The Coahoma lady Tigers picked up another pivotal win when they beat a quality Itawamba squad Monday night 56-46. Sophomore guard Jurnee McLaurin led all scorers with 23 points and Braylin Tate had another solid outing pouring in 13. The win extends Coahoma's winning streak to six games and they stand in first place in the north division. "The win shows the growth we have made in our program. That is what we are most proud of. Our players showed toughness, heart and resiliency in that win," said Coahoma head Coach Stephanie Murphy.
Stephanie Murphy is in her third season at Coahoma. She came to Clarksdale after spending seven seasons at Brandon High School. "I think my high school experience helped with the transition because I knew the state, but there was still a big learning curve. I had to learn how to manage a JUCO program and how to effectively use scholarships said Murphy."
Learning the league and what works effectively was a priority for Murphy and assistant coach Isaiah Butler. "Coach Butler and I went to the state tournament to observe, take notes, learn, and see what these good teams were doing to be successful," said Murphy. "We learned quickly that this is a guard league, so we needed to get better guard play. The tournament is fluid basketball so we needed to get our turnovers down and we needed to improve our rebounding," says Murphy.
It has been a team effort for the Tigers. A transfer guard from Hinds in Tamia Brown (Lanier HS, MS) has made a difference. Freshman forward Nakia Cheatham (Coahoma County HS) and freshman guard Ashanti Backus have also been key pieces to the Tigers success.
Coahoma also has some leaders on this roster. "Jurnee McLaurin makes us go. She leads the conference in scoring (19.1 ppg) and is a very good defensive player. She takes pride in guarding opponents," Murphy said. Sophomore guard Mary Wilkins (Greenville HS, MS) has been solid. "I am extremely proud of Mary Wilkins, she has really stepped up" said Murphy.
The unsung hero on the team has been Valencia Watson. "She's a walk-on that we picked up in tryouts our first year. She is hungry and wanted an opportunity to play. She comes off the bench and our energy does not drop off, it picks up. She brings that grit, grind, and toughness that we play with," says Murphy. The Tigers can go five or six deep off the bench at any time.
Starting sophomore guard Ayani Cockrell is due back in the lineup soon after breaking her finger in the game against East MS. Cockrell was contributing 8 points and six rebounds a game.
"We are peaking at the right time," says Murphy. "Our freshmen are coming on strong. I am very proud of them, they came into a program that was not used to winning and they had to buy into our vision. They did and have stuck with it" said Murphy
Prior to Murphy's arrival, the Tigers were averaging about two wins a season. Time will tell how the 2021 Tigers season concludes.
Regardless, opponents know that Coahoma will no longer be an automatic win on the schedule.
Mississippi JUCO Women's Basketball Standings
Mike Frazer
JUCOWeekly.com