By Brad Greer

In the game of basketball, there are days when teams cannot miss and there are other times where they cannot throw it into the ocean.The North Delta boys basketball  team can assess to that second fact.

The Green Wave hit only five field goals in the second half while going 15- of- 32 from the free throw line. Combine that with 22 turnovers and it spelled a 53-43 loss to Lake Cormorant in their first ever meeting Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, the North Delta Lady Green Wave salvaged a split between the two schools with a 49-28 victory.

With the score deadlocked 30-30 going into the final eight minutes of the contest, Paul Burks and Alfonso Pratt hit three consecutive baskets to put the Gators ahead 36-30 with 6:38 left to play. North Delta responded with a pair of free throws by Taylor Herron and Bryan Nickle to cut the lead to 36-34, but that would be as close as the home team would get on the day as Lake Cormorant’s Jordon Taylor took over the game.

    The sophomore guard scored 13 of his game-high 20 points including 8-of-15 from the charity stripe while scoring his team’s final 10 points of the game. His three-point play  gave the Gators a 41-34 lead. After both teams traded baskets, Jordon canned a jumper with 3:21 remaining for a 45-36 advantage. Corbin Baker nailed a three-pointer on the next possession down the floor to narrow the Gator margin to 45-39, but Jordon later iced the game in the final minute by hitting a pair of free throws to put the visitors ahead 50-43.

    North Delta took a 23-17 lead at halftime as led in scoring by Baker with 11 points followed by Herron’s 10. Nickle added eight points in the loss while Tres Brasell chipped in with six followed by Geri Lamm with four and Bateman Greenlee with three. Chris Reeves rounded out the scoring with one point.

Lake Cormorant, which was coming off a 73-22 thumping at the hands of South Panola Thursday night, was 22-of-57 from the floor for 38 percent while North Delta hit on 30 percent on 13-of- 43 shooting.

   In the girls matchup, Laci Dubravac recorded a triple-double in leading the Lady Green Wave to an easy victory while pushing their record to 15-8 on the season. Dubravac scored 13 points, had 13 tips and and 10 steals as North Delta built up a 19-10 halftime lead.

   Lake Cormorant closed the margin to 22-19 to start the second half by going on a 9-3 run, but North Delta responded with a 11-0 run of their own to reestablish control of the game. Samantha Massoth’s layup with 1:21 left push the lead to 27-19. Jordon Pointer then followed up a Massoth miss on the next trip down the court to give the home team a double-digit lead at 29-19.

   North Delta outscored the Gators 15-6 in the final stanza as Dubravec added a three-point play and swished a trey from the right corner to make the score 40-24 at the 4:10 mark. The Green Wave then scored the next seven points to put the game away.

   Hannah Waldrip followed Dubravac with 10 points and seven steals while Linsey Herbert and Sara Waldrip each had eight points. Herbert also dished over six assists and six rebounds from her point guard spot. Pointer contributed with six points and four steals while Massoth and Bradi Beard added two each. Despite playing without starting guard Lauren Kimsey, North Delta recorded 33 steals and forced 33 turnovers in the game.

   Kimsey sustained an ankle injury in the second quarter of Friday night’s 48-25 district loss to Marvell.

     North Delta hosted Tunica last night in district matchup. The Green Wave Junior High and Varsity squads will hit the road Friday at Delta starting at 3 p.m with seventh-grade action. The varsity team will visit Lake Cormorant Saturday at 2 p.m then returns home Monday against West Memphis, (Ark.) starting at 3:30 with a pair of junior high games.