NATCHEZ &045; Opponents stepping on the court fear them. Fans marvel at their run-and-gun proficiency.

Brookhaven’s Lady Cougars haven’t won four of the last five Mississippi Private School Association Class AA state titles for nothing.

The difference between four and five straight was a single point in the finals a couple years ago.

Brookhaven once again showed its superior strength &045; pure, blazing speed &045; in a 57-18 romp over Centreville Academy at the Adams Christian Girls’ Tip-Off Classic Saturday.

&uot;We’re pretty fortunate this year. We don’t have any weaknesses with this team,&uot; said Lady Cougars head coach Barry Gray, the brother to former AC boys coach Ricky Gray. &uot;Everybody can do something super with this group.&uot;

The final did not do Brookhaven justice. It made the contest appear a lot closer than it actually was.

Centreville, having played the previous game, was lethargic to say the least.

The Lady Tigers, who were led by Southern Miss signee Jenae Jackson’s five points and Rachel Jackson’s six, fell behind 29-0 before Jenae Jackson converted a three-point play with 3:56 in the second period.

&uot;(The Lady Cougars) play all year round, and are obviously a well-coached team,&uot; Centreville head coach Penny Sawyer said. &uot;They play a good, clean game. They really know their moves, but it should be closer next time we play each other.&uot;

What makes Brookhaven such a potent team is its ability to score from anywhere on the court and hustle into its full-court press.

The defense nagged the Lady Tigers early into turnovers and forced shots, where Brookhaven post Kristian Davidson was able to block out Jenae Jackson, whose size often causes problems for most academy teams.

&uot;I think (the Lady Tigers) were real tired having had to play the game before this one,&uot; Gray said. &uot;This wasn’t a good evaluation of Centreville or Jenae (Jackson) because neither had have fresh legs.&uot;

The Lady Cougars busted the doors wide open with a hat trick of three-point bombs, two of which came from leading scorer Mallory Logan, who finished with a game-high 12 points.

Logan’s second trey with 3:45 in the first quarter made it 19-0.

The ensuing trip down the court for Centreville saw Jenae Jackson get her first look at the hoop, but her shot clanged off the rim and the Lady Cougars were hauling it back to their end of the floor.

&uot;We’ve got to create the tempo this year,&uot; Gray said. &uot;Our goal is to create as many shots as we can in a quarter. We create the tempo with our pressure.&uot;

Starters Kelli Byrd and Davidson each reached double figures in points with 10.

Senior guard Lauren Smith added seven points.

&uot;It’s probably the first team I’ve coached that has six players that can score 16 a game,&uot; Gray said. &uot;That’s pretty unusual.&uot;

Brookhaven continued to lean on the Lady Tigers even after Jenae Jackson got them on the board, building a 35-4 lead when Amber Beeson scored on a fast break layup with 1:08 before halftime.

Centreville came back to score the last four points of the half when Mariana Faust connected on one of two free throws and Rachel Jackson touched nylon with a trey with 39 seconds left.

Despite his team’s knack for scoring from the outside in, Gray, in his ninth year at Brookhaven, sees plenty of room for improvement.

&uot;One thing we’ve got to do is improve our sporadic perimeter shooting,&uot; he said. &uot;But I think we’ve got a chance to have a good year. We’re definitely one of the top three teams as far as speed, though.&uot;

Even the backups are faster than most team’s starters, as proven by the fact the Lady Cougars did not relinquish much of their margin when the sophomores stepped onto the ACCS floor.

Beeson contributed six off the bench with Maddra Allen chipping in with four.

&uot;The one thing about our sophomores is they’ve been in the system for about three years now,&uot; Gray said. &uot;They’re not as fast or strong (as the starters), but they execute real well.&uot;

He believes this team has all the intangibles to make another run into March.

&uot;This is one of the more humble teams I’ve coached,&uot; Gray said. &uot;Their strengths are their humility, their strong Christian character and understanding what it takes to be a top five program. Winning four out of the last five state championships does that for you.&uot;