By Robert Wilson
Madison-Ridgeland Academy and Raymond boys basketball teams represented Mississippi well this past week by winning tournament championships against out of state teams.
MRA defeated four out of state teams and defeated host school St. Thomas More 55-44 Saturday night to win the Sunkist Classic championship in Lafayette, La.
Sophomore guard Will Bizot had a team-high 21 points, making 6 of 8 from 3-point range, eighth grade center EJ Dampier had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and junior forward Ashton Magee had 12 points and 11 rebounds for MRA in the championship game. St. Thomas More came in ranked No. 6 in Louisiana by MaxPreps.
MRA improved to 22-0, matching their best start in school history and is the only undefeated team in Mississippi.
Raymond defeated three teams, two from out of state, and defeated Windermere, Fla., Prep 45-40 Saturday night to win the 40th annual Gulfport Holiday Classic in Gulfport. Windermere was ranked No. 41 in Florida by MaxPreps.
Senior forward Eric Paymon, senior guard Keymarius Lewis, and junior forward Willie Myles scored 11 points each for Raymond in the championship game.
Raymond improved to 16-3 and won its sixth game in a row.
The 6-foot-6 Magee – a Division I recruit and a member of the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Preseason Elite 11 Team – was named the tournament MVP. Magee averaged 12.8 points and 8.8 rebounds in the four games.
Bizot, the 6-9 Dampier – rated the No. 1 player in the country in the Class of 2028 by Coast to Coast Preps and son of former Mississippi State and NBA star Erick Dampier (who is an MRA assistant coach) – were named to the all-tournament team.
MRA defeated previously undefeated Lafayette Christian School 66-55 in the semifinals. Lafayette came in ranked No. 7 in Louisiana by MaxPreps. Senior point guard Sam Hailey had 17 points, 4 of 8 from 3-point range, to lead MRA.
Junior guard Jas Smith had 17 points to lead MRA to a 68-47 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas Thursday in the quarterfinals.
Bizot had 14 points to lead MRA to 68-47 victory over St. John XXIII (Texas) Wednesday in the first round.
MRA coach Richard Duease – the winningest basketball coach in Mississippi history and the second winningest active boys basketball coach in the country – has never had a team go undefeated. The 1988-89 MRA team won its first 22 games before losing to Hillcrest Christian. That team finished 32-3 and lost to Brookhaven Academy in triple overtime in the Overall championship game when Chris Thurman scored a tournament record 54 points. The best record was 35-3 in 2015-2016 season when MRA assistant coach Harper Hudnall was a senior and the Patriots won the Overall title.
Duease won his 1,823rd career game (1,231 boys and 592 girls) in his 49th season in the championship game. He has won 41 state titles – No. 41 came last year when he won the MAIS Class 6A state championship – and has won 15 Overall Tournament titles (13 boys and two girls, all at MRA). Duease is in his 42nd season at MRA.
The 6-9 Paymon, the No. 1 player in Mississippi in the Class of 2024 by ESPN and a member of the Elite 11 Team, was named the tournament MVP. He averaged 14 points in three wins. Paymon also won the slam dunk competition.
Lewis – a member of the Elite 11 Team – and senior forward Mekhi Strong were named to the all-tournament team.
Lewis had 22 points and Peymon 13 points to lead Raymond to a 62-45 victory over MHSAA Class 6A Olive Branch 62-45 Friday in the semifinals.
Paymon had 18 points to lead to Raymond to a 57-46 victory over Princeton (Ohio) High Thursday in the first round.
Raymond has been to the state championship game seven consecutive years, winning the state title three of those seasons. Raymond coach Tony Tadlock has been a part of the last six state tournament appearances. He has a 178-40 career record, an 81.6 winning percentage, and three state titles (2017, 2018 and 2022). Tadlock was one of eight finalists for the National High School Boys Basketball Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletics Coaches Association last summer.
MRA and Raymond – ranked No. 3 and 4 in Mississippi by MaxPreps going into last week – might move up to Nos. 1 and 2 after last week’s strong performances. The two teams are scheduled to meet at 1 p.m. Jan. 15 in the Rumble in the South at Mississippi College in Clinton.
Both teams begin league play this month. MRA plays at Presbyterian Christian School Jan. 9 in MAIS Class 6A conference play in Hattiesburg. Raymond defeated Wingfield 64-49 Tuesday in MHSAA Class 4A, Region 6 play in South Jackson.
