Starkville Lady Vols continue to roll

Southern Sports & Travel

Defending girls Overall Champion Starkville Academy wrapped up the Columbus Holiday Tournament with two impressive wins over MHSAA schools to improve to a perfect 17-0 on the season.

On Friday the Lady Vols totally destroyed MHSAA 4A Noxubee 75-31. In that game Starkville jumped out to a 27-5 lead after one quarter of play en-route to their 16th win of the season.

Senior Maggie Proffitt led all scorers with a game high 26 points and dished out 4 assists, Anna Lea Little added 14  and Nora Kathryn Carroll had 13 points.

The Lady Vols hit on 7 of 13 from beyond the 3-point line and went a perfect 6/6 from the charity stripe.

Defensively Starkville forced 27 turnovers and dialed up 18 steals on the day.

On Saturday afternoon Starkville was just as lethal on MHSAA 5A Provine as the Lady Vols delivered a 80-56 thumping to up their season mark to 17-0.

Maggie Proffitt again went for 26 points and the Lady Vols were one point shy of all five starters reaching double digits in scoring on the day.

Nora Kathryn Carroll added 14 points, Sallie Kate Richardson had 13 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals, Tiffany Huddleston had 12 points and 5 assists and Anna Lea Little scored 9 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

On the day the defending champions hit 25/30 from the free throw line and hit 7 of 15 3-point attempts.

Starkville be participate in the Magnolia Heights Christmas Tournament next week.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Southern Sports & Travel. May you and your families be blessed and a big thank you to the many supporters who make this site possible and for the tens of thousands of readers who visit Southern Sports & Travel each month.

Recent tragedies and losses within the MAIS family should remind us all of how fortunate we are to have our loved ones close to us during this Holy time of the year.

Please do as me and my wife do each time our two sons visit. Before they leave there are two things we faithfully tell them before they walk out the door, I love you and buckle up.

Please stress this to your kids and also to refrain from texting while driving.

Southern Sports & Travel would like to partner with any MAIS schools interested in promoting a safe driving month to bring more awareness to the perils of texting and not buckling up.

God Bless and Merry Christmas! 

Bowling Green takes road win at Presbyterian

Southern Sports & Travel

While the MAIS Overall basketball tournament is still over nine weeks away last night in Hattiesburg two girl’s teams that could be in the thick of capturing the Gold Ball were on full display at Rees Gymnasium on the campus of Presbyterian Christian School. Home-standing Presbyterian was handed their first loss of the season as Class AA second ranked Bowling Green earned a hard fought 51-43 win.

Bowling Green sophomore Kristina Jerrell scored 14 points and Ashley Foret proved why she is becoming one of the premier defensive stoppers in the MAIS as the freshman held Presbyterian’s Trista Magee to 10 points on the night.

(Above) Bowling Green's Kristina Jerrell (#3) drives for 2 of her 14 points

Presbyterian grabbed a 1-0 lead less than one minute into the contest on a Monica Breland free throw but the Lady Bobcats would lead no more.

Reagan Moody drained a 3-pointer from the wing and Ashley Foret threw in a 16 foot jumper to give Bowling Green a 5-1 lead. Two Kristina Jerrell free throws finished of a 7-1 Bowling Green run with 4:06 remaining in the opening quarter of play.

Presbyterian closed the deficit to within a bucket at 7-5 as Reagan Dykes and Trista Magee each sank two free throws.

Bowling Green would close the first quarter as Kristina Jerrell hit one of two free throws to give the Lady Bucs an 8-5 advantage after eight minutes of play.

(Above) Bowling Green freshman Ashley Foret (#11) goes up strong following an offensive rebound

Bowling Green stretched their lead to eight points at 13-5 to start the second quarter as Melissa Crowe served up an assist to a cutting Caroline Haik in the paint and senior point guard Mackayla Dykes canned a 3-pointer from the top of the key.

Presbyterian drew to within one point at the 4:26 mark on two Trista Magee free throws but the Lady Bobcats could get no closer for the remainder of the quarter as Bowling Green answered each time.

Bowling Green took a 19-16 advantage into intermission.

Both teams came out of the half on fire.

Reagan Dykes quickly nailed a 15 foot jumper to start the third quarter and pull Presbyterian to within a point at 19-18 but Mackayla Dykes of Bowling Green would answer with a 3-pointer to push the lead back to four points at 22-18.

Presbyterian would pull to within one point just once more at 27-26 with 5:44 left in the quarter when Reagan Dykes canned a 3-pointer from the corner but Bowling Green prevented very few second chance shots from the Lady Bobcats.

Bowling Green extended their lead to six points in the closing seconds of the third quarter as Reagan Moody converted a Lady Bobcat turnover into a fast break lay-in, plus one, with less than 10 seconds remaining to close out the period with Bowling Green holding a 39-33 lead.

Monica Breland’s free throw to start the final quarter got Presbyterian to within five points at 39-34 but the Lady Bucs answered yet again as a Mackayla Dykes 3-pointer from the wing provided a glimpse at how the remainder of the contest would unfold.

Presbyterian got no closer than five points throughout the quarter and would score their final basket, a 3-pointer from Reagan Dykes, with 1:32 remaining in the contest.

With the win Bowling Green improves to 14-1, their only loss was a 51-46 decision to defending Overall Champion Starkville back on October 30^th.

Bowling Green was led by Kristina Jerrell with 14 points, Mackayla Dykes added 10, Reagan Moody had 9 points and 7 rebounds, Caroline Haik had 7 points and 10 rebounds, Ashley Foret 6, Melissa Crowe (Photo right) 3 and Breanna McNeese 2.
Reagan Dykes led Presbyterian (15-1) with 15 points, Monica Breland added 11, Trista Magee 10, Lilly Waites 4 and Hannah McCarter 3.
Next up for Bowling Green will be the Brookhaven Christmas Tournament on December 27-29 while Presbyterian will next be in action on January 4th as they host East Rankin.
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Post Game with Bowling Green Head Coach Pat King

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**Photos courtesy of Lance Bowe

Bayou expecting strong season

By Mark Stowers
Winn Scott has coached at Bayou Academy for 12 years. He’s had a lot of players and logged a lot of time on sidelines and has seen plenty of wins. Every coach and every player dreams big - replete with a net cutting and a state championship trophy glistening in each teammate’s grasp. The desire, sweat and the imagination have always been there but now there is some “size” to back up such a dream – and possibly make it a reality.

Now neither Scott nor his players will allow themselves to look that far down the road. They’ve compiled an 8-2 record so far this season on the backs of some “tall boys.” Bayou has eight players that exceed six feet in height – including the starting five. And that advantage mixed with basketball skill has led the team to some impressive stats thus far. A #7 state ranking in 1A, an average of 58 points, three blocks, 39 rebounds and nearly five steals per game along with 530 total points and 304 rebounds in ten games.
“Last year we went 19-10 and went to the playoffs,” Scott said. “We’re excited but it’s a long season and we’ve got a long way to go. We’ve got some improvements to make but I’m excited about what we can potentially be.”

And that excitement exudes beyond the coaching box as fans have picked up on the team’s heightened success.

“I haven’t seen fans at boys games like this in a long time,” he said. “Even on the road we have a pretty big following.”

And it’s not just the Varsity but the junior high and both girls’ teams are winning as well providing the school and county a wealth of excitement. But the boy’s team with its wealth of height that literally has Scott looking up.

“We’ve got five seniors and three that start – Michael Portner, Caleb Pilgrim and Grey Clark,” he said. “The other two, Tyler Kitchings and Chantz Arbuckle are both juniors.”

Three starters have already surpassed 100 points – Portner with 138, Pilgrim with 132 and Kitchings with 103. So Scott has a quiver full of offensive weapons and has more on the bench to choose from when needed. But so far the team hasn’t relied on any one person to carry them, it’s truly been a one for all and all for one type of Colt team.

“We play as much team ball as I’ve seen in a long time,” he said. “They like to share the wealth. They’re not selfish players by any means.”

Of the starters, Scott noted that one in particular has literally grown over night.

“Tyler hitting his growth spurt has really helped him a lot. He’s been the man down low. He’s averaging 10 points a game and 10 rebounds,” Scott said. “He grew about six or seven inches this summer. He’s really come around.”

And he likes his team to keep things up-tempo on the court but knows they can handle what the opposition throws at them.

“Chantz is a great up-tempo point guard. We’re a very inside-out team. We like to get it inside to Caleb or Tyler or Grey and if they double down on them we’ll take it back out for the open shot. Michael is a really good three-point shooter and he’s a really good driver. He likes to get to the rim. And Caleb is usually double-teamed but that doesn’t matter, he can score regardless.”

The team is 3-1 in conference play and in second place. Scott’s focus is to keep the team reeled in with their eyes and minds on the next opponent – not anything down the road.

“We talk alot. We practice for the team we’re going to play that week,” he said. “We focus on the job at hand and take care of business. It’s been a great ride so far and I’ve enjoyed every second of it.”

Beyond the starters, Scott has relied on Peyton Aldridge as his sixth man this season.

“He does a really good job when he comes in. He’s a three-point threat and he’s just a sophomore. He really makes people guard him because he can shoot the ball as well as anybody we have on the team,” he said.

And when Aldridge comes in to spread the defense, Kitchings “goes down low and that’s by far where Tyler is better.”

And even though there’s been some exciting games when the team is in uniform, the practice scrimmages have been pretty active and sometimes more eventful than the games.

“I would love to give more guys more playing time but its hard to break up that flow,” he said. “The good thing about practice is I can put five on five and that five will really push the starting five. I’ve probably got three other guys who could start on other teams. They’re just not the starters yet but they could be game changers. I’m still figuring them out and in January when we get into those three games a week stretches we’ll definitely need more subs off the bench.”

Tuesday night the Colts traveled to Delta Academy in Marks, Ms for a rematch with the Raiders who handed them their first loss of the season. “You could literally see the blood in their eyes. They wanted redemption and we got it 66-63 in one of our best games so far this season,” added Scott.

Tyler Kitchings scored a season high 18 points, 17 rebounds with four blocked shots and one steal, followed by Michael Portner with 17 points and six rebounds, Caleb Pilgrim with 15 points and 12 rebounds and Chantz Arbuckle with 14 points and three rebounds.

The Colts improved their record to 8-2 and travelled to Marvell Academy on Friday night for a non-conference matchup but no score was available as of press time.

The Colts will have a 22 day break before their next game due to the Christmas holidays but that will not stop head coach Winn Scott from drumming up some scrimmage games during the break to keep the boys in rhythm.

Bayou will return to action in January with a conference packed second half of the season with Deer Creek on January 8 at home and Briarfield on the road on the 11^th.

 

Basketball notes and news

Beginning in January The Gateway Tire & Service Center Player of the Week for basketball will get underway. Each week a player will be selected and, as was the case during football season, a plaque in that player's name will be sent to their school. Stats and a player photo must be sent via email to aafandaman@yahoo.com no later than Sunday night each week.

Each year the Southern Sports & Travel All MAIS Basketball boys and girls teams are recognized following the season. The players considered for these teams are painstakingly selected through much research and input from coaches and some who follow MAIS basketball closely. Southern Sports & Travel will begin reaching out to coaches next month in an effort to begin gathering as much data possible in selecting not only a boys and girls team but also a boys and girls player of the year.

Recently two of the very best high school basketball coaches in the state reached notable milestones. Leake Academy head coach Doyle Wolverton recently got his 1,218th win  to become the second winningest girl's high school basketball coach of all time and Marshall head basketball coach Craig Dailey earned his 1,000th win.

A big thank you goes out to all of you who faithfully report scores each night. Over 80% of the scores posted each night on Southern Sports & Travel are reported directly from you. Southern Sports & Travel will also gladly post stats associated with those scores and those will be archived in the basketball scores page. I received a message this week regarding listing scorers from games each night and for the remainder of the season any player game stats that are reported will be listed and saved to the basketball archives. Those stats can be emailed to aafandaman@yahoo.com or faxed to 985-732-9306 or a text to 985-750-3455 will suffice.

Much effort and time has been spent on district basketball standings for all three classes over the past week and as of now Classes AAA and AA are shaping up well due to lots of help from some great coaches who have always been willing to lend a hand. Unfortunately Class A is once again going to be a challenge for a few reasons.

The decision will be made soon as to whether to list just those Class A districts which are possible to track accurately and leave off those which choose not to report scores to any publication whatsoever off the standings all together. Every effort has been made over the past few years to network Class A schools so coaches, players and fans can see how other teams in Class A are performing but it appears some facets of Class A are more than happy to impede recognition of their own school, players and supporters.

Simpson falls to Brookhaven
Southern Sports & Travel
Simpson suffered their second loss of the season last night as the third ranked Cougars fell on the road to sixth ranked Brookhaven 50-33. Brookhaven, coming off a narrow 48-46 loss to MRA, pulled away after a tight first quarter and controlled the game the remainder of the way in improving to 8-4 on the season.
Brookhaven junior Zack Smith led all scorers with 16 points while Will Hickman and Matthew Evans hit for 14 and 10 points respectively.
Simpson led just twice in the contest. Walt Prince’s 3-pointer from the wing gave Simpson a 5-4 advantage at the 5:51 mark of the first quarter but that would be the last lead for the Cougars. Brookhaven closed out the opening quarter holding a slight 8-7 cushion but opened the second quarter with a 14-3 run spurred by a Will Hickman (#14 Photo right) steal and lay-in, plus one, to start the quarter. Zack Smith’s 3-pointer from the wing pushed the lead to 14-7 and following a Walt Prince 3-pointer that cut the deficit to 14-10 Brookhaven ran off eight straight points to take a 22-10 lead with 3:42 left in the half.
Simpson closed the half with a Josh Hankins 15 footer with 27 seconds left to pull to within nine points at 26-17.
Hankins would get a driving lay-in to start the third quarter and get Simpson to within seven points at 26-19 but that was countered by a Peyton Hood 3-pointer from the corner to extend the margin back to double digits at 29-19 less than two minutes into the second half.
A Matthew Evans assist to Travis Thornton gave Brookhaven their biggest lead at 34-21 with 3:08 remaining in the quarter. Simpson’s Tyler King closed the scoring in the third quarter with a basket in the paint but the Cougars trailed 35-24 entering the fourth quarter.

A Brookhaven 5-2 run to start the final quarter pushed the lead to 40-26 with 4:10 left in regulation and Brookhaven would convert on 6/7 free throws down the stretch to take a 50-33 win.

Zack Smith (Photo left) led all scorers with 16 points, Will Hickman added 14, Matthew Evans 10, Travis Thornton 6 and Peyton Hood 3.

Walt Prince paced Simpson (10-2) with 9 points and Josh Hankins added 8. Next up for Brookhaven is Oak Forest in Brookhaven on Thursday.

Starkville pair sign scholarships

Two Starkville Academy Lady Vols recently signed letters of intent to play basketball. Anna Lea Little and Maggie Proffitt announced their choices in a ceremony surrounded by teammates and held at Starkville Academy.

Little signed with Arkansas Tech University while Proffitt inked with the University of Central Arkansas.

Pictured above from left to right:

Back row, standing: Janiece Pigg, Anna McKell, Sallie Kate Richardson, Coach Glenn Schmidt,

Tiffany Huddleston, Hannah Huddleston, Alex McCafferty, McClain Morgan.

Front Row: Nora Kathryn Carrol, Maridee Higginbotham, Anna Lea Little (sitting), Maggie Proffitt (sitting).

Skelton signs with Delta State

 Magnolia Heights shortstop Dalton Skelton has signed to play baseball at Delta State. Pictured above with Skelton is his mother Wendy, father Jimmy, brother Dustin, and Magnolia Heights head baseball coach Chris McMinn.

Southern Sports & Travel Player of the Year

Brookhaven Academy quarterback Gage Posey is the 2012 Southern Sports & Travel Player of the Year. The 6’ 3” 190 lb. senior led Brookhaven to the Class AA State Championship, the Class AA South State Championship and the District 5-AA title and was selected to the MAIS All Star squad.

Posey recorded one of the most memorable performances in recent MAIS championship history in the Cougar’s 49-40 win over Marshall Academy to win the Class AA crown. The southpaw went 24/27 for 389 yards and 6 touchdowns and rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown in the win.

During the playoffs Posey delivered in crunch time and led his team to late wins over Lamar and Simpson.

Posey directed an 88 yard game winning drive and scored with 33 seconds remaining in Brookhaven’s 33-28 win over Lamar and in winning the Class AA South State Championship against defending champion Simpson Posey had his best rushing effort of the season with 168 yards on 20 carries and 3 touchdowns.

In Brookhaven’s four game playoff run Posey accounted for 1,359 yards and 17 touchdowns while also playing defense for a large majority of the time.

Posey’s season numbers reflect his value to the Brookhaven football program. On the year Posey dialed up 4,011 total yards and 46 touchdowns.

The senior signal-caller passed for 3,217 yards, completed 213 of 339 attempts for a 63% completion rate and accounted for 28 touchdowns.

On the ground Posey rushed for 794 yards on 148 carries for a per carry average of 5.4 yards and reached pay-dirt 18 times.

Gage Posey represents every quality both on and off the field that reflects humility, selflessness and character and is worthy to be named The 2012 Southern Sports & Travel Player of the Year.
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In depth with Gage Posey:

Who has been the biggest influence in your life and why?

“My family in general has been the biggest influence in my life.  My parents and grandparents have been very supportive of my sports activities.  I started playing T-ball when I was 3 and I can’t remember a game when all or most of them were not there.  They have pretty much followed me everywhere that I have ever played.”

Who has been the biggest influence with regards to athletics and why?

“I’ve had so many great coaches that it’s hard to say.  Jeff Upton, Marshall Upton and Tom Luke were some of my summer league baseball coaches when I was young but I can’t say enough about my high school coaches.  In my opinion, I’ve had the best coaches in the MAIS.   Matthew Evans and I have been playing for Coach Watts since the 7^th grade.  Most people only see Coach Watts coach in a game situation.  What they don’t realize is that he is the same every minute of every practice.  He may not have the best players but his team will be as good as they can be by the time he is finished with them.” 

“We were fortunate to get Coach Edwards for baseball.  He came in when I was in the 9^th grade and we won a State Championship. He’s a tough coach with an unbelievable work ethic.”

“Coach Johnny Lane Ball pushes us so hard in the weight room and in the off season.  His enthusiasm is unreal.  He never runs out of energy.  He and Coach McCarty just believed in us so much.  We knew that we could make the plays when it came down to it.” 

Athlete you would most like to sit down and have a conversation with and why?

“Without a doubt, Tim Tebow.  He is not the most talented quarterback but his work ethics and character sets him apart from the rest.  If he would have had Coach McCarty, he could probably throw the ball better.” 

Hobbies?

“I really don’t have a lot of free time.  If sports don’t count as a hobby I guess fishing and working out is what I do.”

Favorite subject in school and why?

“Anatomy and Physiology.  I plan on doing something in the medical field.”

Favorite sport at Brookhaven?

“Whichever sport is in season. Matthew Evans and I have played every football, basketball and baseball game at Brookhaven since the 4^th grade.”

When did you first play football and where?

“My first organized football game was played at Columbia Academy when I was in the 4^th grade.  I was playing for Brookhaven.” 

When did you first play quarterback?

“From the first time I ever picked up a football.  My first organized game was in Columbia but I always knew I wanted the football in my hands as much as I could get it.”   

How long have you been at Brookhaven?

“I started Brookhaven in K-4.” 

Best memory at Brookhaven?

“There have been a lot of them.  Winning the State Championship in football is at the top right now.  Our team worked our tails off for that.  We were such a close team it really made it special winning it.”

“The other was beating Central Private two years ago in the first round of the South State tournament when they were favored to win it all.  They had a great team but we had the greater coach that gave us the will to win.”

“Another favorite was making the winning shot against Mt. Salus when I was in the 9^th grade playing on the high school basketball team.  We took a time out before the play and Jake Reed said, “Let Posey take the last shot.”  Coach Watts drew it up and I shot it from the corner.  It’s still on YouTube.”   

Plans after high school?

“My college choice is undecided.  If I get the opportunity, I plan on playing at least one sport and two if possible.”

Describe your relationship with Coach McCarty and the job he has done with you personally and the football program at Brookhaven.

“It is a great relationship.  He is a great friend and coach.  He has taught me a lot.  The first thing Coach McCarty told me was, “Gage, you are the quarterback, you and me are going to spend a lot of time together in the next two years.  We are going to be best friends.”  He was right.  I will never forget him and what he has done for me.”

At what point, place or time following the Oak Forest loss did you think that you guys had turned the corner and could be on to something special? Was it a particular game that you saw a change or energy shift that indicated things were about to get rolling?

“We knew we had a special group when the season started.  We spent a lot of time together in the weight room.  You could tell by the work ethic of our coaches and team that we were going to go all out.  The thing is that we lost three of the four games by basically one play.  Oak Forest was definitely disappointing.  We had an off night, but we found our identity as a team.  We knew our coaches believed in us.  We did what they asked of us and it paid off in the end.  I could not ask for a better group of coaches and teammates.  Our coaches played the entire season for the championship.  We looked at the games we lost as learning experiences for them and us.  The lessons we learned in our losses are what carried us through the playoffs.”

What do you see yourself doing in ten years?

“Out of school with a job in the medical field.”

Who is the best athlete in your family?
"Ha, that’s going to get me in trouble.  My grandpa Larry, played football for Brookhaven High School when they won the State Championship in the 1950’s.  I’ve heard my grandpa Stark was a really good left-handed pitcher before he hurt his arm.  My mom played basketball at Wesson, my dad played football and basketball at BA and my brother, Garrett, played football at BA and at Co-Lin.  But, I’m going to say me because none of them played football, basketball and baseball all four years of high school. "

Lady Pats upset Oak Hill, Dailey gets win number 1,000

Southern Sports & Travel

The Marshall Lady Patriots put together a 12-5 late fourth quarter run to upset third ranked Oak Hill 53-51 on Saturday afternoon in West Point, Mississippi and in doing so gave Marshall head coach Craig Dailey his 1,000^th win.

Eilzabeth Skelton’s driving basket with 9 seconds remaining proved to be the game winner and the junior was brimming with excitement following the contest. “It made me excited to know that we won Coach Dailey’s 1,000^th game and we were equally excited about the opportunity to do that for him,” said Skelton. “We have bragging rights that the girls team won it for him.”

Dailey has been at the helm at Marshall since 2005 but his time spent at Delta Academy was one of the most successful in MAIS/MPSA history. Dailey won nine state championships in his twelve seasons as head coach of Delta’s basketball program, six girls titles and three boys.

The fiery head coach won his first two state championships in the same season. Both the boys and girls squads at Delta won the Class A State Championship in 1998-99.

Marshall’s back-to-back boys state championships the past two seasons gave Dailey his 10^th and 11^th state titles and the Patriots are the hands down favorites to win another championship this season.

Dailey’s 1,000^th win didn’t look like it would happen in the ladies matchup as third ranked Oak Hill threatened to pull away early in the second quarter.

After Marshall’s Blake Martin canned a 3-pointer from the wing to narrow Oak Hill’s lead to 11-9 to start the second quarter the Lady Raiders got hot.

(Above) Marshall's Elizabeth Skelton (#5) drives past Oak Hill's Anna Ready (#22)

Rachel Herndon’s offensive rebound and put back at the 4:31 mark capped an 11-3 run that pushed Oak Hill’s lead to 22-12 but Marshall started chipping away at the deficit.

Blake Martin nailed another 3-pointer and Elizabeth Skelton’s bucket in the paint pulled the Lady Patriots to within five points at 22-17 with 2:19 left in the half.

Following an Oak Hill free throw Marshall answered by converting on 3 of 4 free throws on their next two trips down the floor to trim the deficit to two points at 22-20.

Oak Hill would get an offensive rebound and put back from Sydney Holton to take a 24-20 lead into intermission.  

Oak Hill stretched their lead back to six points at 28-22 two minutes into the third quarter on consecutive baseline inbounds plays from Maegan Ellis and Lauren Billington but the Lady Raiders couldn’t shake Marshall.

Elizabeth Skelton drilled a 3-pointer from the wing and at the 4:04 mark of the quarter Blake Martin’s lay-in would knot the game at 29-29.

With the contest tied at 31-31 Oak Hill ran off six straight points to grab a 37-31 advantage with 1:35 to go in the quarter but an Elizabeth Skelton bucket inside of one minute kept Marshall within striking distance at 37-33 to close the quarter.

Oak Hill took a six point lead once more at 39-33 as Sarah Dill converted in the paint to start the fourth quarter but that would be the Lady Raider’s largest spread for the remainder of the contest.

Oak Hill's Sydney Holton (in white) gets pressure from Marshall's Katerria Moore (#10)

Marshall pulled to within three points at 46-43 on a Skelton driving basket with 3:33 remaining in regulation.

Oak Hill answered with a Maegan Ellis bucket to give the Lady Raiders a little breathing room at 48-43 but it wouldn’t last long.

Skelton drained a 3-pointer and while doing so an off the ball foul was accessed on Oak Hill. Blake Martin then hit two free throws to tie the game at 48-48 with 1:53 left and Marshall would take a 49-48 lead with 45 seconds remaining as Kara Novarese hit on one of two free throws.

With 27 seconds remaining a double foul was accessed and both teams headed to the charity stripe.

Elizabeth Skelton sank two free throws to give Marshall a three point cushion at 51-48 and on the Lady Raider end Bet Langley hit one of two to make the deficit 51-49.

Oak Hill would pull even at 51-51 on two Anna Ready free throws at the 20 seconds mark setting up Elizabeth Skelton’s  driving basket with 9 seconds remaining in regulation to give Marshall a 53-51 lead.

Skelton, who was fouled on the play, missed her free throw attempt but Oak Hill was unable to convert on their end in the waning seconds.

Blake Martin (#33 photo right) led tenth ranked Marshall (8-4) with a game high 19 points, Elizabeth Skelton added 18 (16 in the 2nd half), Kara Novarese 12 and Wesleyann Ray and Katerria Moore 2 each.

Oak Hill (8-2) was led by Maegan Ellis with 16 points.
Next up for Marshall is a District 1-AA opening home date with Carroll while Oak Hill hosts District 2-AA foe Immanuel Christian.

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Post Game with Marshall Head Coach Craig Dailey

Marshall hammers Oak Hill

Southern Sports & Travel

Top ranked and two time defending state champion Marshall ran out to a 19-4 first quarter lead and cruised to a 51-29 win over tenth ranked Oak Hill in West Point on Saturday evening.

Peyton Lewis had a game high 17 points and Dakota Dailey added 11 as Marshall improved to 6-0 on the season.

Lewis drilled a 3-pointer from the wing with 1:14 remaining in the opening quarter to give the Patriots an 18-2 lead and Marshall would take a 34-12 lead into intermission.

Marshall started the third quarter with a 10-3 run sparked by two 3-pointers from Peyton Lewis and one from Brad Bennett to push the lead to 44-15 at the 5:08 mark. The Patriots closed out the quarter with a 7-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 51-19.

(Above) Marshall's Devonte Smith works the paint in the first half

Peyton Lewis led all scorers with 17 points, Dakota Dailey added 11, Devonte Smith 8, Brad Bennett 6, Matt Rappa 4 and Randy Love 2.

JJ Bridges led Oak Hill (5-3) with 13 points.

Marshall will host Carroll next Tuesday in a District 1-AA opener while Oak Hill entertains Immanuel in the District 2-AA opener for both.