By Robert Wilson
Brandon girls basketball coach Holly Moncrief has been a head coach for 14 seasons, won 299 games and is now the vice president of the Mississippi Association of Coaches. She knows talent when she sees it.
Moncrief was impressed with Madison Central’s Ayla Benson last week when the two teams played each other.
The 5-foot-8 senior guard had 25 points and helped Madison Central hand Brandon only its fourth loss of the season with a 56-48 victory. Not only did Benson had a great game against Brandon last week she also had a season-high 28 points in a 77-50 victory over Forest Hill.
For her outstanding performance, Benson has been named the Legacy Theater Flowood/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Girls Basketball Player of the Week.
Benson made 8 of 18 shots from the field and 5 of 11 shots from 3-point range and had three assists against Brandon and made 11 of 15 shots from the field and 6 of 8 shots from 3-point range and had three rebounds against Forest Hill.
She is averaging 12.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 0.9 assists and has helped Madison Central to a 12-2 record and a No. 5 ranking in Mississippi by Maxpreps this season. Benson is tied for sixth in Mississippi with 33 3-pointers made, according to Maxpreps.
She is a member of the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team.
“Ayla has really settled into her role and is doing what she does best, shooting the ball at high level,” Madison Central coach Jalessa Taylor said. “We’re proud of her growth and the effort she brings on the defensive end as well. We’re glad to have her and excited to see what district play and the rest of the season has in store for her.”
Benson averaged 9.8 points, 4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.3 steals and helped Germantown to a 17-14 record and a MHSAA Class 7A quarterfinal appearance last year as a junior before transferring to Madison Central. She was a member of the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson fourth team last season. Benson scored a career-high 32 points against Olive Branch last season.
Benson has offers from Copiah-Lincoln Community College, East Mississippi CC, Mississippi Delta CC, Alabama A&M, Arkansas Pine Bluff, Fort Scott, Kansas, CC and Pensacola, Fla., State.
“Ayla is a silent assassin,” Taylor said. “She came in and adjusted to our style of play in just two weeks – something that really impressed our coaching staff. She’s a knockdown shooter who can score from all three levels, and she leads both by example and with her voice. We’re proud to have her on our squad.”
Benson is the daughter of Rob and Angel Benson. Rob played basketball for the legendary Thomas Billups at Lanier. Rob is the head of the Sisterhood AAU organization. Angel graduated from Murrah. Rob and Angel both attended Jackson State. Benson’s sister is Addison, a freshman, and brother is Robert, a first grader, in the Germantown schools.
Mississippi Scoreboard selects a girls basketball player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by sending a text to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.
