'They all came out and showed love': Canton boys basketball wins MHSAA Class 5A state title

The noise was apparent before the game started. Hundreds of fans were still trying to make their way into Mississippi Coliseum while seats filled up in what seemed like seconds. The excitement for one of the most anticipated MHSAA state tournament basketball games was delivered from start to finish.

Raucous noise from around 8,500 fans filled the arena with every score, call, or highlight play for their respective team. It was hard to relax for fans, let alone the players on the court.

Jamarion Davis-Fleming, who heard the noise pregame, knew how big the moment was, but with the crowd and venue, it made the energy level that much more significant.

Canton (26-4) used it to swing a 58-40 win over rival Yazoo City (28-6) in the MHSAA Class 5A state championship game to claim its first boys title since 1997.

Davis-Fleming said all the fans from Canton that came down to support only helped fuel the team. Dunk after dunk by Davis-Fleming, the arena that was filled with black chair backs, in walkways behind team benches and in front of exit doors, provided the Tigers every ounce of energy they had in the hope of witnessing a state title.

"I appreciate the whole city, man," the 6-foot-10, Davis-Fleming said. "They all came out and showed love. We had to do it for them."

Davis-Fleming highlighted the reason why he was a Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen selection and a 2024 Class 5A MHSAA Mr. Basketball winner . Relentless pressure down low, producing 25 points and six rebounds was plenty for Canton. In contrast, Yazoo City had no answer.

"Man, he worked for tonight. He put in the work, and he showed up on the biggest night in his life as of right now," Canton coach Brian Townsend said. "He still has a lot more basketball to go, but as of today, man, all his hard work paid off."

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Townsend joined in with the crowd's celebrations off steals, dunks, or any of the points Canton scored.

"I think I was jumping up and down with them a couple of times," Townsend quipped. "The energy from the crowd and then seeing my guys love to play the game and love to play as hard as they played. Those are the things that get me going."

A crowd that provided support from start to finish was only fitting for the Tigers to deliver on Mississippi high school basketball's biggest stage for the evening.

"It was electric," Townsend said. "When I walked out, I had chills on my arm because, you know, I just felt that love from the crowd."

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: 'They all came out and showed love': Canton boys basketball wins MHSAA Class 5A state title