JACKSON – One of West Lincoln’s best-ever basketball teams crashed Friday on the Mississippi Coliseum’s portable hardwood. Shoulders sagged, heads bowed and tears were shed.

Over 1,000 green-clad West Lincoln fans cheered the Bears with gusto. They too, felt the agony of defeat. This was supposed to be West Lincoln’s year to bring a gold basketball trophy back to Jack Case Gymnasium. It would be placed next to those two golden icons when the Bears won back-to-back titles in 1981-82, under the guidance of the gym’s namesake.

However, the best-laid plans often go awry. It’s also known as March Madness on the college level. High school basketball games can be just as unpredictable.

Just like last year, the Bears sputtered and started slowly in the coliseum. Biggersville, the Lions from rural Alcorn County, nestled in the northeast corner of the state near Corinth, shot the lights out and knocked out the multi-talented Bears.

West Lincoln senior guards Jared Case and Darrius Clark leaned against a wall in the darkened hallway outside the tournament’s Media Center. They wished they could just disappear and go home.

Clark was speechless when asked about the game. Case, his eyes welling with tears, whispered, “We should have beat them. We got behind a lot, early in the game.”

There was no easy answer to West Lincoln’s misfortune. Biggersville shot the lights out the first half, building a 22-11, first-quarter lead. They shot a hot 51 percent from the field compared to WL’s 33 percent.

Coach Cliff Little told his Lions to get up front and personal with the Bears on defense. As one coach would put it, “Get in their shorts.”

Little said, “We wanted to get up in them.”

Case, a talented shooter, passer and ball-handler, was shadowed from the opening tip. The Bears looked nervous and tentative. By comparison, the Lions were leaping like gazelles and junior standout Daniel Simmons was shooting the lights out.

“We felt like we had to get up in their shooters’ faces,” said Little, explaining his team’s defensive strategy. They have four who can shoot it.”

Sophomore guard Duane Marshall carried the Bears the first half scoring 16 of his team-high 21 points. Little said, “We did a better job on Marshall the second half.”

Little praised the Bears. “West Lincoln has such a great team. They can beat anybody in the state on a given night.”

The Bears led No. 1-ranked Wayne County at halftime during a tournament game last month at Bay Springs before the Class 5A War Eagles waged a physical, second-half war and pulled out a win.

A scribe from Corinth mentioned the Cross Roads Arena located in Alcorn County. The large, coliseum-like facility favors the large interior of the Mississippi Coliseum. Many teams enter the Big House and have a difficult time adjusting to the dimensions and background. There are no walls behind the backboards.

The Bears lose four seniors to graduation in Case, Clark, forward Luca Burris and guard LeKeith Ward. They will be dearly missed.

Coach Lane Young does have some talented veterans returning, among them Marshall, center Sam Bivens and forward Tamarcus London. Junior guards Sid Griffin and Chase Buckles have potential. Freshman guard Ronnie Edwards could be a good one.

The basic framework will change dramatically next season as West Lincoln moved up to Class 2A in all sports. The Bears have a 2A rival in Loyd Star. Region foes Bassfield, East Marion and Amite County will be strong competition.

Next March, the Class 1A and 2A State Tournaments are moving to the coliseum at Tupelo. That’s about 5 hours from Lincoln County.

Bogue Chitto’s Lady Cats also enjoyed a great year. Coach Christi Terrell’s team was overpowered by 2-time defending state champion H.W. Byers of Holly Springs.

The Lady Cats were South State 1A runners-up to the Hinds AHS Lady Bulldogs. Hinds AHS rallied to eliminate Ashland from the Final Four and land a berth in Thursday’s title game against Byers, a 64-25 winner over Ashland in the North State finals.

The Lady Bulldogs got a heckuva boost from 5-foot-4 guard Erica Harris. She tossed in a game-high 25 points to spark the comeback.

By comparison, the Lady Cats struggled offensively against the in-your-face Byers defense. They shot an ice-cold 22 percent from the field.

Terrell loses three seniors, two of them starters, to graduation. The seniors are Adrienne Wallace, Rheagan Welch and Lauren Wallace.

A solid group returns, led by Zariah Matthews, Christian Black. Mattie Avants and Earlneshia Dillon. Another returnee is Marshonique Blackwell, who suffered a season-ending knee injury two weeks ago.

Class 1A girls basketball seems to be in a downward trend right now. Hinds AHS and Bogue Chitto are far ahead of any competition located below Jackson. Stringer has potential and Durant has some talented athletes.

Overall, the local talent level is at its lowest in several years. Hopefully, it’s just a cycle and the talent level will steadily improve.

If you are keen on statistics, Brookhaven hasn’t won a girls state championship since 1984, when the Lady Panthers went 40-0. They were coached by Tommy Goodson and directed by 6-4 center Chana Perry, recognized as National Player of the Year by PARADE MAGAZINE.

Loyd Star’s girls won the 2A state title in 1991, led by 6-foot center Heather Ratcliff-Watts. Coach Jan Delaughter’s Lady Hornets were runners-up to Hollandale Simmons in 1992.

Bogue Chitto’s Lady Cats made a remarkable run through the late 1980s. Coach Ronald Gill directed those talented teams, which were led by forward Cornelia Gayden. They won three straight state titles from 1988-90. They won again in 1993 and 1995, under Gill’s direction.

If you like history, consider this. Bogue Chitto’s girls captured an Overall tournament title in 1965. West Lincoln’ s Lady Bears won it all in 1957.

Contact sports editor Tom Goetz by Email: tom.goetz@dailyleader.com