How 8th grader Caleigh Nix led Olive Branch to MHSAA 6A championship
· Yahoo Sports
As the MHSAA Class 6A state championship game got closer, Olive Branch girls basketball coach Jason Thompson knew exactly which player he could trust to lead the Conquistadors.
Caleigh Nix had been one of the team’s top players all season long despite being just an eighth grader, and with the game against Neshoba Central (26-7) tied, Nix hit the go-ahead basket with 38 seconds left, lifting Olive Branch (23-7) to the 58-57 win at Mississippi Coliseum on March 5.
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“She’s built for it,” Thompson said of Nix. “She loves it. She’s made for it. I told her, ‘We’re going to count on you, and we’re going to put it on your back, and don’t you think that your back can’t carry it because I done seen it before.”
Nix scored 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting. She also added five rebounds.
Moments after her go-ahead shot, Nix hit two free throws with 5.6 seconds left that proved to be crucial. Down four, Neshoba Central’s Jiar Henry hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer, but Nix’s free throws made it so that the Conquistadors were still in front.
“Being an eighth grader, working with the high schoolers, it feels amazing. I’m so happy.” Nix said.
Several other players helped Olive Branch win its first state title since 2021 and fifth overall.
Jayde Matthews led the team in scoring with 17 points. She hit five 3-pointers, four of which came in the fourth quarter. Chloe Dorsey was named the game’s MVP after scoring 15 points and recording 14 rebounds and three steals.
“Chloe had a huge game that she put her skills on display that others hadn’t seen, but I’ve seen consistently time after time,” Thompson said. “And no time like the present for her to come out with that.”
Although each of the team’s top three scorers were underclassmen, Dorsey cited a desire to get the win for the senior class as motivation in the back-and-forth game.
“It means so much to us because we’ve came from so many people doubting us,” Dorsey said. “We’ve came from losing games we shouldn’t have lost. We’ve came from fighting each other to coming together as a sisterhood and bringing this home for our coach and for our seniors.”
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at [email protected] and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Olive Branch wins MHSAA 6A championship behind 8th grader Caleigh Nix