Heidelberg Oilers hoping to slip past Corinth on the way to 3A title

By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
Mazrch 9, 2002
Basketball fans should expect a thrill a minute when the Heidelberg Oilers take on Corinth for the Class 3A State Tournament championship today at 2:30 p.m. in the Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
After all, both teams have had exciting ventures just to reach the main event.
Heidelberg got a last-second putback basket from 6-foot-4 senior Fred Stephens to beat Amanda Elzy 60-59 in first-round action on Feb. 27.
Then the Oilers got past Jefferson County 56-54 in the semifinals on Tuesday after trailing by as many as eight points.
Corinth had no easy route either, needing a Rico Wood layup with two seconds left following a steal by Galvin Davis on an inbounds play to take a 60-59 semifinal victory over Holly Springs Wednesday afternoon.
Davis, a 6-foot-2 junior, led the Warriors with a season-high 22 points. Jimmy Taylor, another 6-foot-2 junior, had 10. Team-leading scorers Marcus Howard and Bryan Brown, both 5-foot-10 seniors, had nine and eight points, respectively.
Williams said he's hoping 6-foot senior Marvin McDonald bounces back from a sub-par semifinal game.
Other top players for the Oilers are 6-foot junior Joe Agee, 5-foot-10 senior Jessie Jones, 6-foot-4 senior Cedric Pierce, 6-foot-5 senior Derrick Turner, and 6-foot-2 senior Billy Wright.
Corinth is making its second venture to the 3A title game in three years. In fact, the Warriors beat Heidelberg in double overtime in the first round of the 2000 tournament. Corinth went on to win the 2000 championship.
Heidelberg is looking for its first state championship. Southside High School in Heidelberg did win Magnolia State Tournament boys' championships in 1962 and 1968 and girls' championships in 1967 and 1968.