SP basketball took command of Ray Brooks in tournament

By Brad Greer
It was the battle of the Tigers Thursday as both South Panola boys and girls basketball teams took on Ray Brooks in the final night of the Cleveland Winter Classic.
In the opening game, Chloe Morgan‘s 18 points led three South Panola players in double figures as the Lady Tigers won their fourth in a row with 57-42 victory.
South Panola, which led from start to finish, took a commanding 19-6 lead after one quarter of play before leading by  much as 20 points midway through the third period.
Temaye Williams held the hot hand in the first half by knocking down a trio of three pointers for 11 of her 13 points in the game. Sydney Morgan chipped in 12 points including nine in the first half.
South Panola (7-2) shot 13-of-27 from the floor in the first half while taking a 34-18 advantage at intermission. The Lady Tigers finished 25-of-53 (47 percent) overall in field goal percentage on the night.
Ray Brooks closed the margin to 42-31 in the early stages of the fourth quarter but could not get any closer as back-to-back baskets by Marshala Doyle and Kaniya Ford extended the Tiger lead to 46-31 at the 4:38 mark.
Doyle finished the game with six points while Breanna Bland added four. Sedria Joy and Ford contributed P
(Boys) 62 Ray Brooks-50
Ernest Sanford knocked down five three pointers and tallied 17 points while Montray Blackburn recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds as South Panola held off a late Ray Brooks rally to even their record at 2-2 on the season.
With Tiger leading scorer Kendricus Carlton being held to two points, Robert Hentz helped pick up the slack with 11 second half points including 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
After Ray Brooks took a 15-14 lead after one quarter of play, South Panola began heating up as Sanford connected on a long range bomb to give South Panola a 22-17 lead with 4:18 remaining in the half.
The Tigers took control in the second half after building on their 32-24 halftime lead by out-scoring Brooks 22-13 in the third period. Davonte Cathey  cleaned up a missed lay up as South Panola went on a 6-0 spurt to go up 38-24 before a left handed kiss off the glass by Ketrell Key gave South Panola a 45-28 cushion with 4:39 left to play in the third.
South Panola took a 54-37 lead into the final stanza before Ray Brooks pulled within ten twice but could not get any closer as Blackburn buried a big three from the left side with 2:15 remaining to seal the victroy.
Cathey and Matt Burchfield supplied four points for the Tigers while Terriance Jackson added a three pointer.
South Panola will be back in action Thursday as they host Lafayette County starting at 4 p.m with junior varsity girls play.