By Robert Wilson
Canton High’s Shamira Morton has started off the 2024-2025 season like she finished the 2003-2024 season by dominating opponents.
The 6-foot-3 junior center was the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Player of the Year last year and she’s on her way to repeating that honor.
And last week, she had one of her best games of the season.
Morton had 31 points, 19 rebounds and 5 blocked shots to lead 2024 MHSAA Class 5A runner-up Canton to a 60-55 victory over MHSAA Class 7A Madison Central.
For her outstanding performance, Morton has been named the first Junction Deli/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Girls Basketball Player of the Week this season.
Morton also had 26 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 blocked shots in a 58-34 victory over Murrah last week.
She is averaging 26 points, 15 rebounds, 4.7 blocked shots and 2.3 steals per game going into this season. Morton ranks No. 10 in blocked shots per game, No. 13 in rebounds per game and No. 19 in scoring per game in the country according to MaxPreps.
Morton has had season highs of 40 points (also a career high) against Velma Jackson, 21 rebounds against Germantown and 10 blocked shots against Leake Central. She has career highs 23 rebounds against Ridgeland and 12 blocked shots against Cleveland Central and Greenville last season.
“Although Shamira wasn’t scoring as usual in the first half, her teammates picked up the slack and helped us keep the score close going into halftime of the MC game,” said Canton coach Melissa Word, who is in her 27th season at Canton and won a state title in 2013 in addition to last year’s state runner-up finish. “One of my assistant coaches (Kaila Douglas) reminded her in the locker room that no matter how frustrated she gets with the officials, the other team, or her teammates, she still has to do her job. Shamira was allowing her frustration to affect her shot. All that changed once the second half began. She only had 10 points and halftime but was back on track in the second half and finished the game strong.
“Shamira is definitely the most versatile post I’ve seen in my coaching career (all at Canton) because she can put it on the floor and step outside and shoot the 3.”
Morton averaged 20.1 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.8 blocked shots and led Canton to 28-5 record and an MHSAA Class 5A runner-up finish, the Metro Jackson Player of the Year and a first team selection on the All-Metro Jackson Team last season as a sophomore.
She had five triple doubles (points, rebounds, and blocked shots) and 22 double doubles (points and rebounds). Her scoring average was sixth best in Mississippi according to MaxPreps, her rebound average was second best in Mississippi and her blocked shots average was first in Mississippi and 25th best in the country. And all that while playing an average of three quarters per game.
Morton averaged 10.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.8 blocked shots and helped Clinton Christian to a 19-15 record and a third-place finish in the MAIS Class 4A state tournament and reached the MAIS Overall Tournament quarterfinals and made fourth team All-Metro Jackson two years ago season as a freshman.
She started as an eighth grader at Canton before transferring to Clinton Christian.
Morton has Division I offers from Southern Miss, Memphis, SMU, Charlotte, South Alabama, Murray State, Arkansas State and North Carolina A&T.
Morton is the daughter of Shameka and Dewayne Morton. Shameka played basketball at Gulfport High and Jefferson Davis Junior College, now Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Dewayne played basketball at Canton High and Holmes CC.
Shamira has three older brothers, Gregory Moore, Donovan Morton and Malachi Morton, and a younger sister, Daliyah Morton. Gregory graduated from Canton High and Mississippi Gulf Coast CC and will graduate next spring from Tennessee State. Donovan graduated from Germantown High and will graduate next spring from Jackson State. Malachi played basketball at Velma Jackson High and Yazoo County High. Daliyah is in the fourth grade at the Canton Arts and Science.
Mississippi Scoreboard selects a girls basketball player from Hinds, Madison, or Rankin counties each week. Coaches can nominate a player by text or call to Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276.
