How Terry boys basketball flipped its season to enter state playoffs as a region champion

Terry senior guard Jaden Harper says the Bulldogs' losses and hiccups earlier in the season have produced what the team is now.

Terry emphatically avenged an earlier loss to Hattiesburg on Friday night, beating the Tigers 62-44 to win the MSHAA Class 6A Region 3 title at Forest Hill.

The win gave the Bulldogs (21-7) a home game as they begin the state playoffs.

"We really found ourselves as a team," Harper said. "All of those losses were like lessons, really. So every time we lost, we went back in the lab and worked on what we what we needed to work on."

Senior forward Avery Thomas II said the Bulldogs' early experiences taught them how to respond to adversity.

"We just needed team bonding to figure out what we all can do better," Thomas said, "and that's why we're in the position we are in now."

Terry will host Hancock (14-17) on Feb. 17 in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs after winning 10 of their past 11 games.

"The main thing was getting this one (district game) so we get a home game," Terry coach Chris Parker said. "... But you always want to be playing your best basketball at this time."

Terry is being led by Thomas, averaging 19.1 points and 12.7 rebounds, and Harper, with 13.4 points in regional games this season. The Bulldogs want to win the first state title in program history. Terry lost to Brandon last season in the third round of the state playoffs.

"We came into the season, we said we're going to go as those two go, along with Austin (Ratliff)," Parker said. "Avery is just what you look for in a prime-time player, and we got great players around him. ... Harper has immensely improved from 10th grade to 11th grade to now, and he's had a vast improvement."

Parker said he had prepared his team for this type of final stretch. The schedule was filled by challenging games earlier in the year, including non-region games against Pascagoula, Raymond and out-of-state schools.

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"We scheduled for this time of year," Parker said, "so we've played every style. We played great teams in-state and out-of-state, and that's what it gets you ready for during tournament time."

"Our end goal for all of us in the locker room is the winter gold ball," Harper said, "so it's really important for us to play well at this time of the year."

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion-Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Terry boys basketball looks to state playoffs after flipping season