By DAVID MILLER
sdnsports@bellsouth.net

Kim Murrell/For the Daily News Rashad Perkins and the Starkville High Yellowjackets face state power Jackson Provine Saturday at the Columbus Christmas Classic.
It’s business as usual for Greg Carter at this year’s Joe Horne Christmas Invitational.
Usually at this time, his team is undefeated and cruising through the early portion of the schedule. That typically means the Starkville Yellowjackets are ranked in the top 3 in the state and have all the attention a perennial power should have.
All of those seasons have fallen short of a state title, however, and with that in mind don’t think the Jackets take themselves too seriously ahead of this weekend’s Christmas Classic at Columbus High.
“This is a weekend where you can leave 2-0 or leave 0-2 just as easy,” Carter said.
Today’s matchup pits the Yellowjackets (8-0) against Tuscaloosa Central (1-6), which has a one-point win over Tuscaloosa County to its credit. The Falcons are coming off back-to-back blowout losses by 36 points and 16 points to Alabama clubs Hillcrest and Parker.
SHS, on the other hand, is coming off consecutive routs of Grenada and Gentry. The Jackets opened the Gentry win on a 35-6 run.
Seeing as the Jackets haven’t had much struggle lately besides turning a small halftime deficit into a comfortable win at Aberdeen, Carter hopes this week’s exam schedule can provide some pressure as he preps his team for the Columbus Classic and the post-Christmas Hattiesburg Classic.
“There are some distractions that come with practicing and playing during exams, but you’ve got to play through it,” Carter said. “It’s not bad practicing through distractions because you have to play though it anyway. It’s all preparation.”
For Tuscaloosa Central, the Jackets will play one of the weaker Class 5A teams in Alabama.
However, Saturday’s opponent, Jackson Provine (8-0), sets up one of the can’t miss games in the state.
Provine, last season’s state runner up, features an LSU commit in forward Jalen Courtney (6-8, 210), but Carter had high praise for guards Marcellis Hansberry and Jarren Mallory.
Carter said Provine’s strength rests in its guards, but the combo of Starkville’s Edward Townsel and Jacolby Mobley should make for a good show and tough game.
“Their guards are back and they added another one that transferred in,” Carter said. “By the end of the year last year, the young guards took them to the state championship. There’s going to be a bunch of talented guards on the floor when we play Provine, and I’ve thought about it, but I don’t know if either team has an advantage.”
The breaker could come in the post where 6-foot-8 forward Gavin Ware will get a test with Courtney, though Carter noted the differences in style and athleticism will see SHS forward and Southern Miss commit Rashad Perkins split time defending Courtney.
“[Courtney] is big, strong and athletic. He runs the floor and will step out and shoot,” Carter said. “Gavin is excited about the game and playing against him, but Gavin is more of a traditional center and [Courtney] isn’t as big and can play further away from the basket. Gavin, at times, will have a size advantage and Courtney will have a quickness advantage.”
GIRLS
Lady Jackets hoping for smooth weekend
The Lady Jackets’ weaknesses are hard to find considering their current record, but Kristie Williams knows better than anyone that her team has some typical early-season challenges and a new beast to battle.
She’s seen her 7-1 squad go through the roller coaster of a heartbreaking loss to Aberdeen, a physical district opener at Columbus and a grind-it-out match against Grenada to a three-overtime 81-80 win over Gentry.
All of this came in an eight-day span, resulting in one tired team — literally.
The Columbus game saw Johniece Moore and Shay Bonner need paramedic transportation to the hospital for fatigue and asthma, respectively.
Against Gentry, Ashley Robinson and Laretha Williams experienced asthma-like symptoms and need medical attention.
The flare-ups for Robinson and Laretha Williams came as a surprise for both the players and the head coach, Kristie Williams said.
With questions looming and concerns growing over the fitness of her players, Kristie Williams hopes to ease fans’ and parents’ minds by reassuring her players are at full fitness every time they step on the court.
“Those are games where you’re playing hard for their bodies to send that message out to them and their doctors that they may be asthmatic,” she said. “They understand proper nutrition and how to refuel your bodies as athletes. Now, we’re able to get this information and have the proper treatment plans and have them slowly build back up to their true form.
“It’s unfortunate, but they’ll both be ready to play this weekend. How hard they’ll be able to go will be on a monitored basis.”
Williams said it would come down to subbing more and the players monitoring their bodies and how they feel at all times. She doesn’t view the new strategy as a setback, however, as the new challenge of piecing together new rotations should make for more experience in spots.
The Lady Jackets backcourt has leading scorer Kala Williams, Moore, Bonner, Whitney Taylor and Robinson earning most of the minutes while the frontcourt has Courtney Moore, Laretha Williams, Rebecca Myles and Chelsey Johnson-Weaver to rotate.
All of the players listed have earned starter’s or quality bench minutes through the team’s eight games.
What will help up front with Laretha Williams possibly seeing decreased minutes in the near future is the emergence of Moore.
The junior forward hit the game-winning against Gentry last week and scored 15 points in that game. Moore dropped in 19 against Grenada and helped fuel a second-half run that ultimately led the team past a hot-shooting GHS squad.
Moore’s season has been up and down in her transition to a new team and new style of play after transferring from Indiana.
“Courtney, I thought she started out great on the boards and scoring points. As most players do at some point, they have a moment where their confidence tends to get low because of shots not falling,” Williams said. “We’ve talked and she understands that I’m looking for that total player whose willing to go out and perform regardless of your shot not falling. She’s crashing the boards, and by doing that she’s giving herself extra opportunities to get easy points.
“Her confidence level has been boosted and I think now, she’s coming into her own.”
During this weekend’s Joe Horne Columbus Christmas Invitational, the Lady Jackets will see if Moore can keep her form alongside Kala Williams, who scored 32 points her last time in Columbus against the rival Lady Falcons.
SHS faces Tuscaloosa Central at 3:30 p.m. today and East Oktibbeha at noon Saturday.
Williams admits she doesn’t know much about Tuscaloosa Central or East Oktibbeha outside of what stat lines she’s seen or what players she’s already familiar with.
She noted Lady Titans forward Kelcie Lanier as a tough defender with good effort, but she’s more keen to focus on her team’s rebounding and transition play on both ends ahead of a two-invitational, four-game stretch to close out 2009.
“One thing that we ask of our players is that they’ve got to transition much better,” the SHS coach said. “Our biggest weakness is transitioning from offense to defense. If we can increase our awareness on that side of the basketball we’ll be able to make the shot tougher for the other team that wants to get out and run quickly. Make it a tough 15-footer instead of an easy shot under the basket. We’ve got to maintain and have the full gear and have the same mindset on both ends of the court.”