Rebels move to 3-0 in district; Lady Mustangs win

Courtesy of The Greenwood Commonwealth
The Carroll Academy Rebels moved to 3-0 in District 2-AA play with a 42-37 victory over Oak Hill Tuesday night in Carrollton.
The Rebels improve to 14-1 overall and will continue league play Friday at Manchester in Yazoo City. Carroll led 33-27 at the half and 33-27 at the end of the third period. Breland Marett and Ken Daves led the way for CA with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Nick Mumme chipped in with 11.
The CA Lady Rebels lost 47-36 as Haley Liddell and Kacy Beavers scored eight points each. The Lady Rebels trailed 31-11 at the half.

The Pillow Academy Lady Mustangs defeated Washington School 44-41 Tuesday night in Greenville, while the Mustangs lost 51-49 to the Generals.
The PA girls improve to 10-6 overall. They led 27-17 at the half, but Washington tied it at 30 heading into the final period. Holly Ann Pannell led the Lady Mustangs with 18 points, 13 rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Dasha Tsema had nine points and nine boards, while Kaitlin McDaniel added eight points. Mary Langdon Gallagher had a team-high 14 rebounds and four points.
The Lady Mustangs face North Delta at 6:30 tonight in the first round of the Kirk Invitational in Grenada.

In the boys' game, PA led 25-21 at the half and trailed 36-34 going into the fourth period. Sam Shipley and Will Andrews had 14 points each to lead the Mustangs. Reed Cook added 10. The Mustangs (9-5) will face North Delta at 7:45 tonight in the first round of the Kirk Invitational in Grenada.

Saints turn back Prairie View

Courtesy of The Bastrop Daily Enterprise
Trinity Episcopal pulled away late for a 61-53 win over Prairie View on Tuesday night. It was tied 13-13 at the end of the opening quarter and 27-27 at halftime, before the Saints broke out to a 44-39 third quarter lead and outscored the visiting Spartans 17-14 in the final frame. “We played well enough to win except for the last two or three minutes of the ballgame,” said Prairie View coach Billy Pee. “We had too many turnovers late in the game. We missed nine free throws and got beat by eight points. “We’ve gotten better, but we can’t quite get over the hump in close ballgames. I thought Seth (Allen) had a good game handling the ball and I thought Connor (Smith) had a good game on the boards.”

Givonni Dent was Trinity’s offensive catalyst with 14 points and Jake Winston added 10. The Saints also received nine apiece from R.J. Fleming and Taylor Strahan and eight from Kent King.

Chase Anderson rattled home a game-high 22 points for the Spartans (12-6). Also contributing to the scoring were Dylan Tarver with eight, Robby Jones with seven, Gabe White and Smith with six and Allen with four.

Ogden rallies Trinity in fourth quarter
Courtesy of the Bastrop Daily Enterprise

Bethany Ogden scored eight of her nine points in the fourth quarter to rally Trinity Episcopal to a 41-36 decision over the Prairie View Lady Spartans on Tuesday night. Prairie View led 22-16 at halftime and carried a 31-28 advantage into the final quarter. Ogden drained a 3-pointer and made 5-of-7 free throws as the Lady Saints outscored Prairie View 13-5 in the fourth frame.

“We have to get better,” said Prairie View coach Dave Farrell. “We have to go back to work (Wednesday) and we have to go back to work in earnest.” Brandis White paced the Lady Saints (13-4) with 12 points and Madilyn Cross had 10. Prairie View (12-4) received 18 points from Caroline Oliphant, nine from Logan Tubbs, five from Jerri Ann Lord and four from Molly Gregory.

Prairie View will play at home Friday vs. River Oaks. Game time is 6:30 p.m.

Notes: Prairie View sophomore forward Victoria Billings missed the game with a turned ankle. ... Tuesday was a bad day all the way around at Prairie View. Bus trouble forced the players to travel in separate vehicles. Due to a problem with a drain at the school, Farrell was up until the wee hours of the night washing uniforms. Worst of all, Bucky Diel, a longtime supporter of the school, passed away Tuesday afternoon.

AAA Boys Action

MRA too much for Raiders

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

The top ranked MRA Patriots improved to 14-2 last night with a 50-35 road win at Jackson Academy. Justin Malone hit a turnaround jumper to start things off and teammates Craig Bell and Ryan Ellis nailed 3-pointers as the Patriots raced out to an early 8-0 lead over the home-standing Jackson Academy Raiders. Andrew Iupe hit a 3-pointer at the 2:58 mark of the first quarter to get the Raiders on the board and two Will Marley free throws closed the MRA lead to 8-5 with 2:21 left in the quarter. MRA closed the quarter with two baskets, the last a Craig Bell tip in at the horn to give MRA a 12-5 advantage.

(Above) Andrew Iupe (#3) of Jackson Academy shoots over Justin Malone (#34) of MRA
MRA pushed their lead to 17-7 at the 5:18 mark of the second quarter when Justin Malone muscled in a basket plus one, but the Raiders wouldn’t go away as they slowly began cutting into the Patriots lead. Clayton Dufrey’s eight foot turnaround jumper brought the Raiders to within seven at 22-15 with just under three minutes remaining in the half. Jackson Academy’s Keith Shumaker scored off a steal with seven seconds left as the Raiders finished the last 2:10 of the half with a 6-2 run to head into the locker room down 27-21 at the half.
After Jordan Stentiford of MRA hit an eight footer to start the half Jackson Academy pulled to within four points at 29-25 on two Clayton Dufrey free throws and Andrew Iupe’s drive to the basket, but the Raiders would get no closer as MRA put together a 9-2 run over the next five minutes to finish the quarter up 38-27. (Above) Caleb Miskelly (#13) of MRA checks Keith Shumaker of Jackson Academy
Jackson Academy could get no closer than seven points in the final quarter as MRA hit on 8/10 free throws down the stretch to seal the 50-35 win.
Justin Malone had a game high 14 points to lead MRA, Ryan Ellis and Jordan Stentiford each added 10, Jeffrey Rickels and Craig Bell had 5 each, Caleb Miskelly 4 and Robert Richardson had 2.
For Jackson Academy Clayton Dufrey had 12 points, Andrew Iupe added 9, Will Marley 8 and Keith Shumaker 6 points.
With the loss the #4 ranked Raiders slip to 8-8.
MRA will be participating in the Jackson Academy Invitational the remainder of the week.

MRA...12...15...11...12...50

JA......5....16....6....8....35

(Above) Justin Malone (#34) of MRA altered shots most of the night

(Above) Keith Shumaker (#32) defends Ryan Ellis (#21) of MRA

*Note* The girls game between Jackson Academy and MRA was postponed and re-scheduled.

(Photo at the top of page) Andrew Iupe of Jackson Academy (#3) defended by MRA's Caleb Miskelly (#13)

Canton girls fall to Simpson

The Canton Academy Lady Panthers resumed play after the holidays with a 46-31 district loss to the Simpson Academy Lady Cougars. Canton led 19-18 at half but could never get anything going in the second half offensively. In fact, the Lady Panthers were only able to get 10 shots off during the entire second half. Katie Pepper led Canton in scoring with 14 points and also pulled down 10 rebounds. Christa Smith with 16 was the only Simpson player in double figures.

CA....6...13...4...8...31
SCA..13...5...15.13..46

Canton falls to 0-4 in the conference and 6-10 overall. Their next game is Thursday at home against Veritas.

Simpson improves to 6-9 and 2-1 and will host Heidelberg Thursday.

CONGRATULATIONS TO NORTH DELTA GIRLS COACH PHIL DOUGLAS WHO WON HIS 6ooth GAME IN A 40-39 WIN OVER STARKVILLE ON DECEMBER 28th.

Young Patriots have matured

Southern Sports & Travel, By Darron Thomas

On Saturday February 20th one team will win its’ last game of the season and claim the AA state championship. The road to Indianola begins in earnest this week as teams delve into district battles to determine who advances through a four week post season that includes district, regional, state and overall tournaments. Assuredly the pressure will mount for many teams as February gets closer due to the new bracket format in which only the top three seeds will advance each week during post season. Those boring consolation games with little at stake are now elimination matchups. It only takes a quick glance at a few districts to realize that some solid teams will end their seasons early with the new format but the quality of basketball will be better for it.
In the latest Southern Sports & Travel rankings the top ten is split with half the teams coming from the south and the other half from the north, a considerable shift from last season. Only six will qualify for the state tournament and of those six its possible no one team will be a clear favorite to take home the hardware.
One team that could very well be in that mix are the Marshall Patriots out of district 1AA. The Patriots, under the direction of head coach Craig Dailey, finished 22-15 last season and are off to a 13-5 start and a #5 ranking.

Coach’s corner…….
This week: Marshall head coach Craig Dailey
*Last season's squad came only a few baskets of upsetting Bowling Green in the state tournament in Brookhaven. How many starters return from last season and how much depth do the guys have?
"Everyone returns from last year including Jake Omedeo & Caleb Byrd (seniors), Chase Ferrell (started as a freshmen last year), Jordan Brock, John Tomlinson, and Taylor Maurey (juniors) who all started last year. Jordan Wyke (sophomore) (a public school transfer from Alcorn Central) has fit into the starting lineup this season and a 9th grade post player, Matt Rappa, is playing up due to eligibility rules and has played quality minutes. We have had 7 players start on and off throughout the season so far. I am as deep as I have ever been, but that’s not saying a lot since most of my championships only played about 6 deep. We have another 9th grader off our undefeated junior high team that could possibly contribute down the stretch. My greatest challenge will be to get this group of individuals to combine into a cohesive unit. I'm not used to having this many options."
*Is there one particular player who is looked upon as the team leader?
"Our two seniors, Caleb Byrd and Jake Omedeo, have come a long way leadership wise. I feel that seniors will always be in a position to lead more than others regardless of their personality because they are the closest to that "final horn" as we call it. There’s something about a senior when it gets toward the end. These two have worked extremely hard trying to build this thing and they deserve a great finish."
*As the mid-point of the season approaches how would you assess your squad's play so far?
"Up and down especially on the defensive end. We must get back to what has made our program successful....We have got to guard first and figure out the rest later. St. Benedict, Briarcrest, two other AAA or public opponents Faulkner, Myrtle, Magnolia Heights and Hickory Flat all before we try to take the lead in the district vs West Memphis on January 11th should tell the tale for us. These opponents will force us to concentrate on the basics and there will be no room for error. St. Benedict spanked us at home and I scouted Briarcrest Tuesday and don't think any of the 5 that started for St. Benedict could start for Briarcrest. It'll be fun and the boys will learn to guard one way or another."
*What's your biggest pet peeve with regards to coaching or high school basketball in general?
"Our slogan for our program is "We Believe". It goes back to the death of my mom my senior year and the lessons that I learned from dealing with that and how it has impacted our program over the years. Every kid that has come through the "We Believe" program has heard the story and has in their own way bought into the belief in something greater than themselves. My girls last year definitely did. I couldn't have been any more proud of them if that had been us drilling that 3 with 20 seconds to play. My championship teams have all found their own piece of this on their run...this group of young men will have to as well. These lessons are what I try to teach the most."
*What is the biggest challenge in preparing kids for post season play?
"For us this year it will be travel. Indianola is in the North, but it is 3 hours away from us. We had to stay the night for our Jr. High district Championship games the last time they hosted. We then will have to travel to Leake for North which almost knocks 4 hours in the head and back to Indianola for State and 3 hours to Jackson for Overall. As I told my boosters, that'll be good problems to have and ain't nothing guaranteed. Two of Brookhaven’s titles wouldn't have happened with this 3 teams advancing format. We travel during the summer and the Brookhaven Christmas tournament most years so we get a lot of practice."
*Can you point to one game that has been the toughest loss while you've been at Marshall?
"T-Boy Lynch of Brookhaven going the length of the floor dagger and then losing to Delta the next day along with the other happenings that I've tried to wipe from my memory, but the losses make it so much sweeter when you win. Never forget sitting by the pool with Coach Deuce after we won our programs first two state titles in one day. We weren't talking about the wins we were talking about the "0-24 days" (My first boy’s team at Delta)."
* Biggest win?
"We set our heights pretty high so it probably hasn't happened yet, but the girls State run: Prairie View, Oak Forest are at the top."
*Overall has the teaching of fundamentals in high school basketball progressed or regressed?
"As a whole it has fell off. You see college and pros that can't hit a free throw, but I believe that the MAIS coaches have definitely held their own. Then again we have to and we have Dale Watts on our side so that counts for at least 20 normal coaches."
*If you could change one rule in high school basketball what would it be?
"I wouldn't. I think a big part of the life lessons we teach as coaches is to learn to play the game and adjust to the way the game is called. They better be able to adjust when they are earning a paycheck and feeding a baby."
*What will it take for Marshall to make a run at a state title in February at Indianola?
"A complete sell-out of self, an evolution into my best defensive team ever, and some luck."

The Dailey resume……
*Overall coaching record: 854-289
*Assistant to Mike Reans and Frank Miller at Delta Academy for one year.
*Spent one year at New Albany High School as girls coach.
*Coached both girls and boys at Delta for 12 years. Won nine state titles and overall runners-up three times.
*Dailey is in his 5th year at Marshall.

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