Starkville wins 2026 Girls Class 7A Basketball Championship

Game summary by ChatGPT

Starkville High School did not need a barrage of points Friday night. It just needed control, and it had that almost from the start in a 39-22 win over Harrison Central High School.

The game was even briefly at 5-5 in the opening quarter after Parklyn Floyd’s free throws and Krista Clark’s 3-pointer for Harrison Central. Starkville answered immediately. Jada Blair knocked down a 3, Gay scored in the final seconds of the quarter, and Starkville carried an 11-5 lead into the second.

That was only the beginning of the separation. Gay hit a 3-pointer early in the second, Jade Brown turned a steal into a layup, and Warren added another basket as Starkville pushed the lead to 18-5 and then 21-7 by halftime. Harrison Central struggled to find clean looks, and when it did get chances, Starkville usually finished the possession with a rebound.

The third quarter removed any remaining suspense. Starkville opened the half with another clean surge, getting baskets from Morgan Williams and Zariah Brown to build the margin to 29-9. Harrison Central got a late 3 from Floyd before the end of the quarter, but Starkville still took a 31-16 lead to the fourth.

Gay finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds to lead Starkville, and Zariah Brown added 12 points. Floyd scored 11 for Harrison Central, but Starkville’s rebounding edge, defensive activity and ball security kept the game tilted in one direction all night.