By Maurice Singleton/Sports Writer

JACKSON —The Harrison Central Lady Red Rebels (24-5) punched their ticket to the MHSAA 7A Finals with a convincing 56-40 win over the Madison Central Lady Cougars on Tuesday afternoon.

The Lady Red Rebels overcame a slow second quarter where they put up only four points in the period, by coming out in the third quarter attacking the Lady Cougars in the paint. Junior center Saniyah Murray freed herself from double teams to score 10 points in the period, including four field goals and two free throws.

Harrison Central led 15-13 going into halftime, with the stage set for Murray to take over, and she did just that. She scored on a layup to give the Lady Red Rebels a 26-17 lead, and two posssessions later, she scored on a rebound and putback to extend the lead to 28-17. And she sank her second free throw of the period to give them a 29-19 lead.

With just over two minutes to play in the period, she scored again on a layup in the half-court offense.

Murray finished with a double-double with 23 points and a game-high 20 rebounds.

“I thought she showed some toughness,” said Lady Red Rebels coach Sandra Rushing. “She showed some heart. She was tired. She gets double and triple teamed all the time, and that wears her out some. We’ve got to look at her a little bit more because she is pretty tough on that block.”

Murray’s third-quarter play in the paint set the tone for the Lady Red Rebels the rest of the way. They would go on to score 20 points in the period, while holding the Lady Cougars to 17 points.

And in the fourth quarter, the Lady Red Rebels maintained that same energy on the offensive end, outscoring the Lady Cougars 21-13 in the period.

“I thought we came out with a lot of energy. We wanted to keep our feet on the pedal,” said Rushing. “And then we relaxed. Madison Central is a very talented team and they are well coached. We can’t let up. We went into the dressing room and made some adjustments at halftime, and that’s when we came out and started passing the ball better.”

Sophomore point guard P.J. Floyd controlled the tempo for the Lady Rebels in the half-court offense, as they patiently pushed the ball around the perimeter with the ball coming back to her two or three times before they would take a shot. And that would prove to be effective for the Lady Rebels in the second half as they would outscore the Lady Cougars 41-27 after the intermission.

Floyd would sink seven free throws in the fourth quarter on her way to a team high 25 points for the Lady Red Rebels.

“It feels great,” said Floyd of playing in the 7A state championship. “I’ve never been in a state championship before. I’m just happy to be here with my teammates.”

“It feels awesome,” said coach Rushing of the Lady Red Rebels playing in the 7A state championship. “Thirty-two minutes for a championship!”