By Robert Wilson
Clinton High senior point guard Taelar Felton is listed on the roster as 5 feet, 2 inches tall, but she plays much bigger than that, especially last week against Northwest Rankin.
Felton, a Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College commitment, scored a season-high 34 points and had eight steals and six assists to lead Clinton to a 64-62 victory over Northwest Rankin last Tuesday at Clinton.
For her outstanding performance, Felton has been named the Junction Deli/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Girls Basketball Player of the Week.
Felton also had 13 points, 5 steals, 5 assists and 2 rebounds in 12 minutes in a 63-18 victory over Warren Central Friday at Clinton.
After getting 30 points, 5 steals, 5 assists and 3 rebounds in Tuesday’s 66-59 win over Vicksburg (Clinton’s seventh straight win), Felton is averaging 19.5 points, 5.1 steals, 4.0 assists and 3.3 rebounds and has led Clinton to a 9-2 record this season, with the only two losses by one point to Terry and four points to Callaway. Felton – a member of the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Preseason Elite 11 – ranks 10th in the state and second in MHSAA Class 7A in scoring, and fifth in the state and first in 7A in steals, according to MaxPreps.
Felton – who was two points away from tying her career high of 36 points against Tupelo as a sophomore – made two free throws to give Clinton a five-point lead over Northwest Rankin with 40 seconds to play. Northwest Rankin made two free throws to cut the lead to three points, then Felton made one of two free throws with 3.6 seconds to play to push the lead to four points.
“Taelar is having a great start to the season,” Clinton coach Pearlene Fairley said. “She is locked in and on a mission. The coaching staff is proud of her performances and leadership on the court. Taelar not only handles her business on the court, but she is also a straight A student as well. So she gets it done in the classroom, too. It is definitely a privilege to coach an athlete like Taelar, who’s been putting in the extra work outside of the practice setting. She has been getting her teammates involved. Taelar worked really hard in the offseason to elevate her game to that next level. Taelar is a four-year starter who has experience and a very competitive mentality.”
Felton averaged 16.3 points, 3.1 assists, 3.1 steals, and 3.0 rebounds and helped Clinton to a 20-8 record and the MHSAA Class 6A first round and was a second-team All-Metro Jackson selection last season as a junior.
She averaged 12.3 points, 2.7 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 2.6 steals and helped Clinton to a 21-8 record and the 6A state semifinals as a sophomore two years ago. Felton made third team All-Metro Jackson.
Felton averaged 10.9 points, 2.2 steals, 1.8 assists and helped Clinton to a 13-6 record and the second round of the 6A state playoffs as a freshman three years ago.
Felton is the daughter of Charles and Claudette Felton. Charles played basketball at Murrah High and attended Southern Miss. Claudette attended South Natchez High and Jackson State. Taelar’s older brother, Anfernee Felton, played basketball at Clinton High and Mississippi College, William Carey and Jackson State. Taeler’s sister, Jordyn Felton, played basketball in middle school and now lives in Atlanta. Another one of Taelar’s older brothers, Gertarryan Coleman, played middle school basketball and was a manager of the 2022 Clinton boys state championship team. He is a student at Mississippi State.
Clinton’s next game is against Provine Friday at Provine.
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.
