NP boys slam SP; SP girls edge NP in tournament

By Ike House
North Panola has had a busy schedule including participating in a tournament at South Panola for domestic abuse. There were eight other teams there including Independence Lady Wildcats, Holly Springs Hawks and Olive Branch Lady Conquistadores.
Their opponents were South Panola and they were lined up as the showcase games for the day.
SP Ladies 51, NP 47
In the first matchup the Lady Tigers and Lady Cougars had a close game that went down to the wire.
The final was 51-47 but in the first quarter the score told that the final would be much different.
The Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Cougars 19-8 in the quarter but the first 10 points came from them pushing the ball and getting fast points.
Kaniya Ford was not the high scorer with four points but she was the spark that led the run for the Lady Tigers.
She made defensive plays that kept them going and Chloe Morgan crashed the boards to make sure there were no second chance points for the Lady Cougars.
Without Kenya Edwards, the Lady Cougars were in desperate need for a spark from someone.
In the second quarter both teams scored 12 points a piece and the Lady Cougars closed the gap, with Jasmine Mays and QuiTonya Webster both coming off of the bench.
In the second half, both teams scored 16 points each. Leading the charge for the Lady Cougars were Webster with six and Mays with eight.
The Lady Tigers did not have any shortcomings either with Morgan leading the way with six points. The fourth quarter stanza would be the deciding factor with the Lady Tigers only scoring five points.
The Lady Cougars could not get the double digit points that they would need to overcome their first quarter deficit.
In the end the Lady Tigers would come out on top with a big win over their county rival.
Leading the Lady Tigers was Takyra Webster had 12 points. Other scorers were Morgan, 11; Chrystal Mayes, eight; Ford, seven; Gracie Holloway, five; Marshala Doyle, three and LaDayshia Robinson, two.
NP Boys 71, SP 47
The last game of the night was not as close as the one before as the Cougars took on the Tigers. The final was a double digit win for the Cougars, 71-47.
The first quarter score would indicate a very close game with the Tigers leading 18-15.
The three-point shooting kept the Tigers in control of the game. They knocked down three triples in the quarter plus six more points from lead player Kendricus Carlton.
But the play from Jamarcus Jones down low was a problem for the Tigers and he put seven points in the book.
At the end of the half the Tigers led by one by a score of 29-28. The Cougars would start to take control in the second half but mainly in the fourth.
The Cougars outscored the Tigers 31-5 in the final quarter. Things turned in the game when Kenneth Jefferson went the length of the court and completed a monstrous slam, changing the momentum of the game for the Cougars.
Jones and Mario Fenner would lead the way for the Cougars with 19 combined points.
The Cougars pulled out a 24 point win over the Tigers in their second meeting of the year.
Leading the way for the Cougars was Jones with 18 points. Other scorers were Fenner with 17; Jefferson had nine points; Zantavious Phillips had seven points; Ankerrion Gross had six; Sylvonta Oliver had five and Kevon Nunnley, Phillip Mangrum and Jaysean Smith all had three.
Leading the way for the Tigers was Deronte Thomas with 14 points. Other scorers were Carlton with 10 points; Shaquille Jackson had six points; Devonte Cathey and Terriance Jackson both had four; JaMicheal Ford and Keith Cole both had three and Nick Porter had two.