Before every game, Oak Grove coach LaRon Brumfield writes a couple of bullet points on a whiteboard in the locker room. Usually, it’s four or five points to remember during that night’s game, but on Monday before the Warriors’ Lamar County Tournament game with Purvis, all Brumfield wrote was one.
“Play defense.”
Oak Grove beat the Tornadoes 68-18 that night, then took down Sumrall 79-33 to win the tournament championship on Tuesday. The Warriors are now 12-1 overall this season with their only loss coming against rival Hattiesburg.
“(Hattiesburg) made a lot of shots,” Brumfield said. “They beat us on the boards pretty good and down the stretch, we didn’t play the way we should have played. Against Hattiesburg, that’s a different atmosphere and that was the first time some of our guys experienced that.”
The Warriors won their first seven games of the season before the early December loss to the Tigers, and now they’ve won five straight since. The latest pair of wins came this week, and Oak Grove will participate in the North Forrest Christmas Tournament starting Friday, Dec. 28, to finish the calendar year.
“We’ve been playing pretty good,” Brumfield said. “We’ve just been able to win some games. I think the kids have worked hard and we have a good senior and junior group that’s helping the sophomores on the team, because they don’t have as much pressure. We’re just kind of rolling right now, but we still have a long way to go.”
The most thrilling win came a few days after the loss, too. Brumfield’s son, Dylan Brumfield, drained a half court, late second shot to lift the Warriors over Tylertown. It was a moment when Brumfield was a proud coach and father.
“After the game was over, I told him, ‘Good shot,’” Brumfield said. “Some people said, ‘Just like his dad,’ and I said, ‘No, I’ve never hit a shot like that.’ I’m happy for him. Not everybody gets to experience that in their career. It was fun watching as a parent.”
Oak Grove is a team with a handful of players who can contribute. It’s not uncommon for as many as 10 players to record a point in a contest. In fact, it had 12 players score a point in Monday’s win over Purvis.
There are five players who average eight or more points, then four more who add at least four a game. The Warriors don’t have a scorer who puts up 20 points a game, but junior Blake Roberts leads the way with 14 a night.
“We want to distribute the ball and get many people involved,” Brumfield said. “We think we have enough people on the bench who we think can contribute. If we pass the ball and get everybody involved, we can be very successful.”
Senior Tate Ryder, sophomore Jay Barnes add 11 points a game each, and senior Brandon Tilley chips in with nine points. It’s not uncommon for players like Ryder or Roberts to find a rhythm with their shooting at a certain point in the game, then Tilley or Barnes could take over the scoring when other players go cold.
“I want us to be the best team,” Brumfield said. “When we’re playing team basketball, I think that’s our best basketball. A lot of times we had one player who had a lot of pressure put on him, but I like the team the way it is. I think we can have success when you have so many different guys who you can call their numbers. Who are you going to stop?”
Oak Grove will have a 10-day hiatus before starting region play in January. Oak Grove will travel to George County on Tuesday, Jan. 8, then hit the road for Petal the follow Friday to begin a tough stretch of its schedule.
Even after allowing just 18 points to Purvis Monday, Brumfield still wants to see his team’s defense improve.
“Your defense can always get better,” he said. “That’s what is going to win you big games. That’s how you’re going to win down the stretch.”
