Tigers down Grenada in hoops action

By Brad Greer
The South Panola Lady Tigers found a knack of making things interesting after building a 17-point lead after three quarters against visiting Grenada Tuesday.
But spurned on from key baskets by Marshala Doyle and Chloe Morgan in the final minute, the Tigers fought off a late Charger rally to take a 53-50 victory that snapped a modest two-game losing streak.
South Panola (3-4) led 42-25 going into the final period but found themselves in a dogfight as Grenada went on a 21-7 run to pull within three points at 49-46 at the 2:17 mark
Morgan however would extinguish any plans of a Charger victory as the senior converted a layup on an assist from Doyle to give South Panola some breathing room at 51-46 with 52 seconds left to play. Following a Grenada turnover, Doyle converted the back end of two free throw opportunities for a 53-46 Tiger advantage.
Grenada closed the margin to 53-50 on a pair of Tania Young baskets but could not get any closer as South Panola played keep away in the final seconds to close out the victory.
Doyle led all scorers with 18 points as nine Lady Tigers got into the scoring column as Morgan chipped in with nine points.
Following a 9-9 deadlock after the opening stanza, South Panola raced out on a 9-0 spurt to take a 18-9 lead midway through the second quarter that was spurned on by Doyle’s nine points. The junior guard ended the half with a buzzer-beating three pointer to give the Tigers a 28-22 cushion.
South Panola widened their margin by out-scoring Grenada 14-3 in the third period. Temaye Williams capped off the quarter with a running jumper at the buzzer.
Chrystal Mayes followed with six points while Williams and Ladayshia Robinson accounted with four points each. Kaniya Ford and Sedria Joy supplied three points apiece. Gracie Holloway and Aziyah McGhee finished with two points each.
Dyanice Woodall paced Grenada with 16 points with Young adding 12. Both teams hit 41 percent from the floor. The Lady Tigers converted 8-of-18 shots from the free throw line while Grenada was 17-of-23 at the charity stripe.
SP (boys) 51, Grenada 37
Spurred on by a strong defensive effort, South Panola improved to 3-1 on the season.
Kendricus Carlton led the Tigers with 21 points while Shaquille Jackson provided 12, but it was the South Panola defense that stood out buy limiting Grenada to 16 second half points on four field goals.
South Panola jumped out to a 11-6 lead at the end of one quarter of play before Grenada regrouped and surged ahead 16-15 on a pair of Keyshawn Conley’s free throws.
That would be the visitors’ last lead as Ja’Michael Ford hit a three pointer from the top of the key to give South Panola a 18-16 advantage with 3:28 left in the first half.
The Tigers closed out the half with a flurry as Carlton hit a floater in the lane followed by consecutive trey’s by Jackson to give South Panola a 28-21 lead at intermission.
The Tigers extended its lead to double figures at 35-24 on a long range three-ball from Ford midway through the third quarter. From there on out it was all South Panola as they maintained their comfortable lead.
Deronte Thomas added eight points while Ford garnered six. Keith Cole and Terriance Jackson finished with two points each in the winning effort.
Grenada JV (girls) 15, SP 14
The Lady Tigers held Grenada to one point in the fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough as the Chargers squeezed out the win.
Khalena Hentz and Melissa Robinson led South Panola with four points each with KeAmber Jackson adding three. Keirsten Clark provided two while Teddera Patton registeredg a free throw.
Grenada (JV) boys 25, South Panola 14
South Panola took a slim 8-7 lead at halftime but went cold in the second half as Grenada surged ahead to record the victory.
Winston Winfield led South Panola with four points while Stanwon Porter added a three pointer in the third quarter. Issac Sturdivant, Eldridge Brooks and Christion Bobo each had two. Marques Pryor contributed with one point.
South Panola visited North Panola last night before traveling to Lafayette County Tuesday starting at 4 p.m.