By Robert Wilson
MADISON – Zach Allison came within one shot of winning the MAIS Class 6A state boys basketball championship last season in his first year as head coach at Jackson Prep.
Prep led Jackson Academy by 11 points in the third quarter and was up by one with a minute to go before JA rallied to hit the winning shot with 27 seconds to play and make a steal as Prep had the potential winning possession.
Prep – led by returning leading scorer and senior guard Ben Segrest (who gave Prep the lead with a minute to play in last year’s 6A title game) – wants that championship feeling this season.
And the Patriots, led by Segrest’s 21 points, took the first step toward that goal Tuesday night with a convincing, 62-42 victory over Madison St. Joseph before an estimated 600 at St. Joe’s gym in season opener of the MAIS Class 6A conference, which many consider the toughest league in Mississippi.
Prep – ranked No. 6 in Mississippi by MaxPreps – improved to 16-3 with two one-point losses to MAIS Class 5A state championship contender Oak Forest, La., and one loss to Hoover, Ala., High, ranked No. 8 in the country. Prep plays host to JA (ranked No. 5 in Mississippi) Friday in its second league game.
St. Joe – ranked No. 16 in Mississippi by MaxPreps – dropped to 19-2 and broke a 10-game winning streak. St. Joe’s only other loss is a three-point decision to MAIS Class 5A state title contender Heritage Academy. St. Joe – which had defeated all but two of its opponents by more than 10 points this season – lost to Prep for the sixth straight time.
St. Joe – finished 1-10 last season after starting the year 20-1 and wanted to get off to a great start in conference this year with a big win over Prep – begin the game with a bang, scoring the first seven points. But gradually Prep’s depth and experience took over. Prep took its first lead midway through the second quarter, led 29-26 at halftime, 44-33 after three quarters, and by as much as 24 points in the fourth quarter. By the fourth quarter, Prep’s depth – Allison rotated fresh players into the game constantly – paid off and Prep was beating a tired St. Joe team down the floor for easy transition layups.
Prep – went on a 9-0 run early in the third quarter and an 11-0 run to start the fourth quarter – shot 50 percent from the field in the second half and had 17 points from its bench compared to 5 points for St. Joe.
The 6-foot-3 Segrest – a member of the Tatum and Wade/Mississippi Scoreboard Preseason Metro Jackson Elite 11 Team – led the way for Prep with his 21 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the field, 3 of 8 from 3-point range, and 6 of 7 from the free throw line with go along with 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 1 steal. He had 17 points in the first half, including 13 in the second quarter and Prep made its comeback.
Prep’s 6-5 junior forward Kevin Roberts – also known for being of one of the top pitchers in the country in the Class of 2026 – had 15 points and 12 rebounds. He had 11 points in the second half after not scoring a field goal in the first half.
Prep senior guard EJ Vaughn – who had not played and practiced only once since suffering a high ankle sprain in the first half against Hoover Dec. 28 – contributed 9 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 21 minutes off the bench. Prep 6-6, 315-pound senior forward Cole Allen – one of the top offensive tackles in Mississippi and a Duke football signee – added 8 points, 4 rebounds and 1 blocked shot in 16 minutes off the bench.
“I was proud of our guys for playing hard for 32 straight minutes,” said Allison, an Alabama native who was an assistant to Tim Wise for three seasons at Prep before taking the head coaching job at Heritage and returning to Prep when Wise left to go home to coach in the Memphis area. “I thought we did a great job of sharing the ball, having 15 assists on 23 made field goals. We are at our best when we are playing together. It was a tight game in the first half. We were able to go on a big run to start the fourth quarter. We caused a lot of turnovers, which got us in transition. Ben got hot in the first half. He is a special player, who really get going. Kevin was dominant on both ends of the floor. He continues to be a great rim protector and a double-double machine. It was nice to have EJ Vaughn back in the lineup. Our whole team is happy to see him back on the floor.”
St. Joe’s 6-3 junior guard Joe Anthony – a transfer from Germantown High – had 20 points and showed why St. Joe coach Michael Howell believes he is one of the best players in Mississippi. Anthony made 8 of 18 shots from the field, 2 of 5 from 3-point range, and 2 of 2 from the free throw line with 3 rebounds, 1 blocked shot and 1 steal. Will Andrews, a 6-1 senior guard and Mississippi College commitment, added 9 points, 4 steals, 1 assist, 1 rebound and 1 blocked shot.
“I thought we played well early and shot it well,” said Howell, who is in his eighth season at St. Joe. “We moved the ball really well in the first half and played with good discipline. In the second half, we got behind six or seven points and started forcing some stuff. I thought it was a tale of two halves. We shot 46 percent in the first half and shot 26 percent in the second half. Shooting 26 percent will get you best in this league. I credit Prep for making some adjustments at halftime. We got greedy on defense in the second half and got out of position on five or six possessions and Prep made us pay for it. We are a pretty young team (only two seniors its top nine players) that has to grow up pretty quick and learn from it.”
St. Joe will go after its first conference win Friday when it plays host to MRA – ranked No. 24 in Mississippi by MaxPreps – at St. Joe. MRA is led by coach Richard Duease, the winningest basketball in Mississippi history and the second winningest active boys basketball coach in the country, and 6-10 freshman center EJ Dampier, rated as the top center in the country in the Class of 2028.
