MRA dominates inside to beat DeSoto Central
MRA continued to get back on track with a big 57-48 win over MHSAA 7A opponent DeSoto Central in the “Rumble in the South” at Mississippi College on Monday morning.
The Patriots came out hot in this one jumping out to an eight-point lead, with a twenty-point outburst in the first quarter. From there, DeSoto Central answered with a solid second quarter to cut the lead to three going into the halftime break, before MRA pulled away again in the third quarter and held on in the final quarter.
“We have lost a lot of close games and pretty much led in all of those, so we were due to win one of those,” MRA Head Coach Richard Duease said. “I thought we put together a full four quarters and that’s what you need to win games like these against good teams.”
MRA dominated on rebounds and points in the paint in this one, which was a huge reason they were able to come away with the win.
Huge performances from freshman Erick Dampier Jr. and junior Will Bizot also led the Patriots in this one. Dampier finished with a 13-point, 19-rebound double-double that also included four blocks, while Bizot scored 22 points with six threes.
Dampier Jr., the son of Mississippi state legend and former NBA player Erick Dampier, stands at 6’10 and has been a dominant force on the inside for MRA all season, while making major strides in his freshman season.
“He really had a great game today, but we’re still trying to get him to where he can do what he did for four quarters,” Duease said. “We’re trying to get him to play at a high-level for four quarters, because that’s what we need to win.”
Following a stretch where the Patriots had lost three of their last four games and three district games in a row, a win like this can give this MRA team momentum going into the teeth of district play in one of the state’s toughest districts.
“We know we’re close, we have a number of guys who haven’t played a lot of varsity minutes, so it’s a learning for them and they know that,” Duease said. “We are going to keep getting better and by the end, who knows what is going to happen.”
It won’t get any easier for MRA to finish the season as they will end the season with two matchups against Jackson Prep, as well as rematches against PCS, St. Joseph, Jackson Academy, and Hartfield Academy.