Brookhaven Holiday Tournament Finals

Brookhaven tops Bowling Green in boy's final
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

The Brookhaven Cougars used a stifling defense and a 24-9 first quarter to upend the 3rd ranked Bowling Green Buccaneers 64-57 in the finals of the Brookhaven Holiday Tournament on Wednesday night. Brookhaven’s frontcourt duo of Jake Reed and Sidney Chaffin combined for 39 points as the Cougar’s capitalized on a turnover laden Bowling Green squad to take the tournament trophy.
Bowling Green got on the board first on a Jaron Edwards to Colton Owens basket at the 7:11 mark of the opening quarter but Brookhaven answered with a 14-2 run that included 3-pointers from Jamison Powell and Sidney Chaffin. Brookhaven increased their lead to 22-6 on a back door pass from Powell to Brock Smith with 1:13 left in the first quarter. Following a Jaron Edwards 3-pointer Brookhaven finished the quarter on a Brock Smith offensive rebound and put back to take a 24-9 lead.
Bowling Green got baskets from Shod Fortenberry and Russell Perry to start the second quarter to trim the deficit to 24-13. Jamison Powell nailed a jumper from 12 feet to answer and Bowling Green turned the ball over on three of their next four possessions and found themselves down 30-15 after a Powell steal and lay-in with just over four minutes left in the opening half. Bowling Green got a 3-point bucket from freshman Mac McElveen and a Jaron Edwards steal and dunk with 3:54 left in the quarter to pull back to within eight points at 30-22. Brookhaven would take a 35-25 lead into the locker-room at the half on a Sidney Chaffin offensive board and lay-in.

(Above) Jamison Powell (#3) of Brookhaven nails a 3-pointer over Colton Owens (#2) of Bowling Green
The Brookhaven lead was trimmed to 35-29 as Dylan Varnado and Shod Fortenberry started the second half with baskets. Bowling Green was unable to get within six points during the third quarter as Sidney Chaffin nailed two jumpers from the elbow and converted on two free throws to help keep Bowling Green at bay. The Cougars ended the third quarter on top 42-35.
Jaron Edwards got Bowling Green to within four points at 42-38 to start the final period as the senior converted on a driving basket plus one at the 7:35 mark but Brookhaven stretched the lead back out to nine points as Jamison Powell and Sidney Chaffin combined for seven points to help the Cougars push the advantage to 50-41 with 4:01 remaining. Bowling Green managed to stay within single digits and an Edwards basket with 1:51 left pulled the Bucs to 55-50 but Brookhaven hit 10/12 free throws (Reed 8/8) down the stretch to preserve a 64-57 win.
“I liked our intensity on defense,” said Brookhaven head coach Dale Watts. “We’re getting better but we have to do a better job rebounding against teams like Bowling Green. Any win is a good win.”
Brookhaven sophomore Bubba Keene pulled up limping midway through the fourth quarter and didn’t return. “He’s fine, just a sprained ankle,” said Watts.
Brookhaven was led by junior big man Sidney Chaffin who had a game high 21 points, Jake Reed added 18, Jamison Powell 16, Brock Smith 6 and Bubba Keene 3 points.
Jaron Edwards had 20 for Bowling Green, Shod Fortenberry added 15, Colton Owens 11, Russell Perry 4, Mac McElveen 3 and Dylan Varnado and Kevin Perry 2 apiece.
Brookhaven improves to 11-4 with the win while Bowling Green falls to 14-4. The two will go head to head again on January 5th in Franklinton.

BA...24...11...7...22...64
BG....9...16...10..22...57
(Photo at top of page) Brookhaven's Sidney Chaffin (#33) with two of his game high 21 pts

East Rankin edges Brookhaven in thrilling final

Southern Sports and Travel, By Darron Thomas

It was fitting that the Brookhaven Holiday Tournament wrapped up on Wednesday night with East Rankin and Brookhaven going head to head in the finals of the girl’s bracket. It was more fitting that it turned out to be the best game of a tournament loaded with quality teams. The East Rankin Lady Patriots scored the first eight points in overtime and held on to win 51-45 before a full house at the John R. Gray gymnasium.
Brookhaven grabbed an early 2-0 lead on a Terah Winborne bucket at the 5:23 mark of the opening quarter but Brooke Rhodes and Rachel Knight would combine for ten points to lead East Rankin to a 12-8 advantage after one period of play.
Winborne’s 3-pointer with 5:36 left in the half tied the game at 12-12 but East Rankin went on a 9-3 run and took a 21-15 lead on Kaitlyn Coghlan’s 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:29 left. Brookhaven finished the half with a Winborne baseline drive for a deuce plus one and a basket by Anna Lofton at the buzzer as the half ended with East Rankin holding a slim 21-20 lead.
Both squads struggled for points to start the second half as each team managed just one basket each for the first four minutes. Brookhaven grabbed their first lead since 2-0 on a Laura Beth Wright offensive rebound and put back to go up 24-23 with 4:01 left in the third quarter. That lead would change hands three times the remaining four minutes of the quarter and Kaitlyn Coghlan’s free throw with 35 seconds left gave East Rankin a 31-30 advantage after three quarters. (Above) Brianna May (#24) of East Rankin gets by Brookhaven's Summer Calhoun (#4)
Two baskets from Terah Winborne and Laura Beth Wright gave Brookhaven their biggest lead of the night at 34-31 to start a pressure packed fourth quarter in which neither team would enjoy more than three point lead. Brooke Rhodes hit a baseline jumper from eight feet to tie things up at 35-35 with 5:11 left in regulation and teammates Rachel Knight and Bridget Byrd converted on 3/4 free throws to put East Rankin back on top 38-35 with just over four minutes left. Terah Winbone’s basket and a free throw from Laura Beth Wright tied the game again at 38-38 with 2:58 to go. Over the next 20 seconds both teams traded baskets, one on an offensive rebound and put back from East Rankin’s Kristen Byrd and two Laura Beth Wright free throws for Brookhaven to tie the game once again at 40-40 with 2:08 remaining.
Terah Winborne was fouled with 55 seconds left in regulation but couldn’t convert on two free throws. On Winborne’s second miss Brookhaven’s Anna Katelyn Mangold pulled down the rebound and was fouled but she wasn’t able to connect on her two free throws. East Rankin set up shop with 54 seconds remaining and wound the clock down to 13 seconds and called time out. Brookhaven’s defense caused East Rankin to use another time out with 5 seconds remaining. Following the time out Brianna May missed a short range lay-in at the buzzer for the win.
East Rankin scored the first eight points in the four minute overtime period. Rachel Knight hit a bucket over Anna Katelyn Mangold and Kaitlyn Coghlan nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key at the 2:17 mark to put the Lady Patriots up 45-40. Coghlan hit one of two free throws and following two Brookhaven turnovers Coghlan added two more to put East Rankin up 48-40 with 46 seconds left. Terah Winborne hit a 3-pointer with 4 seconds remaining but Coghlan sealed the game with two more free throws to give the Lady Patriots a hard fought 51-45 overtime win.
Kaitlyn Coghlan led East Rankin with a game high 21 points, Rachel Knight added 14, Brooke Rhodes 10 and Brianna May and Bridget Byrd had 3 apiece.
For Brookhaven, sophomore Terah Winborne had 20 points, Laura Beth Wright added 11, Anna Katelyn Mangold 7, Mary Lindsey Magee 4 and Anna Lofton 3 points.
East Rankin improved to 16-1 and will host Hillcrest on January 5th while Brookhaven fell to 14-4 and will travel to Bowling Green that same day.

ER...12...9...9...10...11...51

BA....8..12..11...9....5....45

*(Photo at top of page) East Rankin's Brooke Rhodes with a 3-point attempt from the corner.

Comments:

Anonymous said...
Great write up! I have really enjoyed your site; you do a fantastic job covering the kids. Just one note, though: it should be Bridget Byrd mentioned in your article, who starts for East Rankin. Kristen Byrd is her younger sister who is a sophomore on the team. Thanks again for your hard work on this site. It really is very well done!

Carroll boys hit with first loss of the season

Courtesy of The Greenwood Commonwealth
The Carroll Academy Rebels dropped their first game of the season with a 77-69 decision to DeSoto (Ark.) here Monday in the first round of the Carroll Tournament.
DeSoto led 29-18 at the end of the first period and 54-35 at the half. C.J. Hodges had 25 points, and Nick Mumme added 19. The Rebels bounced back later in the day to beat Benton 67-53 to improve to 12-1. Breland Marett led the way with 14 points, while Mumme and Hayden Harrell had nine points each.

The Rebels close out the two-day event today at 6:30 p.m. against Washington School. The Lady Rebels beat DeSoto 50-31 as Memrie Corley scored a team-high 20 points. The CA girls beat Benton 49-43 as Corley pumped in 19 points. Haley Liddell and Ashley Barry added 12 points each.

Brookhaven Holiday Tournament

Bowling Green stops #1 Hillcrest
The Bowling Green Buccaneers advanced to the Brookhaven Tournament finals for the second time in the past three years with a 49-40 win over top ranked Hillcrest.
The first half of play didn’t produce what most would have expected from the two high scoring squads as Hillcrest maintained a narrow 19-18 advantage, but Bowling Green answered by outscoring the Cougars 31-21 in the second half to advance to the finals tonight.

(Above) Bowling Green's Kevin Perry (#23) gets challenged by Austin Hartzog of Hillcrest (#42)
Bowling Green trailed throughout the first half but with 3:58 remaining in the third quarter a Colton Owens basket gave the Bucs their first lead at 26-24. Bowling Green finished the quarter on a 9-2 run that culminated on a Dylan Varnado lay-in to increase the lead to 33-26 after three quarters of play.
Josh Rogers started the fourth quarter with a quick bucket for Hillcrest, but a Jaron Edwards floater in the lane put Bowling Green up 35-28 with 5:55 remaining. The Cougars outscored Bowling Green 6-1 over the next 1:38 to knot things up at 36-36. During that span Bowling Green’s Jaron Edwards picked up his fifth foul in what appeared to be a huge momentum swing, but the Buccaneers answered with a 9-0 run to push the lead to 45-36 with 1:04 remaining in the game. Hillcrest would get no closer than six points in the last minute as Bowling Green took a 49-40 win.

(Above) Two Bowling Green defenders try to slow down Austin Hartzog
Colton Owens led Bowling Green with 15 points, Dylan Varnado added 13, Kevin Perry had 7, Jaron Edwards and Mac McElveen each had 5 and Russell Perry finished with 4 points.
Austin Hartzog had a game high 16 points for Hillcrest. Caleb Baucum added 8, Josh Rogers 6, Chris Prather 5, Timothy Knowles 4 and Spencer Burroughs 1.
The #3 ranked Bowling Green Buccaneers improved to 14-3 while top ranked Hillcrest fell to 14-2.
BG…8…10…15…16…49
HC..10…9….7….14…40

Brookhaven pounds Simpson
The Brookhaven Cougars advanced to the finals with a 71-44 dismantling of Simpson last night. Jake Reed poured in 30 points as the defending state champions improved to 10-4 and avenged a December 3rd loss to Simpson in Mendenhall. Brookhaven jumped out to an 11-2 lead halfway through the first quarter, but a Will Ashley basket and a 3-pointer from Corey Herrington pulled Simpson to within four points at 11-7. That would be a close as Simpson would get on the night as they had no answer for Brookhaven’s strong frontcourt and transition game.

(Above) Brookhaven's Jake Reed (#11) had a game high 30 points against Simpson
Brookhaven led 22-10 after the opening quarter and built the lead to 45-22 by halftime. Reed had 19 points in the first two quarters.
Reed showed little effect from the halftime break as he continued to hit baskets from all over the court. A jump hook in the paint and two 3-pointers from the top of the key helped spur the Cougars to a 56-34 lead after three quarters.
Sidney Chaffin put up eight points in the final quarter as Brookhaven continued to pull away. The junior contributed with 15 points on the night. Brock Smith, Bubba Keene and Jamison Powell each had 8.

(Above) Sidney Chaffin (#33) of Brookhaven tries to recover between two Simpson defenders
Simpson was led by Justin Griffin’s 12 points, Will Ashley had 10, Andy Maddox 7, Corey Herrington 5 and Dylan Kennedy and Grayson Erwin 2 each.
Brookhaven’s convincing 71-44 win sets up a huge game with district 4AA foe Bowling Green tonight at 7:15 in the finals.
Simpson slipped to 9-7 and will battle Hillcrest in the consolation game at 4:45 today.
BA…22…23…11…15…71
SA…10…12…12…10…44

Lady Patriots advance to finals
East Rankin appeared to have things in control last night in their semi-final matchup with Hillcrest as Brooke Rhodes and Rachel Knight scored 14 of the Lady Patriot’s 17 first quarter points while holding Hillcrest to just six. That trend continued into the second quarter and with 3:03 left in the half two Brooke Rhodes free throws gave East Rankin their biggest lead at 28-13 en-route to a 31-17 halftime lead.
Scoring was rare in the third quarter as both teams combined for just 13 points but Hillcrest managed to hang around and finish the period with a Kristyn Kliesch bucket and down 37-24.

(Above) Brooke Rhodes (#23) of East Rankin gets airborne
Three quick Hillcrest points to start the final quarter trimmed the lead down to 10 points at 37-27. Brooke Rhodes pulled down an offensive rebound and scored to give the Lady Patriots a 39-27 advantage but Hillcrest countered as Kristyn Kliesch nailed a 3-pointer with 3:17 left and Beverly Bailey added two free throws to pull Hillcrest to within seven points at 39-32 with 2:47 left in the game. Following an East Rankin turnover Jessica Griffin hit on one of two free throws and with just over two minutes remaining the Lady Cougars were down 39-33. After another East Rankin turnover Breanna Howard sank an 8 foot floater at the 1:58 mark to pull to within four points. Hillcrest pulled down a Lady Patriot missed shot and Kristyn Kliesch converted on a baseline drive that cut the lead down to two points at 39-37. East Rankin finished the last 39 seconds of the game by hitting on 6/6 free throws to fight off a hard fought comeback attempt by Hillcrest and win 45-39.

(Above) Beverly Bailey (#24) of Hillcrest calls for the ball
Brooke Rhodes led all scorers with 23 points for East Rankin, Rachel Knight had 16, Carlee Westberry 3, Kaitlyn Coghlan 2 and Kristen Byrd 1 point.
Breanna Howard led Hillcrest with 12 points, Karly Kliesch added 11, Kristyn Kliesch 7, Beverly Bailey 6 and Meisha Ross and Jessica Griffin 2 apiece.
East Rankin improved to 15-1 and will face Brookhaven in the finals today at 6pm.
Hillcrest fell to 10-5 and will take on Bowling Green at 3:30 in the consolation game.
ER…17…14…6…8.…45
HA…6….11…7..15..39

Brookhaven out-muscles Bowling Green
Brookhaven moved into the tournament finals with a 52-41 win over Bowling Green last night. The Lady Cougars ran out to an early 12-2 lead as four different players contributed with baskets. Terah Winborne’s 3-pointer at the buzzer gave Brookhaven a 17-4 lead after the first quarter. Summer Calhoun started the second quarter with a bucket to up the advantage to 19-4 but Bowling Green began to chip away at the lead and with just over two minutes left in the half Brittany Cooper hit a jumper to trim the deficit to 24-13. Brookhaven would take a 29-16 lead into the half on Anna Lofton’s basket plus one with 24 seconds remaining.
Terah Winborne and Anna Mangold started the third quarter with baskets to give the 2nd ranked Lady Cougars a 33-16 lead. Winborne followed up her buzzer beater in the first quarter as the sophomore nailed another one at the horn to end the third quarter and put Brookhaven up 42-24.

(Above) Anna Mangold (#33) shoots over Bowling Green's Caroline Haik (#10)
Bowling Green continued to play hard and opened the fourth quarter with 3-pointers from Mackayla Dykes and Beth Reedy, plus a Brittany Cooper steal and lay-in to cut the lead down to 42-32 with 6:08 left in the game. Laura Beth Wright answered for Brookhaven with two free throws but Mackayla Dykes hit another 3-pointer to cut the deficit to single digits at 44-35. At the 4:20 mark Brittany Cooper picked up another steal and converted to pull Bowling Green to within eight points at 47-39 but Brookhaven would hit on 5/6 free throws down the stretch to seal the 52-41 win.
Brookhaven was led by Terah Winborne with a game high 22 points, Laura Beth Wright added 12, Mary Lindsey Magee contributed 6, Anna Mangold and Anna Lofton each had 5 and Summer Calhoun 2.
Mackayla Dykes had 14 points to lead Bowling Green, Caroline Haik added 10, Brittany Cooper had 9, Beth Reedy 6 and Whitney Crowe 2.
With the win Brookhaven moves to 13-2 on the season and will battle East Rankin, the top ranked AAA team, at 6pm today.
Bowling Green falls to 14-4 and will take on Hillcrest at 3:30 in the consolation game.
BA…17…12…13…10…52
BG…4….12….8….17…41

Brookhaven Holiday Tournament

Boys action

The #1 ranked Hillcrest Cougars overcame a close two point halftime lead to pull away and take a 63-47 win over Trinity last night. Austin Hartzog helped the Cougars take a 14-9 lead through one quarter as the senior scored 9 of his game high 18 points. Trinity bounced back in the second quarter as Brandon Daggs led the Saints to within two points at the half. Daggs bucketed 8 points in the quarter as the Saints went into the half trailing 25-23.
Hillcrest hit five 3-pointers in the third quarter to extend the Cougar advantage to 46-37 heading into the final period. Chris Prather and Preston Haynes each had two 3-pointers and Josh Rogers hit one at the buzzer.

(Above) Preston Haynes (#12) of Hillcrest

Prather opened the final quarter with a 3-pointer to start a Hillcrest 11-0 run that gave the Cougars their biggest lead of the game at 57-37. Trinity trimmed the deficit to 57-47 on a Kent King basket plus one with 1:59 remaining but that would be as close as the Saints would get. Hillcrest finished the game scoring the final six points to take the 63-47 win and advance to play Bowling Green today at 5:15.
Austin Hartzog led all scorers with 18 points, Josh Rogers and Chris Prather each added 14, Preston Haynes had 6, Christian Miller 3, Timothy Knowles, Caleb Baucum, Zach Ball and Garrett Jones all had 2 each.
Trinity was led by RJ Fleming with 16 points, Brandon Daggs added 14, Givonni Dent had 9, Kent King 6 and LJ Tremble 2.
Hillcrest upped their record to 14-1 with the win.
HC…14…11…21…17…63
TE….9….14…14…10…47

The 3rd ranked Bowling Green Buccaneers improved to 13-3 with a solid 75-49 thumping of East Rankin. Holding a slim 13-12 lead after the opening quarter, Bowling Green put together a 22-11 second quarter to take a 35-24 halftime lead. In that second period five different Buccaneers scored led by freshman Mack McElveen’s 8 points.
Bowling Green extended their lead to 58-38 after three quarters. East Rankin could get no closer than 14 points in the second half as Bowling Green took a 75-49 win.
Bowling Green was led by Jaron Edwards who had a game high 25 points, Colton Owens added 16, Shod Fortenberry 12, Mack McElveen 10, Kevin Perry 6, Russell Perry and Dylan Varnado each had 3 points.
East Rankin was led by Dylan Cross with 9 points and Tyler Rhodes with 8.
East Rankin fell to 8-5 and will take on Oak Forest this afternoon.
BG…13…22…23…17…75
ER…12…11….14…11..49

(Above) East Rankin's Brain Boyles being guarded by Shod Fortenberry of Bowling Green

(Above) Simpson's Justin Griffin (#11) looks for an opening

Parklane raced out to a 21-10 first quarter lead over Simpson but as halftime rolled around the Pioneer’s lead had been trimmed to 37-32. That lead was extended to 49-42 after three quarters but Simpson nailed four 3-pointers in the final eight minutes to edge Parklane 59-58. Corey Herrington’s 3-pointer with 2:07 left in the game would prove to be the game winner as Parklane couldn’t convert the final two minutes.
Corey Herrington hit two 3-pointers and Austin Herrington and Andy Maddox each added one of their own in the fourth quarter.
Simpson, who were playing without the services of junior forward Mark Herrin, will take on Brookhaven this evening at 7:15.
*Game stats were not available
SA…10…22…10…17…59
PA…21…16…12….9..58

Late boy’s game……
Brookhaven improved to 9-4 with a sound 65-33 win over Copiah in the late game. Jake Reed led all scorers with 17 points, Brock Smith added 14 and Bubba Keene had 13.
Copiah was led by Reece Hankins with 10 points and Drew Grainger chipped in with 8.
Brookhaven will play Simpson this evening at 7:15.
BA…21…21…19…4.…65
CA….3….14….4..12..33

Girls Action

East Rankin advanced to the second round with a 62-49 win over Trinity. The Lady Patriots improved their overall mark to 14-1 and will face Hillcrest today at 4pm. Brooke Rhodes led the #1 ranked AAA Lady Patriots with a game high 32 points and Rachel Knight added a career high 20 points.
Trinity will take on Oak Forest at 1:30 in the loser’s bracket.
ERA…15…19….17…11…62
TE…..10….7….13..19..49

(Above) Trinity's Madelyn Cross helps avoid a trap from East Rankin's Brooke Rhodes (#23) and Brianna May (#24)

Hillcrest and Oak Forest entered the final quarter tied at 22-22 but the 4th ranked Lady Cougars put together a 16-6 final quarter to win 38-28 and advance in the winner’s bracket. Hillcrest improved to 10-4 while Oak Forest slipped to 11-6.
*Scoring leaders not available
HCA…11…2…9…16…38
OFA….7…10..5….6..28

Bowling Green won their second game of the day as the Lady Bucs defeated Copiah 44-30. Beth Reedy led Bowling Green with 13 points, Mackayla Dykes added 12, Caroline Haik 9 and Whitney Crowe and Brittany Cooper each had 5.
Copiah’s Madelon Cline had a game high 15 points, Camry Mitchell added 6 and Rachel Straight 4 points.
With the win Bowling Green improved to 14-3 while Copiah fell to 7-6.
BG…12…10…10…12…44
CA…11….5…..7….7….30

Late girls game.....
Brookhaven over Simpson 67-31
BA…15…11…24…17…67
SA….6…..5….10…10…31

Brookhaven upped their overall mark to 13-2

Simpson fell to 5-8
*Stats not available

Trinity's boys edge Oak Forest
Trinity's fourth quarter surge lifted the Saints to a 62-59 win over Oak Forest. The Jackets enjoyed a 43-39 lead after three quarters but couldn't hang on. Trinity's RJ Fleming converted on a basket plus one with 17 seconds left in the game in what proved to be the final margin.

TE...11..21..7..23..62

OF...12..15.16.16..59

(Above) Trinity's Givonni Dent blocks an attempt from Drew Misita of Oak Forest

Bowling Green girls over Parklane
Bowling Green overcame a sluggish first quarter that produced just one basket to edge Parklane 35-31 in the Brookhaven Holiday Tournament. Parklane took a 7-2 lead after the opening quarter but freshman point guard Mackayla Dykes scored 10 of her game high 13 points in the second quarter to propel the Lady Bucs to a 17-17 tie at the half.
Morgan Hembry’s basket at the buzzer capped a 9-4 third quarter for Bowling Green and gave them a 26-21 lead heading into the final period. Parklane outscored the Lady Bucs 10-9 in the final quarter but it wasn't enough. Bowling Green took a 35-31 win and improved to 13-3 on the season.
Caroline Haik added 8 points for Bowling Green.
Kellen Choate led Parklane (6-5) with 10 points.
BG...2...15...11...7...35
PA...7...10....4...10..31

(Above) Bowling Green's Mackayla Dykes surveys the Parklane defense

John "Smurfdaddy" Byrd killed this 7 pt near Madden, Mississippi

Raiderettes continue winning ways

Courtesy of The Grenada Star
There were a number of things that Kirk Academy girls basketball coach Mike Reans expected from his team heading into the 2009-2010 season. The one thing that he didn’t expect was the record at the Christmas Holiday break. This past weekend, Kirk defeated Marshall 57-33 and Indianola 42-39. The wins improved KA to 16-1 on the season and 4-0 inside District 1-AA. “I didn’t think we would have the kind of record that we have at the break,” Reans said. “I knew that the girls were committed to what it took to be a solid group. We have a challenging schedule and knew it would be hard to get off to the type of start that we have. Credit the girls, they have worked extremely hard and their commitment to each other and the team has been solid.” Friday against the rival Lady Patriots, Reans knew that Craig Dailey’s team would come at them hard. “We knew that Marshall would come in and push the intensity of the game,” Reans said. “I thought our girls played tough and raised their level of play. We had to fight every possession.” Courtney Parella led the Raiderettes with 14 points. Holly Wells finished with eight points. Allye Lundy and Katie Lee Jones each had seven points. Carmen Woods and Kelsey Marter each scored six points. Audra Woods finished with five points. Beth Mann and Emily Lundy chipped in two points each.

The Raiders dropped a 61-36 decision to the Patriots.

Shane Provine led Kirk with 14 points. James Henderson added eight points. Reid Walker had six points and Kris Harbin finished with four points. Will Thimmes and Cade Moody both had two points.

Saturday against Indianola, Kirk found themselves in a much closer battle this time. Kirk trailed for a big part of the game, before rallying late. “Our girls really handled the pressure of playing on the road really well,” Reans said. “Indianola is a tough place to play and we needed every ounce to win this game. Games like this prepare you for the tournament.” Kirk led by a point midway through the final period. Carmen Woods’ three-point gave the Raiderettes a four-point advantage. Parella again led the scoring with 14 points. Wells chipped in 10 points. Mann and Carmen Woods both had eight. Emily Lundy had two points. Kirk will take some time off for Christmas. They will return to the practice court Saturday and Sunday. Monday, they face Delta in the Delta Invitational at Marks. “It will be a tremendous challenge for our team,” Reans said. “They (Delta) have just one loss and have beaten Pillow by 10. We need challenges like this to make us better for tournament time.

The Raiders came up on the short end of a 38-33 decision. Sayle Roberts paced Kirk with 11 points. Thimmes had nine points and Provine had five points. Harbin added four. Henderson and Walker each scored two points.

Comments:

Anonymous said...
Just wanted to know why Brookhaven is ranked above Kirk girls? Thanks for all the information you collect and make available to us!

AAFANDAMAN said...

Kirk is obviously having a great year and hopefully I'll get to catch them play soon but after watching Brookhaven lose to East Rankin (ranked #1 in AAA) in overtime I would be hardpressed to change those rankings at this point. I would love to do a better job covering teams in the north region but getting information is still a struggle. Thanks for the kind words.

Glenbrook takes pair of victories before break

Courtesy of the Minden Press-Herald
It will be after Christmas before the Glenbrook Apaches basketball teams take to the hardcourt again.
However, the showing both the boys and girls put on Saturday night will make for an even brighter holiday.
The local school played host to Union Christian Academy Saturday evening. But Glenbrook was not very hospitable on the court as the boys team crushed the visitors 67-16 and the Lady Apaches pulled out a 37-30 win.
“Tonight was a very good game for us,” boys coach Chris Kourveles said. “Everyone scored and we played very unselfishly. Everybody showed hustle and effort, which is good going into the holidays.”
The Apaches limited UCA to just 8 points in the first quarter, three in the second, zero in the third and five in the fourth. “We are preparing each practice and in each game for our district,” Kourveles said. “District play is coming up in a month and we are looking forward to that.”
Matt Moorehead was the high man with 17 points. Zach Specht had 12 points and Preston Wise had eight. DeAngelo McDonald, Thomas Bean and Blake Branch all had seven points.
As for the Lady Apaches, Laura Payne scored 10 to help pace the home team to the 37-30 victory.
Kate Tracy was second in scoring with seven points. Bailey Madden, Chelsea Wentz and Maggie Silar had four.
“I hope everyone has a good Christmas break,” Kourveles said. “We will have a couple of games during our break. On Dec. 29-30 we will be in a double header over at Prairie View.”

From the notebook………

*Seems as though football just wrapped up and here we are approaching the midway point of the 2009/10 basketball season. I’ll hold true to my assertion that it will be mid January before a handful of teams break away from the pack and stand heads above the rest in a run at the state championship. But with that said, what’s the harm in prognosticating a bit? Looking at the current Southern Sports & Travel rankings any of the top five could make a case as to why they’re the best AA team in the state. Hillcrest has only been beaten once and has tough AAA experience…..Marshall returned all of their starters from last season’s squad…..Columbia has quality wins over AAA opponents and the Cougars have a big man and point guard that can be game changers…..Bowling Green is loaded with talent but it may take another three weeks or so for their new additions to gel…..Brookhaven was slowed by the long football season but with a strong frontcourt and returning point guard from last season’s championship team they’ll be in the mix. Carroll is the only team in AA basketball yet to suffer a loss but their schedule is a little suspect. Nonetheless, they’re at #6 in the rankings and could be a sleeper along with Glenbrook, Canton and Simpson.
*Of all the district races that will soon transpire the one that grabs the most attention is the battle that will ensue in district 4AA. Three of the top five teams in AA basketball will go after it next month in what will be a great race. Bowling Green, Brookhaven and Columbia should fill the stands when they face off and set the table for an exciting post season.
*If you’re looking for a district that from top to bottom is the most competitive look no further than district 3AA. The five team district has produced a combined record of 45-21 and all are more than two games above 500. The district has the #1 ranked Hillcrest Cougars, and the Canton Panthers have picked up steam and should begin a quick climb in the rankings next month.
*A big “Shout Out” to Brookhaven and the annual holiday tournament they have put together. The tourney starts next Monday and is absolutely loaded with quality teams.
*The phrase “if a tree falls in the woods and no one is there to hear it does it make a noise” can be applied to a handful of schools in the MAIS. The lack of initiative for some to promote their schools is questionable but to stand in the way of kids getting recognition is inexcusable. It’s plausible to suggest that in some instances the only people to have knowledge of results of some basketball games are the ones that attended the game and it ends there. The time and effort it requires to report a score to any media source is minimal at best.
*Southern Sports & Travel continues to attract new readers from all over the region and hopefully contributors with AAA roots will sign on. The site will continue to grow and while there will be hick-ups along the way the flow of information will improve. Football season alone drew 35,000 hits and basketball will do well also.

See ya somewhere………….

Carroll boys remain undefeated; Pillow gets swept
Courtesy of The Greenwood Commonwealth
The Carroll Academy Rebels ran their record to 11-0 Friday night with a 70-40 win at Benton.

The Rebels led 22-6 at the end of the first period and 43-15 at the half. C.J. Hodges and Nick Mumme had 12 points each, while Andrew Wright and Justin Blaylock added 11 each.

The Carroll girls beat Benton 57-48 as Mayme Young and Haley Liddell scored 14 points apiece. Memrie Corley added 13 and Kacy Beavers 10.

Pillow Academy dropped a pair of games at home Friday night to Jackson Academy, with the boys losing 49-33 and the girls falling 47-42.

The Lady Mustangs (8-6) led 34-29 heading into the final period but were unable to hold onto the lead.

Holly Ann Pannell led Pillow with 21 points, five rebounds and two steals.
The Mustangs struggled mightily on the offensive end as Jackson Academy led 17-8 at the end of the first period and 31-15 at the half. Sam Shipley paced Pillow with nine points, and Will Andrews added eight.

WANTED!!!!

BASKETBALL SCORES AND INFO FROM WINSTON, LAMAR AND WASHINGTON

TEXT 985-750-3455

Columbia and East Rankin split two
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
The 3rd ranked Columbia Cougars withstood a late fourth quarter rally by visiting East Rankin last night to earn a 61-53 win and improve to 10-4 on the season.
Both squads stayed relatively close throughout the opening quarter. Tanner Pace’s basket at the 2:41 mark put the Cougars up 11-6 but East Rankin answered as Spencer Shoemaker converted on one of two free throws and then nailed a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to 11-10 with just under two minutes left in the quarter. Columbia finished the quarter with seven straight points as Drew Broome scored off an inbounds pass, Christian Robbins hit two free throws and Pace hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key as the horn sounded to end the quarter and Columbia up 18-10.
The Cougars increased their lead to eleven at 27-16 halfway through the second quarter on a Cole Oglesbee jumper. East Rankin’s Mathew Toal hit two free throws with just over a minute remaining to pull the Patriot’s back to within eight at 31-23 as the half closed. (Photo below) Christian Robbins (#0) alters the shot of ERA's Tyler Rhodes.
East Rankin continued cutting into the Columbia lead to open the second half as Tyler Gray scored the first two buckets of the quarter, the later an eight foot floater over 6’10” Christian Robbins. Columbia answered by going on a 10-2 run over the next three minutes to increase their advantage to 41-29 with just under four minutes left in the third quarter.
East Rankin wouldn’t go away and managed to stay within striking distance when Tyler Rhodes (10 points in the quarter) closed out the quarter with a basket and Columbia on top 47-40.
Christian Robbins started the final quarter with a lay-in to put the Cougars up by nine at 49-40 but East Rankin started chipping away at that lead. Dylan Cross converted on a basket plus one for the Patriots and after Christian Robbins made one of two free throws, Spencer Shoemaker and Tyler Rhodes each scored and with six minutes remaining Columbia’s lead had been cut to 50-47. East Rankin pulled to within two points at 51-49 on a Dylan Cross steal and layup with 4:23 left. Columbia withstood the Patriot’s full court pressure just enough to push the lead back up to six at 55-49 as Robbins hit two of four free throws and pulled down an offensive rebound to score a bucket with 2:50 remaining. The junior center fouled out with 2:40 left but East Rankin could get no closer than four points. Tanner Pace sealed the win for Columbia hitting four of four free throws in the closing seconds to give the Cougars a big win as they head into the Christmas holidays.
Christian Robbins led Columbia with 19 points, Tanner Pace added 17, Drew Broome had 11, Cole Oglesbee 9, Brooks Robinson 3 and Jas Stringer 2 points.
For East Rankin Tyler Rhodes had 19 points, Mathew Toal 10, Tyler Gray 9, Spencer Shoemaker 8 and Dylan Cross 7 points.
Next up for Columbia will be Wayne Academy on January 4th.
East Rankin (8-4) will be in action at the Brookhaven Holiday Tournament starting on December 28th.
CA….18…13…16…14…61
ERA..10..13…17…13…53

Girls action.....

The task at hand for the home-standing Lady Cougars of Columbia was much more daunting than the boys game that ensued. The already injury plagued Columbia squad had the pleasure of entertaining what many say is the best team in the entire MAIS. Not only are the East Rankin Lady Patriots at the top of the AAA polls, but they also have arguably the best player in the MAIS on their roster. Brooke Rhodes entered last night’s contest averaging just over 25 points a game and it took little time to see why East Rankin and Rhodes are so heralded as they raced out to a 35-5 lead midway through the second quarter en route to a 57-30 win. The win pushed East Rankin’s season mark to 13-1 while Columbia slipped to 10-6.
Rhodes had nine points in the opening quarter as the senior guard hit baskets from just inside the top of the key, the wing, baseline and elbow. (Photo left) East Rankin's Brooke Rhodes (#23) launches a 3-point shot.
East Rankin held a commanding 36-11 halftime lead in which Brianna May contributed two 3-pointers and lightening quick guard Courtney Lyle two fast break buckets.
Brooke Rhodes led East Rankin with a game high 18 points, Courtney Lyle added 10, Brianna May and Rachel Knight each had 6, Kaitlyn Coghlan 5 and Bridget Byrd 4.
Columbia was led by Ashton Scarborough’s 11 points, Hannah Martin had 8, Sissy Price 6, Wilks 3 and Lauren Williamson 2.
ERA…17…19…13…8…57
CA…..5…..6..…8…4…30

Simpson girls outlast Canton in overtime

In a game in which it seemed both teams were doing their best to lose, Simpson hung on and eventually beat the Canton Academy Lady Panthers 50-47 in overtime Saturday afternoon at Simpson. The game was ugly from the start with Canton only able to convert 1 field goal in the entire first half yet only trailed 20-14 at halftime. Each team had 3 girls foul out. There were a total of 57 fouls called (25 on Canton and 32 on Simpson) and 84 free throws attempted (48 by Canton and 36 by Simpson). Canton senior point guard Corey Yeates alone attempted 26. Unfortunately, the Lady Panthers only made 19 of the 48 they attempted. Yes, that is correct..they missed 29 free throws in a game they lost by 3 in OT. Poor shooting in general (13 of 54 for 24%) made it impossible to overcome the poor showing at the free throw line. Still, Canton had 3 girls in double figures. Yeates led with 15 followed by junior Katie Pepper and sophomore Jordan Ray with 12 each. Christa Smith led Simpson with 19.

CA....4...10....9....18...6....47
SCA...6...14...12....9....9....50

This was Canton's second loss of the season in overtime. The first was at AAA Copiah before Thanksgiving. Canton and Simpson meet again on Tuesday, January 5th in Canton. The Lady Panthers fall to 0-3 in the conference and 6-9 overall.

Bowling Green takes two from Centreville
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
The Bowling Green Buccaneers scored the first nine points of the game and never trailed as they pounded Centreville 78-50 last night in Franklinton.
It only took two minutes for Bowling Green to jump out to a 9-0 lead in the opening quarter but Centreville got consecutive 3-pointers from Colby Lockwood and Brad Jelks to trim the deficit to 9-6 with 5:04 left. Bowling Green finished the quarter with a 14-2 run to go up 23-8.
With 4:37 remaining in the second quarter Colby Lockwood’s basket plus one narrowed the lead to 25-13 but the Tigers would get no closer as Bowling Green promptly answered with seven straight points to increase the lead to 32-13.
Back to back lay-ins from Bowling Green junior Kevin Perry with just over one minute left in the second quarter put the Bucs up 41-21. The first half, in which eight different Bowling Green players scored, ended at 43-23.
The Bowling Green transition game was on full display in the second half and Centreville didn’t have an answer. Dean King’s offensive rebound and put back half way through the third quarter pushed the advantage to 50-25.
Bowling Green center Shod Fortenberry helped spur the Bucs to a 64-40 lead after three quarters. The 6’6” senior poured in nine points in the period.
A good crowd was on hand in the refurbished Bowling Green gymnasium to see their 4th ranked Buccaneers take a 78-50 win over Centreville. With the win Bowling Green improved to 10-3 while the 10th ranked Tigers slipped to 7-4.
Bowling Green was led by Shod Fortenberry with 16 points, Kevin Perry added 14, Jaron Edwards had 11, Colton Owens 8, Dylan Varnado, Dean King and Buster Brown each had 6, Mac McElveen 5, Jason Milton 4 and Drake Adams 2.
Jamie Dezendorf led Centreville with a game high 18 points and Colby Lockwood added 17 on the night.
BG…23…20…21…14…78
CA….8….15…17…10…50

Girls

The sixth ranked Bowling Green Lady Bucs raced out to an 18-2 lead after the first quarter last night en route to a 56-27 win over visiting Centreville. The Lady Bucs upped their season mark to 10-3 despite playing without starting freshman point guard Mackayla Dykes who sat out due to illness.
Junior Brittany Cooper led Bowling Green with 15 points, Whitney Crowe and Caroline Haik each added 12, Beth Reedy had 7, Jasmine Lavigne and Jessica Williams had 4 apiece and Laken Adams 2.
Centreville’s Katie Berry had a game high 18 points, Renee Miley added 4, Katie Vine and Ashton Crum finished with 2 each. Centreville fell to 2-10.
BG…18…9…14…15…56
CA….2….9….7…..9..27
Next up for Bowling Green is a matchup today with Silliman in Franklinton. Next Wednesday Bowling Green and Oak Forest will battle in the New Orleans Arena before the Hornets game.

Centreville hosts Trinity today and will be off until January 4th when they entertain Oak Forest.

Lady Panthers back on track

The Canton Academy Lady Panthers broke a 5-game losing streak Friday night at home with a 39-27 win over Tri-County. The Lady Panthers received double-doubles from junior Katie Pepper (14 points, 13 rebounds) and sophomore Jordan Ray (10 points, 16 rebounds) despite both being in foul trouble and with Pepper eventually fouling out. Junior Bailey Russell also added 10 rebounds in less than 3 quarters. Leading scorer for Tri-County was Megan Heathcock with 16.

CA....14...13...6...6...39
TC.....8.....7...5...7...27
Canton continues conference play Saturday afternoon at Simpson. Canton's record stands at 6-8 with the game Saturday being the last game until school resumes in January.

Hot off the press!!!!!

Starkville Academy will introduce Jeff Terrill as the new head football coach tomorrow morning. Terrill will replace Brian Simms who resigned last month after two seasons at the helm. Terrill spent eight seasons as coach at Itawamba Community College and played high school football for coach David Butler at Central Academy.

Deer Shots

(Above) Austin Byrd killed this 9 pt near Madden, Mississippi on December 16th.

(Above) Allen Byrd with an 8 pt killed on December 10th near Madden, Mississippi (Above) Ras Pace brought home his first buck on December 4th. He killed this 10 pt in Jefferson County, Mississippi.
(Above) Tanner Pace with the 9 pt he took down on November 21st also in Jefferson County, Mississippi. (Above) This 11 pt was taken on November 27th in Claremore, Oklahoma by my nephew, Brad Brown.
(Above) Brett Rutland bagged a 250 lb hog and an 8 pt buck on the same day in Jefferson County, Mississippi last week. 8 pt - 185 lbs

CONGRATULATIONS TO PRESBYTERIAN GIRLS HEAD COACH

MISSY BILDERBACK WHO NOTCHED HER 300th WIN TONIGHT AGAINST PARKLANE

Big men beware!
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
The evolution of the game of basketball has been a subject of much discussion throughout the decades. The game has changed distinctly this decade as the big man era has slowly shifted to power-guards who can transform from go to player to assist man in a matter of two possessions. In my high school days it was rare to see anyone over 6’4” but that was a private school association many years ago. Today it’s not uncommon to see kids 6’4” or 6’5” on most nights in AAA or AA MAIS basketball. What has always been rare is seeing a player 6’8” or bigger and that rarity tends to draw lots of interest from fans and college scouts.
An MAIS school with a legitimate big man certainly has the potential to make a serious run at a state title, and what coach wouldn’t be giddy over that prospect? What those coaches fortunate enough to have such a game changer face is what many may not expect.
While the game has changed, a most important part of it still lags woefully behind. I’ll preface the area that I refer to by saying, as I’ve said before, that in no way would I put myself out there on the basketball court to officiate a basketball game with screaming coaches and fans. These folks deserve a big “shout out” first and foremost. With that said, maybe the attention and ire should shift from those who take to the court each night to officiate and towards the MAIS who owe it to member schools and fans to provide the very best well trained officials possible.
A few weeks back I wrote about what I perceived as a poor officiating job during the Presbyterian at Columbia boys game. The opinion was centered on Columbia’s 6’10” center and the inconsistency with regards to how the officials called the game. It was nothing I hadn’t seen before in the MAIS after seeing David Hahn of Chamberlain-Hunt play a handful of games last season. The 7’ center and Texas State signee was often double and triple teamed with a physical type of play that usually would garner fouls in most instances. More often that not Hahn would ride the pine before the first quarter was over. I realized the same scenario was taking shape for Columbia’s center as he quickly drew all the attention from the officials. Perceived and anticipation fouls quickly put the big man on the bench and when he did re-enter the game he played timidly to avoid leaving the game again.
Most would hope that the MAIS takes very seriously the efforts and work those coaches and players put into reaching the ultimate goal of winning a state championship. A re-evaluation needs to take place with quality training at the top of the list so that games are decided by players’ abilities and confidence is restored to fans and supporters.
A sign stating “Big men not allowed” should not be hung in MAIS gymnasiums.

Big second half propels Hillcrest
Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas
For one half of play Friday night the matchup between #1 ranked Hillcrest and #4 Simpson had all the makings of a hotly contested district opener for both squads. After playing a physical, low scoring first half in which Hillcrest took a slim 17-16 lead into the locker room, the top ranked team in AA basketball produced a second half that proved worthy of that top ranking to take a 60-36 win over Simpson Academy.
Simpson jumped out to a quick 4-0 advantage with baskets from big-men Justin Griffin and Will Ashley. Hillcrest senior Josh Rogers (photo above) pulled down an offensive rebound and converted to get the Cougars on the board with just over five minutes left in the opening quarter. Austin Hartzog’s layup for HCA tied the game at 6-6 with 3:59 remaining in the opening quarter. Trailing 11-6 Hillcrest sophomore Timothy Knowles nailed a 3-pointer from the wing with 36 seconds left to end the quarter with Simpson on top 11-9.

The second quarter produced only 13 combined points as both squads struggled with turnovers and Hillcrest couldn’t crack the Simpson zone defense. Hillcrest tied the game at 11-11 on a Preston Haynes basket to open the second quarter and then on the very next possession Haynes gave Hillcrest their first lead of the night at 14-11 as the junior guard hit a 3-pointer from the corner.
With 2:17 left in the first half Simpson regained the lead at 16-14 on a baseline basket from Justin Griffin. Hillcrest would finish with Preston Haynes converting the first of two free throws and an Austin Hartzog rebound and put back off the missed second free throw from Haynes as the half would end with Hillcrest maintaining a slim 17-16 advantage.

Junior guard Corey Herrington started the second half with a 3-pointer to give Simpson a 19-17 lead but that would be their final lead of the night. Hillcrest, behind the stellar play of point guard Josh Rogers, took control of the game as they outscored Simpson 24-9 in the quarter. Rogers totaled 12 points in the quarter and wreaked havoc on Simpson with a handful of steals and drives to the basket. Rogers finished the quarter with a driving left handed layup with just 7 seconds remaining to give Hillcrest a 41-25 lead heading into the final period.
Hillcrest increased the lead to 47-27 at the 5:50 mark of the final quarter on a Josh Rogers 3-pointer and two minutes later a Rogers assist to Austin Hartzog gave HCA a 54-32 advantage. The 60-36 outcome between the two squads on Friday night was a result of guard play. Hillcrest senior point guard Josh Rogers was a huge factor both offensively and defensively and can cause defenses to break down. Simpson’s Andy Maddox couldn’t find the range last night and if the Cougars are to make a run at a district title they’ll need more consistent guard production. (Photo below) Austin Hartzog (#42) of Hillcrest and Justin Griffin (#11) of Simpson.

Rogers led Hillcrest with a game high 23 points, Austin Hartzog added 14, Preston Haynes and Chris Prather had 8 each, Timothy Knowles had 3 and Caleb Baucum and Ben Lewis 2 apiece.
Simpson was led by Justin Griffin’s 14 points, Will Ashley added 8, Andy Maddox and Corey Herrington had 5 each, Mark Herrin 3 and Austin Herrington 1 point.

HCA...9...8...24..19...-60
SCA..11...5....9..11...-36
Hillcrest improved to 10-1 and 1-0 while Simpson slipped to 8-4 and 0-1.
Both teams played today…Hillcrest traveled to Vicksburg to take on St Aloysius while Simpson was at East Rankin.
Next week both teams have district games. Hillcrest hosts Leake on Friday while Simpson entertains Canton on Saturday.

**Note** My sincere apologies for the poor photo quality

Hillcrest pounds Simpson

Southern Sports & Travel

Hillcrest exploded with a 23-1 first quarter effort last night en-route to a 48-21 win over Simpson in Mendenhall. The #3 ranked Lady Cougars improved to 8-3 but more importantly 1-0 in district 3AA play.
Senior guard Breanna Howard accounted for 13 first quarter points, including three 3-pointers, and saw limited time the remainder of the game as head coach Charlie Jacobs substituted freely throughout.
Howard finished the night with a game high 15 points, Kristyn Kliesch and Jessica Griffin (photo right) each contributed with 7 points, Beverly Bailey added 5, Karley Kliesch and Meisha Ross with 4 each, Karley Keith had 3 and Kayla McAdams and Anna Posey 2 each.
Simpson was led by Lindsey Windham with 6 points, Becca Hall added 4, Hallie Stubbs and Casey McWilliams 3 each and Micah Windham and Mary Frances Stephens 2 apiece.
Hillcrest will look to up their district 3AA mark to 2-0 next Friday as they host the #1 ranked Leake Rebelettes in Jackson.
Simpson fell to 4-6 overall and will look to earn their first district win next Saturday when Canton visits.
HCA...23...8...3...14..- 48

SCA.....1...5...9....6...- 21

From the notebook.............

*It’s time to start taking some hard looks at basketball and what boys and girls teams will make a serious run at a state title in February. At this point in the young season Hillcrest’s boys are playing the type of basketball deserving of a #1 ranking. The Cougars are taking that ranking into Mendenhall tomorrow night to battle a Simpson squad that is starting to really play well. Simpson, ranked #4 under new head coach David Granville, has picked up quality wins recently over Brookhaven and Bowling Green.
*On the girls side the Leake Rebelettes, with a 13-1 mark, hold down the #1 ranking and will be the team to beat once again this season. The 2009 overall champions should get challenged by Brookhaven, Hillcrest, Kirk and possibly a surprise contender to emerge by early February.
*Big “Shout Outs” to girls head coach Doyle Wolverton of Leake Academy who picked up his 1,100th win last Saturday in an 80-61 win over Carroll Academy and boys head coach Billy Pee of Prairie View who earned his 600th win a week ago.
*The dedication and work required to win a state title is defined by coaches such as Doyle Wolverton of Leake and Dale Watts of Brookhaven. The early development of players is critical to a long standing successful basketball program. “Fundamentals…Fundamentals…Fundamentals”
*Senior point guard Caroline Oliphant of Prairie View fractured her ankle on Nov. 19 against Claiborne Academy. She could be back as early as Saturday.
*The Southern Sports & Travel player of the year was posted this past Monday. Thanks to all who sent in emails and participated in the selection of Chandler Rogers of Brookhaven.
*Yesterday I was fortunate enough to be invited on the “Chasing Foul Balls” radio show hosted by Robbie Hamilton. The program is on weekdays from 7am – 8am and on Wednesday nights from 6pm – 8pm. Lots of MAIS sports are discussed along with southwest Mississippi athletics. The live stream is carried on the internet at http://sportstalk1077.com/1077/
*I’m heading to Mendenhall tomorrow night (Friday) for the Hillcrest at Simpson game and will post a report early Saturday morning.
*Two other huge games will take place tomorrow also……..Parklane travels to Columbia (boys) and West Memphis travels to Kirk (girls) in a big district 1AA matchup.
*Mark this date on your calendar….January 8th. East Rankin at Presbyterian in a big girl’s game featuring two of the best players in the MAIS, Brooke Rhodes of East Rankin and Kayte Magee of Presbyterian.
*The annual Brookhaven Christmas tournament has the potential of some gigantic matchups. Teams expecting to participate are Hillcrest, Bowling Green, Simpson, East Rankin, Trinity, Parklane, Copiah, Oak Forest, Copiah and Ben’s Ford.
*Please continue texting scores…..985-750-3455

See ya somewhere………

River Oaks sweeps Riverfield

Courtesy of the Bastrop Enterprise

Vincent Moore made 6-of-8 fourth quarter free throws to help River Oaks salt away a 53-49 victory over Riverfield in first round play of the Yvette West Memorial Tournament at Spartan Gym on Wednesday. Clinging to a 30-29 halftime lead, the Mustangs outscored the Raiders 11-4 in the third quarter to carry an eight-point advantage into the final eight minutes. Darryl Barnes drained a pair of 3-pointers to help River Oaks open up a 41-33 spread. Logan Moore tallied seven points to help the Raiders outscore the Mustangs 16-12 in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough. Taylor Long and Kyle King combined for 13 points to help Riverfield build a 19-14 lead after the first period. Barnes led a trio of Mustangs in double figures with 18 points, Vincent Moore turned in 15 and Slade Daniel 11. For Riverfield, Long topped all scorers with 19 points and Logan Moore added 12.

GIRLS
River Oaks 42, Riverfield 40

Amber Kovac and Abby Herman combined for 17 points in the fourth quarter as River Oaks opened the tournament with a scintillating victory over Riverfield. Trailing 23-21, the Lady Mustangs outscored the Lady Raiders 21-17 in the final frame. The game was tied 14-14 at the midway point. Kovac accounted for 12 of her 16 points in the second half and Herman tacked on 14 points for the winners. Erin Noble topped the Lady Raiders with 12 points and April Smith had 11.

1100 and counting, Wolverton gathers milestone victory

Courtesy of The Meridian Star
Players and rules change, but one thing remains the same: Doyle Wolverton wins games. And lots of them. Wolverton, the Leake Academy girls' basketball coach, won his 1100th game Saturday when his Rebelettes downed Carroll Academy 80-61. The win moved Wolverton's all-time mark to 1,100 wins and 173 losses in his 35th season at Leake. The Rebelettes (12-1) and Wolverton will look to pass the milestone tonight when Canton Academy visits Madden. "It's a really nice thing in that I'm getting close to the end of my career and not the beginning," Wolverton said, laughing. "To have 1,100 wins just means you've been successful over a long period of time. It means you've had a lot of good basketball teams and a lot of good kids that have played for me. "It was enjoyable for me, but it was also a milestone for the kids that have played for me and the school, itself." That program is something Wolverton has built from the ground up. The Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Hall-of-Famer begins working with Leake Academy students in the fourth grade. From there, he drills in the basics before the Rebelettes hit the junior-high program in the seventh grade. "The program, to me, is what's important," Wolverton said. "We want to be successful year after year, and just because of that success year after year, those numbers have mounted up and, kind of, snowballed out there. "The key to the whole thing to me, is the success year after year that we've been able to achieve. I get those kids when they're in the fourth grade and I get them for about nine years if they make it all the way through until they're a senior. I get a chance to spend a lot of time with them and just have had some real nice experiences with them." That detailed program has led Leake Academy to 27 straight seasons of at least 25 wins — including 13 straight 31-win campaigns — and four of the past five Rebelette squads have won at least 40 games, a mark LA has hit six times. He has also directed 32 teams to the state tournament, winning 12 state titles — including the past four Class AA crowns — and five Overall championships. Still, with all those wins, there isn't one special moment Wolverton can pick out. He also can't identify his best team. "Somebody asked me the other day, 'Which one of your state championships was the best team?" he said. "That's hard to pick out because times change, players change. I won a couple of state championship even before we had the 3-point line." So, times have just changed. And you can't just pick out a particular game or a particular moment. They just all kind of evolve into what we have now." Rather, Wolverton devotes his time to continue building his program, and taking care of his players. "I think that's the best part of the whole thing is those people have entrusted me with those kids in the fourth grade," Wolverton said. "When you turn your child over to somebody, that's a pretty big thing."

And, of course, winning games.

Carroll boys keep on rolling
Courtesy of The Greenwood Commonwealth
The Carroll Academy Rebels kept their perfect record in tact with a 62-60 win over Manchester here Tuesday night in the District 2-AA opener for both teams.

The Rebels (9-0, 1-0) led by as many as 17 early in the third period, but let Manchester (2-6) back in it with their struggles on the offensive end. "Our guys got tired and made a lot of mistakes," CA coach Steve Flemming said, "but I am sure proud of the way they hung in there and handled some adversity." C.J. Hodges and Ken Daves led the Rebels with 16 points each, while Breland Marett chipped in with 10. Carroll led 25-17 at the end of the first period, 37-24 at the half and 44-38 at the end of the third.

In girls' action, Carroll beat Manchester 52-40 as Haley Liddell scored a team-high 15 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

Memrie Corley and Skylar Alford had 10 points each.In junior high action, the CA girls won 38-23. Shelby Hoover had 12 points, and Nicole Waltman added nine.
Carroll plays at Winston Friday.

Glenbrook tops Riverdale
Courtesy of The Minden Press-Herald
The Glenbrook Apaches used a total team effort in knocking off the Riverdale Rebels, 44-24, Tuesday night at Glenbrook.
All 11 players on the roster had a part in the win.
“We played well,” Glenbrook head coach Chris Kourvelas said. “Every player was on the books tonight, whether it was points, rebounds, assists or steals. We played very good team basketball tonight, especially in the second half.”
DeAngelo McDonald led Glenbrook with nine points and Blake Branch added eight. Colton Spurlock dropped in seven.
“We were very unselfish tonight,” Kourvelas said. “We crashed the boards and created a lot of turnovers. Riverdale is a very good team, last week we played them and they got the better end of the deal. But we’ve obviously improved and that’s a good thing.”
The Apaches led by two after the first quarter and 20-14 going into the half. They out-scored Riverdale 13-4 and 11-6 in the second half to get the win.
Glenbrook will finish out the week in the Gary, Texas Tournament.
“We’re looking forward to playing in the tournament this week,” Kourvelas said. “We’ll start out Thursday afternoon against Douglas High School.”

Glenbrook improved to 8-2.

Raiderettes run past Lady Rebels

Courtesy of The Grenada Star
It wasn’t the kind of start that Kirk Academy girls basketball coach Mike Reans would have liked to seen. But, the finish was right on target. Kirk jumped to a 12-5 lead over Carroll Academy only to see the Lady Rebels rally to get within 17-15. The Raiderettes used a 13-1 run in the final minutes of the half to build a big lead. They broke the game open in the second half en route to a 55-21 win over Carroll.With the win, the Raiderettes improve to 10-1 on the season. That mark was prior to a Monday home tilt with North Delta. The boys weren’t as fortunate losing a 70-48 decision to the Rebels. “I thought we started slow but used the last three minutes of the half to get some breathing room,” Reans said. “Our bench really gave us a spark. The second half, I thought that we took the game over.” Kirk got a solid night from senior Courtney Parella, who finished with a game-high 21 points. Kelsey Marter came off the bench to score 11 points. Holly Wells added nine points. Carmen Woods scored five points and Audra Woods finished with four points. Beth Mann chipped in three points. Emily Lundy carded two points.

Boys

The Raiders struggled taking care of the basketball game against the Rebels. “We didn’t take care of the ball very well, coach Cliff McCain said. Kirk, 1-3, was led by Kris Harbin with a game-high 21 points. Sayle Roberts and James Henderson both had nine points. Shane Provine had seven points. Reid Walker and Garner Vance each had a point on the night.

Prairie View's Billy Pee reaches milestone

Courtesy of the Bastrop Enterprise

With a 51-32 victory over Silliman Academy on Nov. 23 at the Huntington Double Header Prairie View Academy's Head Men’s Basketball Coach Billy Pee joined the elite 600 win club in High School Basketball.
Pee reached the mark after coming back from retirement last season. In this young season he has lead the Spartans to a 5-3 record.
Overall he has composed a record of 600 - 302 in his 30 years at the helm of a men’s basketball program.
He compliments his staffs over the years for his success.
“I have had great assistant coaches over the year’s including my current assistant Justin Waller,” Pee said. “With their assistance over the years I have had the pleasure of working with some outstanding young men, which I am much indebted to.”
Pee has had several players go on to play at the collegiate level while at Neville including ULM standouts Joey Gene along with Morris and Brine Spencer. He has had others play at schools across the region.
While with the Spartans he has produced numerous All District, All North and South State selections along with State tournament selections. Joseph Waller was selected to the Over All Class All State teams two years in a row. He also coached Brad Cole, Brett Clausing, Jeremy Harris, Cody Channell, Dustin Brooks and Jeremy Causey, all of whom were selected and played in the MPSA All Star team.
Pee’s high school coaching career includes a 19 season stint at Neville High School, where he led the Tigers to a 320-221 record, including appearances in the Louisiana High School Athletics Association Class 4-A finals, winning one State Title.
He has led the Spartans for the last 11 years and has posted a record of 280-78. In those 11 years, he has won eight District Championships, two District Runner-ups, three Regional Championships and one State Runner-Up.

Canton girls fall to Central Hinds

Southern Sports & Travel

After starting the season with a 4 game winning streak, the Canton Academy Lady Panthers lost Tuesday night at home for the 6th time in the last 7 games. Central Hinds defeated the Lady Panthers 52-49. Canton falls to 5-6 on the year. While Canton's shooting from the floor was a bit better (19/52 for 36.5%) than the last tw games, poor free throws (9 of 21) and a season-high 35 turnovers overcame any improvement in the shooting.

Central Hinds meanwhile was 20 of 48 for 41.7% and only had 22 turnovers. High scorer for Canton was sophomore Jordan Ray. She double-doubled with 15 points and 16 rebounds. Katie Pepper had her 2nd straight double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Bailey Russell pulled down 13 rebounds in the losing effort. Jordan Fisher was the only Central Hinds Cougar in double figures with 14.

Canton...........10....8....18....13....49

Central Hinds...9....14....14....15....52

Canton now begins conference play has 2 extremely difficult games on the road. On Thursday, they travel to Leake followed by a Saturday game in Meridian with Lamar.

Brookhaven vs Lamar Title Game

Central Hinds Football

All District 4AA Selections

Jordan Townsend – Senior – RB / DB

Jon Reynolds – Senior – OT / DE
Hunter Farrior – Junior – FB / LB
Nick Mitchell – Junior – OT / DT
Austin Sills – Junior – OG / DT
Jordan Currie – Sophomore – QB / LB

WANTED!!!

NOVICE REPORTERS FOR BASKETBALL SEASON,

SUPPORTERS TO TEXT SCORES,

BASKETBALL PHOTOS

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Southern Sports & Travel Player of the Year

Rogers is Player of the Year
Chandler Rogers has been selected as the 2009 Southern Sports & Travel Player of the Year. The junior quarterback from Brookhaven Academy led the Cougars to a perfect 15-0 season and the State AA Championship. In Brookhaven’s 63-28 win over Lamar in the title game Rogers displayed the focus and composure he has exhibited since his first start as a sophomore. After all was said and done Rogers had passed for 353 yards and 5 touchdowns along with 139 yards rushing in one of the more dominate performances in MAIS title game history.
While the junior has garnered tons of attention this past season one thing that most people don't know is that just two seasons ago Rogers wasn’t a quarterback. “I have not always played quarterback,” said Rogers. “I played running back in the ninth grade. My tenth grade year was my first year to play quarterback.”
The rise of Rogers’ game has been attributed to hard work and countless repetitions on the practice field but also the stewardship of Brookhaven head coach Herbert Davis. “Coach Davis has been one of the biggest influences on me during my high school football career. When he came to Brookhaven Coach Davis gave me the chance to prove myself to him and the team,” said Rogers. “He not only believed in me but supported me and pushed me everyday to be the best I could be. He has spent countless hours teaching and coaching me throughout the past two years.” The relationship between the two doesn’t end at the front gate of Brookhaven Academy. “Coach Davis and I have a very close relationship. He treats me as if I were his own son. He traveled as far as Orlando with me to ensure that I could be the best quarterback I could be. We communicate and exchange ideas very well.”

Not many high school athletes can express what it feels like to go an entire season without losing a game not to mention the physical and mental toll it takes on an individual. Rogers and his teammates now have the insight into those feelings but as Rogers puts it, the path to a championship isn’t easy. “This past football season was the most physically challenging experience of my life. After the jamboree, I was in the emergency room thinking I had a broken leg. To come from that experience to going undefeated has been the most awesome experience of my life. Mentally, I was challenged more so than physically. Hours of film watching and studying with the coaches left me physically and mentally drained at the end of the season.”

During any championship season there comes a point when a team has a defining moment and for Rogers that came after a round two playoff win over defending champion Centreville. “We knew we had a special team after defeating the Centreville Tigers. They are known for their championship football teams, and defeating them gave us the extra confidence that we needed,” said Rogers.
The numbers associated with the season Rogers has had are impressive to say the least. Rogers averaged 326 yards of offense a game in an undefeated season against one of the most difficult schedules in AA football. He also was one of a very few to pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards to go along with 59 touchdowns this season.

More insight on Chandler Rogers
* How long have you attended Brookhaven?
“My family and I moved to Brookhaven in 2000, and I began school at Brookhaven Academy in the second grade.”
* When did you first start playing football?
“I played pee-wee football in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. However, I did not play my seventh and eighth grade years due to traveling baseball. I returned to junior high football in the ninth grade.”
* Looking back at the 2009 season what was one of the more humorous things that sticks out in your mind?
“During a very emotional speech before the Centreville playoff game, Coach Davis got his thoughts mixed up...he said, "We may not be the best team, but we are the best T-E-A-M." (He spelled out T-E-A-M)”
* In your personal life who has been the most influential and why?
“My parents have been the most influential people in my life. On game days, my dad always sends me a Bible verse for encouragement. Mom is always there for love and support, when I need it the most.”
* What will it take for Brookhaven to be successful next season?
“It will be very tough to top the Cinderella story of the 2009 season. The team and I will have to work twice as hard as we did this year. It will take hours of offseason and extra workouts to remain champions, however, "We Believe."
* What are your plans for the summer....camps?
“In the off season I plan to attend as many combines and camps as possible. I plan to spend countless hours in the gym and on the field to improve every aspect of my game.”
*What are your goals after your senior season?
“After my senior season, it is my hope and dream to continue my football career at the college level. I plan to further my education by going into the medical field.”

2009 numbers breakdown:
Passing – 3,813 yards – 46 tds – 4 Ints
Rushing – 1,071 yards – 13 tds
Total yards – 4,884
Record as a starter – 23-4 (two seasons)

There were lots of great players in AA football this season and many faithful supporters of each one. The criteria for selecting the player of year was based on input from coaches, non-partial observers and input from readers as to why a particular player should be chosen.