Mississippi
Mississippi State basketball blown out by Alabama 99-67 – SuperTalk Mississippi
Fortune was not on the side of Mississippi State in the team’s pursuit to record its first conference win on the road.
A closely contested beginning of the game quickly got away from the Bulldogs (14-8, 3-6 SEC) after Alabama (16-6, 8-1 SEC), the nation’s scoring leader, found a spark midway through the first half and never looked back to amass a lopsided 99-67 victory.
Mississippi State opened up the game on good footing, taking the lead three different times, but things took a turn for the worst in the last 10 minutes of the half. With 9:29 left on the clock, MSU star center Tolu Smith converted on a layup attempt to put the Bulldogs down 18-16.
Then the tide turned. Alabama, led by Mark Sears and Mouhamed Dioubate, closed out the half on a 29-8 run to hold a 47-24 lead at the midway break. Smith had scored all eight of the Bulldogs’ points down the stretch.
On an optimistic note, the Bulldogs scored at a higher volume in the second half. However, so did the Crimson Tide. Mississippi State somewhat ate into Alabama’s lead in the first three minutes of the half, but the three-ball started to fall for Nate Oats’ team.
A Jarin Steven triple followed up by an Aaron Estrada layup gave the Crimson Tide a 30-point advantage with more than 13 minutes left of action, and that pretty much summed up the rest of the game.
The Bulldogs continued to score and fight to get back into the game, but that ship had continued to sail further and further away with each bucket Alabama connected on — and they connected on many.
Mississippi State’s 44 second-half points far surpassed what the team had accomplished in the first 20 minutes, but it proved futile with Alabama putting 52 on the scoreboard to round out the regular season sweep over the Bulldogs.
Oats made it his mission to have his team shut down freshman sensation Josh Hubbard, and it worked for the most part. Hubbard had a quiet outing, scoring just seven points in the contest. Smith led the Bulldogs offensively with 23 points. Shakeel Moore scored 13 and Shawn Jones Jr. posted 10.
The Crimson Tide had four players surpass double-digits in scoring. Sears led the way with 21, Estrada had 15, and Dioubate and Stevenson had 14 apiece.
Alabama dominated Saturday’s contest in just about every statistical category. The Crimson Tide won the turnover battle, grabbed offensive boards, and fought harder for loose balls, resulting in 28 more shot attempts in the game.
In addition, Alabama connected on 15 triples for 45 points compared to Mississippi State’s 12 points from behind the arc. MSU scored more from the charity stripe, making 19 of 32 free throw attempts. Nonetheless, the Crimson Tide were a perfect 10-10 from the line. Alabama also hauled in 11 more rebounds than the Bulldogs.
Mississippi State will look to get right at home against Georgia on Wednesday at 8 p.m. CT.
Here’s the nominees for Clarion Ledger girls Athlete of the Week for May 4-9
Here’s the five nominees for the Clarion Ledger girls Mississippi high school Athlete of the Week for May 4-9.
There were several top performers across the state in girls high school sports, but only one can be voted as the Clarion Ledger athlete of the week for May 4-9.
Fans may vote in the poll BELOW one time per hour per device. The poll closes at noon on Friday.
To nominate a future athlete of the week, email mchavez@gannett.com or message him on X, formerly Twitter, @MikeSChavez.
To submit high school scores, statistics, records, leaders and other items at any time, email mchavez@gannett.com.
Nominations
Kara Applewhite, Sumrall: Applewhite had four hits with a home run and five RBIs in Sumrall’s 10-0 win against East Central.
Caydance Brumfield, West Marion: Brumfield produced four hits and five RBIs in West Marion’s two wins against Pisgah.
Addison Collum, West Union: Collum pitched eight innings and recorded seven strikeouts and only two earned runs in West Union’s wins against Smithville.
Addison Cornish, West Lauderdale: Cornish recorded five hits and a home run in West Lauderdale’s wins against Choctaw Central.
Addison Davis, George County: Davis pitched nine innings with 20 strikeouts and recorded two home runs and four RBIs in George County’s wins against Pearl River Central.
Michael Chavez covers high school sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.
‘We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.’
Bobcat stalks and strikes at Wisconsin turkey hunter
Turkey hunter Carson Bender of Wisconsin Rapids recorded a video of a bobcat that stalked and lunged at him as he hunted April 18, 2026 near Nekoosa, Wis.
Carson Bender
If a proposal made in the April meeting of the Mississippi Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is finalized, nonresident turkey hunters will see big changes in the 2027 spring turkey season.
“We’re doing this in a way to impact how hunting pressure occurs and how the harvest happens in the early season,” said Caleb Hinton, Wild Turkey Program coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks. “We’re doing this to decrease the pressure we get early in the season. We’re trying to move that pressure on into later in the season.”
Turkey hunters enjoy a three-bird bag limit and a little more than six weeks of hunting in spring, which is similar to some other states. What is at issue is when it opens. March 15 is the typical opening date for the regular season, making it one of the earliest in the nation.
That early opening date combined with a growing trend among turkey hunters is where the problem lies.
Mississippi is a destination for early season, nonresident hunters
Possibly more than any other group of hunters, turkey hunters like to travel. For some, it may be a matter of seeing a different landscape and hunting birds under condions they don’t encounter in their home state. For others it may be a quest to harvest each of the subspecies in North America.
For yet another group, it’s the challenge of harvesting a gobbler in each of the 49 states that have turkeys.
“It seems to be getting more and more popular every year,” Hinton said.
Regardless of why a turkey hunter chooses to travel, it puts a target on Mississippi’s back because for the first few weeks of the season, it’s almost the only game in town, so hunters flock to the state.
In an effort to curb the amount of hunting pressure in those first weeks of turkey season, MDWFP proposed limiting nonresident hunters to two legal gobblers per season and only one of those can be harvested before April 1.
“Hopefully, it will help curb the massive influx of pressure we get the first week or two of the season,” Hinton said.
When will turkey season changes for nonresidents be voted on?
The proposed changes aren’t the first that have been geared toward alleviating pressure on turkeys in the early part of the season by nonresidents. In 2022, the commission passed a rule requiring nonresident hunters to enter a drawing for a hunt on public land during the first two weeks of turkey season. Currently, the number of hunters drawn is limited to 800.
Like that change, the current proposal will pass or fail by a vote of the wildlife commission. In the April commission meeting, the proposal passed an initial vote. It is now in a 30-day public comment period and a final vote will be taken in the May meeting.
Public comments may be submitted at https://www.mdwfp.com/proposed-rules-regulations.
A lifelong outdoorsman and wildlife enthusiast, Brian Broom has been writing about hunting, fishing and Mississippi’s outdoors for the Clarion Ledger for more than 14 years. He can be reached at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
Mississippi
Mississippi high school addresses social media post, says it won’t tolerate racism or harassment
LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi high school has made a statement after a social media post involving a student surfaced.
Northeast Lauderdale High School officials say they’re reviewing a social media post involving a student.
In a statement, the school said administrators are aware of the post and are “reviewing the situation.”
The school said it is committed to maintaining a safe, orderly and respectful environment for students and staff.
“Neither our district nor our school accept or condone racism, discrimination, harassment, or behavior that is inconsistent with the expectations of our school community,” the statement said.
Officials said they are working with the appropriate parties and will address the matter in accordance with district policies and procedures.
The school added that it cannot share additional details because of student privacy laws.
Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.
Copyright 2026 WLBT. All rights reserved.
-
Kentucky51 seconds agoLiberty Trees planted throughout Kentucky
-
Louisiana7 minutes agoNeuty, the beloved Bucktown nutria rat that charmed Louisiana, has died
-
Maine13 minutes agoHow a data center derailed $240,000 for affordable housing in Wiscasset
-
Maryland19 minutes agoDC man wins $5M in Maryland lottery – WTOP News
-
Michigan25 minutes agoMichigan groom sentenced for killing his best friend on his wedding night
-
Massachusetts31 minutes agoSmoke from North Attleborough fire visible for miles
-
Minnesota37 minutes agoMinnesota gas prices surge: Twin Cities hits $4.18, costs climb $1.28 from 2025
-
Mississippi43 minutes agoVote Clarion Ledger Mississippi girls high school athlete of the week May 4-9