Harrison Central Red Rebelettes off-roading to Jackson

For the eight girls basketball teams remaining in the class 6A playoffs, all of them have paved their own roads to Jackson except Harrison Central. As only true South Mississippi girls could do, the Red Rebelettes have been ripping up a dirt road all the way to the state tournament.
On the court, the Red Rebelettes are all about run and gun, high octane, pedal to the metal basketball. Why should it be any different off the court? Harrison Central guard-forward Arie’anna Norwood said, “Well, right now we have a tradition of where before every game we go to our coaches house and then we eat and then we ride the four-wheeler. You know, have a little fun.”
Harrison Central guard Chyna Allen said, “Yeah, we go out there and ride four-wheelers before the game. Eat a little bit, get pumped before the game.”
Harrison Central girls basketball head Coach Nancy Ladner said, “The girls came to the house and we ate, and they just so happened out on the four-wheeler while I didn’t really know about it. And every game since then they feel that hey, let’s not break the tradition. And so now every game they have to plan to come to the house and eat and ride the four-wheelers and so hey, if that gets them motivated, we’ll do whatever we have to do.”
That pre-game ritual started before the district tournament and Harrison Central hasn’t lost since. The Red Rebelettes were already 19-3 prior to that so it’s not just slangin’ up mud that has them back in the metro for the sixth year in a row. “We’ve been planning for this moment for a great while now. We knew from the start, from when the season started, that we were going to make it this far. We just had to keep pushing and keep believing that we could make it.”
But getting to Jackson is only half the battle. The Red Rebelettes have three games left to win, starting with a rematch against one of the only two teams to beat them this season: Starkville. “When we played them in Starkville, we weren’t prepared,” said Norwood.
“We don’t want to lose to them again. We’re going to get them this time,” said Allen.
“To win a state title, we have to go to that next level. And I think that that loss taught us that we were not at that next level that we needed to be. (Are you at that next level now?)I think we are,” said Ladner.
As a program, Harrison Central is 13 going on 14 in terms of state titles won. Right now is the school’s longest-ever drought between gold balls, raising the stakes to repeat what the Red Rebelettes last accomplished 12 years ago. “It’s been a while since 2005. We haven’t won anything, so I think 2017 we can win a state championship,” said Allen.
“It’s been a great while since we’ve won a state championship. I think us being able to start that tradition again would mean a lot,” said Norwood.
“If we play like we’re playing for a state championship every single game, then we’ll come out on top,” said Ladner.
Harrison Central guard Yolanda Nelson said, “Woo! Basically it would feel like gold, really.”
The Red Rebelettes tip things off with Starkville from the big house up in Jackson at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. And yes, they do plan on taking one last ride before they leave that morning.