title game since 2015.
After a tightly contested first half, Madison Central found their rhythm and hit their stride on both ends of the court, outscoring Brandon 31-21 in the second half en route to the win.
“I just told our guys to defend and rebound, there’s going to be times where shots don’t fall and we struggle offensively, so just keep guarding,” Madison Central Head Coach Ben Gardner said. “We just fought so hard defensively. I’m so proud of them and the way that they competed.”
Led by seniors JP Baldwin and Dylan Rowe, the Jaguars have hit their peak at the right time and their dynamic duo is hoping to lead Madison Central to the program’s first state championship since 2006.
“Dylan (Rowe) and JP (Baldwin) are just really special kids, those two are a big part of why we have been able to get over that hump and get to the Coliseum,” Gardner said. “They are at the gym at about 6:45 every morning and leave at about 6 o’clock every night and our team is following the example of those guys.”
Baldwin, a Naval Academy basketball signee, led Madison Central with 17 points and also totaled seven rebounds and three steals on the game.
“We were just out there playing our game as a team and we came prepared for this moment,” Baldwin said. “Our coaches have been telling us that we were going to go to state since day one and we have been working towards this moment all season long.”
Sophomore Jeffrey Flanagan has been one of the overlooked contributors for Madison Central this season, but has gradually improved as the season has gone along and that came to fruition on Monday, as Flanagan scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds in the win.
While Madison Central did enter the first round of the MHSAA 7A state tournament as the three-seed out of Region 2-7A and have made somewhat of a surprising run through the postseason to some, a state title has been the expectation for the Jaguars since before the season even began within the program.
“Dylan (Rowe) had this goal as his lock screen on his phone since the beginning of the season and has been telling our guys that this is our goal and our expectation,” Gardner said. “We have been battle-tested all season long, so I think that will help us, but I just really liked our focus and preparation coming into such an important game.”
Every team that Madison Central has beaten in the postseason so far has been higher-seeded than them, which includes Region 1-7A #2 Southaven, Region 2-7A #1 Starkville, and now Region 3-7A #2 Brandon. The Jaguars will look to continue that run as they face region foe and intra-county rival Germantown in the 7A state title game.
The MHSAA 7A state championship game between Madison Central and Germantown will be on Thursday at the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson, with tip-off scheduled for 8 PM.