RALEIGH – Callaway High School is appropriately nicknamed the Chargers. Callaway has been a Mississippi 5A power and features nationally-ranked junior guard Daeshun Ruffin. The Chargers like to get up and down and score in the 80’s. For Leesville Road, 64 junior Carter Whitt leads the way and will be looking for an estimated mid-January return of Jalen McDonald. In addition, Leesville Road also gets double-digit scoring from 59 junior Chase Hakerem, 64 junior Scott Martin, and 63 senior Deon Daniels. Carter Whitt is a natural level prospect that is one of the better passing point guards in the country.
Callaway took a 35-31 halftime lead with both teams pushing the tempo. Ruffin had 17 points going 6-for-15 from the floor while Whitt (Leesville Road) tallied 12 points going 5-for-12 from the floor and dished out three assists. Both teams struggled to find consistency from the perimeter, however, both teams did a fairly good job of limiting turnovers. Callaway only had four turnovers while Leesville Road had five.
Callaways overall quickness and athleticism allowed them to dribble penetrate and score easier scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, after a Whitt technical foul and ejection, it was all Callaway in the fourth quarter as they cruised to an 80-68 win.
Leading the way for Callaway was Ruffin with 30 points and five assists. In addition, 55 senior Jordan Brister had 17 while 62 senior Kendarius Buckley and 510 sophomore chipped win 12 and 10 points respectively.
For Leesville Road, 59 junior Chase Hakerem had 19 points while 64 junior Carter Whitt had 12 in limited minutes.
Final: Callaway HS (MS) 80 – Leesville Road 68
