By Angie Ledbetter

The South Panola ninth grade basketball team defeated Lake Cormorant in a very close game at home on Thursday night.

The Tigers started the game with Troy Collins shooting a three-pointer. The Tigers took a 12-0 lead but Lake Cormorant made a come back.

Lake Cormorant scored 12 points to tie the game before the Tigers could make a shot. Anthony Sawyer went to the free throw line and made four back-to-back shots to put the Tigers up 16-12.

Nickolas Johnson added a basket to put them up 18-12.

Lake Cormorant scored and Rondarius Taylor answered to make the score 20-14. Terrance Twilley went to the free throw line and made one shot and the Tigers took a 21-14 lead.

Lake Cormorant scored two and Twilley went to the free throw line again making one of the shots and the Tigers led 22-16. Jeremiah House stole the ball and the Tigers went to the free throw line making both baskets, to make the score 24-16. James Watson made one of his free throw shots giving the Tigers a 25-16 lead.

Lake Cormorant went on a 9-0 scoring spree, tying the game at 25 with 26 seconds left in the game. Twilley stole the ball from Lake Cormorant and Watson made the final basket giving the Tigers the victory 27-25.

Sawyer led the team with 9 points, followed by Twilley with 5. Other scorers include Johnson, 4; Collins, 3; Jake Rogers, Taylor and Watson, 2 each.

Head Coach Brent Roberts said, “We had a lot of unforced errors and mental mistakes to where we let them in the game. We quit playing defense and we weren’t rebounding the ball well. This is just our third game back from the holidays and as we continue to get a little bit better playing defense, we’ll be alright with a hand full of games left.”

The Tigers lost in the Chickasaw Conference Tournament at Olive Branch on Wednesday night by eight points to Southaven.

Roberts said, “I don’t think we should’ve lost by eight. That team wasn’t any better than us but again it was the same old mistakes. These guys haven’t played much basketball. This is the only third year that they have played organized basketball. Just getting them going, understanding the system, and just playing is what they need. They just haven’t done enough of that.”

The Tigers will play Center Hill on Thursday at home.  They beat Center Hill 31-27 at their place earlier in the season on November 10. 

“They’re a good team and it should be a good game.”