By Robert Wilson
Germantown’s All-American Madison Booker would like to lead the Lady Mavs to their first MHSAA Class 6A state championship in school history in her senior season this year.
The 6-foot-1 Texas signee took the first step last week in the first week of Class 6A, Region 4 games.
Booker averaged 22 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocked shots and 1 steal and led Germantown to two regional wins.
For her outstanding performance, Booker has been named the Performance Therapy/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Girls Basketball Player of the Week.
Booker had 15 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocked shots and 1 steal in a 68-44 win over Murrah in the Lady Mavs’ regional opener.
Then Booker had 29 points, including 27 in the second half, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot in a 57-53 win over Madison County rival Madison Central for its ninth straight win over the Lady Jags. She didn’t make a field goal attempt in the first half and Madison Central led 21-20 after two quarters but heated up in the third quarter. Booker scored 16 points and four 3-pointers, including one from about 25 feet, a driving layup and two free throws in a four-minute span. She also connected on a 3-pointer from the corner for a 55-53 Germantown lead with 30 seconds to play in the game.
Germantown improved to 18-2 overall and won its 13th straight game against Mississippi teams. Germantown’s only Mississippi loss was a 57-56 decision to defending MHSAA 4A state champion Choctaw Central. Germantown’s only other loss was a 59-49 decision to Hoover, Ala., ranked No. 19 in the country by Maxpreps.
“Madison is a competitor who doesn’t like to lose,” Germantown coach Jamie Glasgow said. “She was lights out in the second half against Madison Central. I’m proud of the fight that our girls showed in that game. Last week was a great start to district play.”
Booker – a two-time USA Basketball Team gold medalist who is rated as the No. 3 player in the country in the Class of 2023 by Blue Star Basketball – is averaging 19.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.1 rebounds entering this week.
Booker was the PriorityOne Bank/Mississippi Scoreboard Metro Jackson Player of the Year for the past two seasons as a sophomore and junior and has been a member of the Metro Jackson Preseason Elite 11 Team this year and last year. She was the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year as a sophomore.
Booker averaged 16.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals and led Germantown to a 24-7 record and a MHSAA Class 6A state tournament semifinal finish last season. She scored a career-high 30 points against Arlington, Tenn., last season.
Booker – whose father, Carlos, was a 6-10 center for Southern Miss in the 1990s – made official visits to Duke, Tennessee, and Texas. Recruited by the best programs in the country, Booker narrowed her college choices down to nine schools – Mississippi State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Connecticut, Duke, Florida State, Louisville, Oregon, and Texas entering her junior year.
Booker averaged 18.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.6 blocked shots and led Germantown to a 13-4 record and the MHSAA Class 6A runner-up finish as a sophomore. She was first team on the All-Metro Jackson team as a freshman, sophomore and junior.
Coaches can nominate players for the Player of the Week award by texting or calling Robert Wilson at 601.506.2276. Only players on teams in Hinds, Madison and Rankin Counties are eligible.
