Mississippi
‘She’s dialed in’: Mississippi State’s Montague coming off strong outing in Baton Rouge
STARKVILLE — Quanirah Montague played just one minute and 19 seconds in Mississippi State’s loss at Missouri on Jan. 27 and did not register any statistics, with head coach Sam Purcell giving Kayla Thomas more playing time in the post as Madina Okot’s backup.
That came four days after Montague did not check in until there were four minutes left in the first half against Auburn, while Thomas entered the game after just 10 seconds when Okot had a brief injury scare.
But on the road against a top-10 LSU team on Sunday, Montague was on the floor for 17 minutes, her most playing time in a month. She and the Bulldogs’ second unit helped spark a big MSU run in the second quarter that had the Tigers sweating going into halftime.
“I’m really proud of (Montague) right now. She’s dialed in,” Purcell said Wednesday. “I actually talked to her mom the other day just about how hard she’s working behind the scenes.”
Montague entered the game with the Bulldogs trailing 11-3 after less than five minutes, then made her biggest impact over the last five minutes of the first half. She traveled twice during that stretch but made her first five field goal attempts of the game and also blocked a layup from Aalyah Del Rosario.
Two of her layups in the second quarter came off steals, and just before the buzzer, she rebounded Chandler Prater’s missed layup and tipped the ball back up and in, trimming what had once been an 18-point MSU deficit to six.
A former four-star recruit, Montague was a top-50 national prospect, the third-best player in New Jersey and the No. 6 post player in the country according to ESPN. She played behind Jessika Carter and Erynn Barnum as a freshman, and now Okot has swooped in as the starting center. But with 10 points, nine rebounds and two steals in less than half the game Sunday, Montague is making her case for more time on the court.
“Success comes when you put in the work and you’re truly dialed in,” Purcell said. “She’s been coming in, doing extra workouts, and she just has the look where she knows she can help contribute to this team. It’s coming on at the right time. Just really excited about where she’s at right now and how hungry she’s playing.”
Scouting Arkansas
The Bulldogs (16-7, 3-6 Southeastern Conference) have twice bounced back with wins after losing two games in a row this year, and they will need to do it again tonight at Humphrey Coliseum against the Razorbacks (9-15, 2-7). Arkansas is the lowest-ranked SEC team in the NET at No. 132, but the Razorbacks do have the conference’s leading scorer in Izzy Higginbottom, who is fifth in the country with 24.3 points per game.
One superstar does not a great team make, however, and Monday night was a perfect example. Higginbottom scored 40 points but could not prevent Arkansas from losing 108-78 at home to Florida. The Razorbacks have by far the SEC’s worst scoring defense, and — critical from an MSU perspective — they force the fewest turnovers per game in the conference. The Bulldogs will not find a more favorable matchup the rest of the year than this one.
“(Higginbottom) has the green light the entire game. The ball is in her hands, the offense is based for her,” Purcell said. “When she’s not getting major attempts, she’s able to find a way to get free ones at the line. When you have a scoring mentality like she does, the next thing you know she can sneak up and put (up) 40 points.”
Arkansas was without its next two leading scorers, Kiki Smith and Carly Keats, against Florida, and Purcell said he expects both to be back for Thursday’s game. But even at full strength, the Razorbacks have losses to five mid- and low-major teams and have allowed at least 100 points twice.
“We’re going to have our hands full. If (Higginbottom) scores 40, we have to make sure everybody else doesn’t go off,” Purcell said. “We have to be ready for a new-look Arkansas and a team that’s hungry to come off a loss.”
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A 1-year-old boy was fatally shot by a Mississippi cop who fired at a car the tot’s mother and aunt were fleeing in through a Walmart parking lot after allegedly stealing diapers.
Kohen Wiley, 1, was killed and another woman in their car was critically injured when a cop opened fire at their vehicle in a Walmart parking lot in Senatobia, Mississippi.
Kohen’s family told WREG that his mother was holding him in the front passenger seat while his aunt drove. It’s not clear if Kohen’s mother or aunt was the woman critically injured.
Officers from the Senatobia Police Department and the Tate County Sheriff’s Department were responding to a reported shoplifting at the Walmart when they spotted the suspects’ car driving away, according to a statement from the Mississippi Department of Public Safety obtained by Mississippi Today.
The DPS claimed that the driver sped in the officers’ direction and almost hit one cop while they were trying to stop the car. It was at that moment that an officer fired at the car, according to the statement.
Video footage obtained by WREG showed at least one bullet hole in the front windshield of the car. The passenger-side window was also severely damaged.
The family drove themselves to a nearby hospital, where little Kohen died.
The tot’s surviving family is demanding answers for how a shoplifting response could turn so violent. They also disputed speculations that Kohen’s mother and aunt were stealing diapers from the megastore.
“We don’t really know anything, why it happened or whatever. All we know is that car was shot up and a one-year-old baby was killed,” Carolyn Stokes, Kohen’s great-grandmother, told WREG.
“I’m just at a loss for words, to be honest. Somebody needs to held accountable for it,” Carlos Haynes, Kohen’s grandfather, added.
A woman who witnessed the shooting told the outlet that she heard gunshots echo across the parking lot as cops chased the car, but assumed officers hadn’t opened fire in broad daylight, since “this is Walmart.”
A separate witness told the outlet that he saw law enforcement waiting in the parking lot before Kohen’s mother and aunt exited the store, one holding a box of diapers while the other cradled the toddler.
The Senatobia Police Department turns its investigation over to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
Tate County Sheriff Luke Shepherd told Mississippi Today that the department is also doing an independent investigation to determine if any of the deputies involved in the shooting will be placed on leave.
Eight Mississippi public schools are being recognized for their support of military families and children of those who serve in the U.S. armed forces.
The Mississippi Department of Education acknowledged the following educational facilities as new Military Star Schools for 2026-28:
- Hattiesburg High School
- Callaway High School
- Jim Hill High School
- Baxterville School
- Lumberton Elementary
- Sumrall High School
- New Hope Lower Elementary
- Ocean Springs High School
According to the department, Military Star Schools must meet specific requirements that address the unique needs of military students and families. These include appointing a dedicated school liaison for military families, providing student-led transition services and peer support, ensuring professional development for staff to respond to the needs of military students and families, and publicly recognizing service members and their families.
Gov. Tate Reeves established the Military Star School program in February 2022, making Mississippi one of 31 states at that time with a formal program to recognize schools that support military families. In 2025, 18 schools earned the designation for 2025-27.
The Military Star School program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school and keep them on track to be college, workforce and life-ready. “Military-connected” refers to children of service members on active duty and in the National Guard and Reserves.
The Military Star School designation remains in effect for two years. Schools can reapply to maintain the designation. New schools can apply to receive the designation between Dec. 1, 2026, and Feb. 15, 2027. There are now 103 Military Star Schools in Mississippi. The full list can be found here.
East Nashville defensive back Ke’Vontae Pitts committed to Mississippi State football after his official visit on June 14, he announced on X.
Pitts, a 6-foot, 175-pound junior, picked the Bulldogs over offers that included Memphis, Arkansas State, East Carolina, Charlotte and Austin Peay.
It was a swift recruitment from Mississippi State coach Jeff Lebby’s staff, which had just offered Pitts on June 9.
Pitts does not have a ranking with 247Sports but has 12 offers from FBS and FCS programs.
Pitts intercepted four passes in 2025 while helping East Nashville reach the TSSAA football Class 2A state quarterfinals. He also had 60 tackles and three punt returns for touchdowns.
He was scheduled to take an official visit to Memphis on June 19.
Tyler Palmateer covers high school sports for The Tennessean. Have a story idea for Tyler? Reach him at tpalmateer@tennessean.com and on the X platform, @tpalmateer83.
He also contributes to The Tennessean’s high school sports newsletter, The Bootleg. Subscribe to The Bootleg here.
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