By Robert Wilson
MENDENHALL – Longtime Simpson Academy girls basketball coach Linda Dear knows as well as anyone the history of Leake Academy girls basketball. Dear, in her 39th career season, and 22nd Simpson, has probably played Leake as much as any coach in Mississippi over the years. In other words, Dear’s opinion speaks volumes.
After watching her team go down by 24 points in the first half and lose 53-30 to undefeated Leake Friday night at Simpson, Dear was impressed with Leake’s play.
“This is the best Leake team I have seen in years,” said Dear, who has won 642 games and four state championships, all at Simpson, in her 39 career seasons. “They are so dangerous because they have so many great three-point shooters. They always have good three-point shooters, but this year it seems like everybody can rip the three. Plus, they have a deep bench and the players coming off the bench are good shooters, too.”
Leake was in control from the opening tip Friday and led the entire game. The Rebelettes led 10-2 after four minutes, 20-11 after the first quarter, and 40-16 at halftime.
“The first half may have been our best half all season,” Leake coach Amanda Hatch said. “I loved our intensity from the very start of the game. Our offense was really smooth, and our defense executed extremely well. Coach Dear does a great job, and Simpson is a tough play to place, so a big win down there is a huge accomplishment for our team.”
And it kept Leake’s undefeated season intact. Leake is now 23-0 – the most wins in Mississippi, the only remaining undefeated MAIS team and one of four undefeated teams in Mississippi (Tupelo, Biloxi and Tishomingo County are the others). There hasn’t been an undefeated MAIS girls team since Starkville Academy went 43-0 in the 2012-2013 season.
Leake is ranked No. 3 in Mississippi by MaxPreps, behind undefeated MHSAA Class 7A Biloxi and MHSAA Class 4A state championship contender Choctaw Central, which lost to Leake 36-30 a week ago in the Neshoba County Invitational in Philadelphia.
With the MAIS Class 5A, District 2 win, Leake improved to 4-0 in the district. Simpson, one of the best 5A teams in Mississippi, dropped to 15-3 overall and 3-2 in the district. Simpson’s only losses before Friday night were to Class 6A Jackson Academy and defending Overall Tournament champion and district rival East Rankin Academy.
Leake’s accurate shooting (six 3-pointers in the first half), ability to find the open player, move the ball down the court in transition and tough defense, kept Simpson frustrated. Leake eighth grade star Sarah Prince had all 12 of her game-high points in the first half.
Even when Hatch put in four players off the bench midway through the first quarter, the Rebelettes kept the pressure on Simpson and didn’t lose the lead. In fact, Leake stretched its lead from eight to nine by the end of the first quarter. Leake’s bench scored 10 of its 40 first-half points.
“Our team defense turned into great offensive execution against a very well coached team,” said Leake guard Caroline Cheatham, who is one of three seniors in the top nine players. “Each player come into the game with such energy and determination. Overall, our effort and leadership lead to a great team win.”
Leake’s 23-point win Friday was the 14th win this season by 20 points or more. The closest game was a 42-40 win over defending MAIS Class 6A state champion Jackson Prep Dec. 14 at Prep in Flowood.
Leake has seven more regular season games to play, with four of those at home where it rarely loses. The Rebelettes have won 87 of their 89 games at home. Leake’s last home losses was to Simpson Jan. 5 last season. Simpson also broke Leake’s 70-game, five-year home winning streak two years, the first time Dear had defeated Leake at home in 20 years of coaching at Simpson.
Leake’s biggest hurdle to complete an undefeated regular season is a visit to East Rankin Jan. 14 in Pelahatchie. Leake ended East Rankin’s undefeated season and a 22-game winning streak with a 48-37 win Dec. 19 at Leake in Madden. East Rankin is now 21-1 going into Saturday’s game at Jackson Academy.
East Rankin defeated Leake 68-62 last season at East Rankin on its way to a school record 39 wins and its Overall championship.
Leake’s last undefeated season was in 1998-99 season when Hatch – then a junior – was a part of Leake’s 46-0 championship team. Hatch scored 2,470 points in her career and was a part of the longest winning streak in school history, 63 games, the 46 straight in 1998-1999 and the first 17 in 1999-2000.
“We didn’t talk about it (the undefeated record) at all until deep into the season and don’t talk about it much,” said Hatch, who has a 371-47 record – an amazing 88.8 percent winning percentage – and one Overall title (2021) in her 11th season at Leake and has 486 career wins in her 16th season as a head coach. “We just focus on getting the job done each game and feel blessed to get to celebrate each win afterwards.”
Senior guard Ava Dunn – who set a MAIS record when she made 11 3-pointers and scored a school record 40 points against Wesson two years ago as a sophomore – led Simpson with 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
