Forty-Eight Years Later, Legacy Comes Full Circle

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By Cheryl Owens

Mississippi Spirit

On Saturday, April 18, the 1978 state champions joined the 2026 title team in celebration, with a Championship Parade and Net Cutting Ceremony, highlighting a family and school traditions of excellence.

In the parade sporting their own float was the 1978 Girls State A Champions and the 1978 Boys State A Champions.

Alumni from those title-winning teams rode with the festivities, offering a bridge between Morton’s legendary past and its victorious present. Among those former state champion basketball players were two members of the McDonald family, Elijah McDonald Jr., and his wife, Henrietta Peterson McDonald. Their presence added a personal, multigenerational touch to the day’s events and underscored the lasting community bonds formed through Morton basketball.

Forty eight years after Elijah McDonald Jr. and his wife Henrietta cut down the nets to secure a state basketball championship for Morton High School, the legacy has come full circle. This March, it was his nephews, Dolph McDonald and Xavier McDonald, creating the chaos and sealing a new trophy for their alma mater, proving that championship DNA runs thick in their family.

“It feels great to have two nephews on the team,” McDonald Jr. said. “I have watched them play all year, and have seen how much they have grown.”

Dolph and Xavier McDonald both agree it felt great to have their uncle and aunt at the parade riding on the 1978 championship float and sharing the spotlight with them.

It was a reunion, of sorts, for the 1978 basketball champions some who haven’t seen each other in years. While standing in the parking lot of Morton High School, before the parade began, there were many hugs exchanged, along with a lot of reminiscing. Some were happy memories, and some were not so happy. Some shed a few tears while holding a framed photo of a teammate who has since passed away.

Joy Risher Power, a member of the 1978 championship girls’ team, recalls the thrilling moment when the Morton High School girls won the state title after Henrietta McDonald scored the winning points.

“We were just a small team against a giant team,” Power said. “Henrietta was the tallest on our team, and in those last couple of seconds of the game she rebounded the ball putting her whole body in to get that rebound. She then gave the ball a hard bounce, and went right back up and put it in the net – a backboard shot. The crowd went wild!”

Henrietta McDonald who played point guard for the team, says it was a super exciting moment – one she will never forget.

“It was a shock for me, and then I heard the crowd go wild,” McDonald recalled. “I just threw it up there and hoped it went in. Today feels like a full circle moment. Having two nephews on this year’s winning team makes me super excited all over again.”