Piney Woods ascended back to its normal place as the 2A State Champions.
Piney Woods was a school who regularly challenged for state titles, had top players and sent players off to play divison-1 basketball. It’s been awhile since those days, but head coach Lemuel Jones told his players that it was time to bring the tradition back. Jones has been at Piney Woods for four years and saw the rise of the team from year to year.
Piney Woods’ length gave opposing teams problems all season. Combine that with the stellar play of dynamic duo Xavian Rimmer, a UT-Chatanooga signee, and Kentwan Smith, a Louisiana-Lafayette signee, the Tornados blew away most of their competition. Two of their three losses came to the top teams in the state. Losses to newly crowned 6A Champion, Meridian, and newly crowned 5A Champion, Wayne County, show how difficult this Piney Woods team was to beat.
In the championship game against Bruce, it was the same game plan as the entire season. Smith and Rimmer led the charge with 18 points each. Rimmer was named the game’s MVP for his performance. Rimmer did an excellent job of controlling the tempo of the game. Smith electrified the crowd with his dunking and shot blocking. Bruce deserves credit for playing a very solid first half. They only trailed by 1 at halftime.
In the second half, the Tornados jumped out to a 10-point lead and Smith’s shot blocking frustrated Bruce. Rimmer took advantage of their frustration by constantly driving and getting fouled. When it was all said and done, Piney Woods won the game 64-48. Rimmer was brought to tears after the game.
“Since my eigth-grade year, I’ve wanted to get a ring”, said Rimmer. He accomplished his goal. Piney Woods finished the season 29-3.
Be the first to comment