Phifer shines as Lady Falcons take 1A title
Mar. 4—JACKSON — Macie Phifer introduced herself to the big stage as Ingomar reintroduced itself to the top of 1A girls basketball.
The eighth-grade star poured in 29 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to lead the Lady Falcons to a 55-51 win over West Lowndes in the MHSAA Class 1A state championship game on Thursday.
It's the program's 11th state title and its first since capping off a 3-peat in 2018.
"Anytime you win one it's tremendous," said Ingomar Trent Adair, who picked up his fourth gold ball as head coach.
"It's such a big blessing," Phifer added. "This is what I've dreamed about my entire life and to get out here and do it is amazing."
Phifer's standout performance sheds more light on a young Ingomar (23-9) team that stayed poise down the stretch.
The Lady Falcons built a 12-point lead early in the second quarter but West Lowndes fought back to the game 40-40 heading into the fourth.
Phifer scored 11 points in the final period, including the game-sealing layup with six seconds left.
"She's obviously pretty vital," said Adair. "She's no where near her ceiling yet. This is coach-speak that you hear people say this but she really has not come to the realization, nor should she be considering she just turned 14, of how good she can be. She's a difference maker."
Katie Beth Hall shot 4 for 10 from the 3-point line and scored 16 points in the win. As a team, Ingomar shot 54.1% from the field and 43.8% from deep.
Hall totaled 34 points on 10 of 17 shooting from beyond the arc through the semifinals and finals.
"She's a shooter," Adair said. "There's no other way to say it. That's a shooter right there."
Three-Pointers
Turning Point: Back-to-back 3-pointers from Phifer and Hall broke a 47-47 tie into a 53-47 lead for Ingomar midway through the fourth.
Point Maker: Phifer was 10 of 17 from the field, 2 of 2 from 3-point land, and 7 of 9 from the free-throw line.
Talking Point: "We've been in a lot of situations with pressure. This one was no different. It was just for a state championship game." — Phifer.
