Jackson Free Press

It has become a rite of late winter for the Murrah High girls basketball team. It's the last week of February, and the Lady Mustangs are headed for the MHSAA 5A Girls State Basketball Tournament at the Mississippi Coliseum. The tournament began its two-week run on Monday.

Murrah began the week ranked No. 3 in the state by The Clarion-Ledger and No. 6 in the nation by USA Today. The Lady Mustangs are 29-1 this season and overwhelming favorites to defend their state title.

Thanks to the MHSAA's ridiculous, bloated tournament field (six teams make it to Jackson in each class), the Lady Mustangs won't play their next game until March 6. That's a layoff of 12 days. That's not how basketball is supposed to be played.

Murrah has won seven state titles, all under Coach Anna Jackson, who's in her 25th season.

Jackson told The Clarion-Ledger that she hadn't meant to stay so long: "I was going to leave after the '96-'97 season, but I decided to come back, and we went undefeated. I thought about leaving prior to last season, but we wound up winning the state championship."

Senior LaSondra Barrett, an LSU signee, and junior Taneka Carey lead the Lady Mustangs.

Murrah is one of nine Jackson-area teams that reached the Boys and Girls Basketball Championships. Joining the Lady Mustangs on the girls side are Brandon, Forest Hill, Raymond and Pisgah. Boys teams headed for the Coliseum include Brandon, Wingfield, Ridgeland and Puckett.