By Robert Wilson
Madison Central senior guard Lauren Sutton put in extra time on her basketball last summer, playing for AAU team Magnolia Select and working on her game on her own.
Her hard work has paid off this year, especially last week in the Madison County Invitational at Canton High.
The 5-foot-6 Sutton averaged 19 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.7 steals to lead Madison Central to three double-digit victories over Yazoo City, 2023 MHSAA Class 6A state champion Germantown and Canton to win the tournament championship.
For her outstanding performance, Sutton has been named the Junction Deli/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Girls Basketball Player of the Week.
Sutton had 17 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in a 54-38 victory Friday over MHSAA Class 5A Canton in the championship game, handing Canton only its second loss of the season and ending a 11-game winning streak.
She had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 53-37 victory Thursday over MHSAA Class 7A Germantown in the semifinals.
Sutton had 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in a 48-33 victory Wednesday over MHSAA Class 5A Yazoo City in the first round.
She is averaging 15.3 points, 3.4 steals, 3.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals for 13-3 MHSAA Class 7A Madison Central this season. Sutton scored a career-high 28 points against Velma Jackson this season.
“This offseason was big for her because she played a lot more basketball than she had in the past,” Madison Central coach Tameika Brown said. “She has become more explosive, quicker, and decisive. Lauren has stepped up this year as a leader of our team. She was a leader last year, but she has really taken leadership of that role this season. Lauren is such a hard worker. She always has been. Lauren really showed up big for us in the Madison County Invitational tournament last week. She played aggressively on both ends of the floor. Lauren is a player that every coach wishes they could have on their team.”
Sutton is the daughter of Drs. Victor and Monica Sutton. Victor played basketball at Provine High. He graduated from Jackson State and received his PhD from Jackson State in public administration. He currently works at the Mississippi Department of Health. Monica graduated from Provine High and Tougaloo College and her PhD from JSU in Clinical Psychology. Monica currently works at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
Sutton has one brother, Vic, who played quarterback at Madison Central and was a freshman quarterback this year at Mississippi State.
Sutton also played softball and track at Madison Central. She currently has a 3.9 grade point average and is a member of the Student Government Association at Madison Central.
She has offers from Tougaloo, Copiah-Lincoln Community College, Hinds CC, Holmes CC, and Southwest Mississippi CC.
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.
Previous Players of the Week
Week One: Taelar Felton, Clinton
Week Two: Ann Magee Stradinger, Jackson Prep
Week Three: Shamira Morton, Canton
