By Robert Wilson
Jackson Prep senior guard and Alabama-Huntsville signee Andie Flatgard is one of the top scorers and 3-point shooters in Mississippi and the country.
But she isn’t the most accurate 3-point shooter on her team.
That honor belongs to Prep senior guard Josie Duncan and Brookhaven Academy found out about her accuracy Tuesday night.
Duncan made five consecutive 3-pointers without a miss to help Prep to a 42-36 victory over Brookhaven and end its 14-game winning streak.
Prep improved to 20-1 and won its fifth straight game since its only loss this year, a 61-37 decision at defending MAIS Overall Tournament champion Leake Academy. Brookhaven, whose only loss this season before Tuesday was to Madison-Ridgeland Academy, dropped to 21-2.
The 5-foot-4 Duncan came into Tuesday’s game shooting 41.1 percent from 3-point range (39 of 94), second best in Mississippi according to MaxPreps, and 2.3 percent better than Flatgard. After missing her first two 3-point attempts, Duncan made her next five 3-point attempts, including two during Prep’s 10-0 run to rally from a 26-21 deficit and take a 31-26 lead at the end of the third quarter. Duncan hit a 3-point at buzzer to end the quarter. Prep never trailed again.
“Josie hit some huge shots tonight, perhaps none bigger than a corner 3-pointer about halfway through the fourth quarter that stretched the lead to seven,” Prep coach Michael McAnally said. “She has really shot the 3 well this year and did so again tonight.”
“We came into the game wanting to slow down Andie and Olivia (Smith), Prep’s top two scorers, but Josie made big shots and scored 15 points,” Brookhaven coach Ron Kessler said.
Flatgard – who was named the Performance Therapy/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Girls Basketball Player of the week this week – led Prep with 16 points. Flatgard, who ranks first in Mississippi with 52 3-pointers before Tuesday, made only one 3-pointer, but she made 5 of 7 free throw attempts and scored six points in the fourth quarter to hold off Brookhaven.
“I thought tonight was arguably our best win of the season,” McAnally said. “We have beaten some good teams this year, but to come on the road and beat team that was 21-1 on their home floor was a signature win.”
“We ran out of steam and Prep made some big shots,” Kessler said. “Prep is so fundamentally sound, and Coach McAnally does a great job.”
Brookhaven was led by senior Anne Brantley Warren with nine points.
