FERRIDAY — The last name Griggs is synonymous with Ferriday High School basketball.

In 1989, before going on to play for the LSU Tigers, Ferriday standout Shawn Griggs captured the Louisiana High School Gatorade Player of the Year. Roughly 25 years later, another Griggs is suiting up in black and gold, and this time it’s Shawn’s cousin, Jada Griggs.

Jada, a junior, is responsible for running the show in 2014 for the Lady Trojans, forced to play point guard because the team lost its starting point guard from a year ago.

“We have better ball handlers,” said Jada, acknowledging that her more natural fit is at shooting guard. “But I’m there because I know the system.”

Ferriday head coach Lisa Abron said Jada was talented enough to step in and play with freshmen by her side, learning how to become a distributer as well as being the Lady Trojans’ top scoring threat.

“She’s the one with the most experience,” Abron said. “We depend on her for just about everything, to keep everybody going.”

Jada’s ability to run the show and produce offense was tested against one of the best girls varsity teams in the country Tuesday. Going against the reigning MHSAA Class 5A state champion Natchez Lady Bulldogs, Jada backed up her coach’s statement.

Whether it was dribbling through defenders and floating a teardrop in the lane, dribbling out to sink a jumper or creating a passing lane and finding the open teammate, Jada kept the game competitive for the better part of three quarters. Natchez ultimately pulled away 78-48, but Jada left Natchez fans asking, “who is that No. 23?” with her performance. Scoring 26 of her team’s 48 points has that type of affect.

“I’m still trying to get better at passing the ball to my teammates, but me being at point, I feel that the offense runs through me,” Jada said.

As long as she’s available, the offense will continue to run through Jada, and that’s perfectly fine with Abron. After all, Jada is a Griggs, and Abron said there’s value to the name.

“Come on now,” Abron said. “That has to stand for something.”