Hernando holds off Lady Tiger comeback; Tigers hold on to commanding lead to win

By Brad Greer
The South Panola girls came up on the short end of the scoreboard at home against Hernando Thursday night but certainly made things exciting.
Trailing 32-18 late in the third quarter, the Lady Tigers mounted a huge rally only to fall 48-44 in the Region 2-6A for both schools.
Sparked by Marshala Doyle’s 12 second-half points, South Panola went on a 13-2 run early in the fourth quarter that cut Hernando’s lead to three, 34-31, with 6:03 left to play.
The sophomore guard then proceeded to hit a long range three-pointer to get South  Panola within one at 44-43 with 41 seconds remaining. That would be as close as the Lady Tigers would get as Hernando hit a layup at the buzzer for the final margin of victory.
Turnovers and foul trouble plagued  South Panola (7-5 overall, 0-1 district) as the Tigers turned the ball over 25 times on the night while two starters fouled out in the fourth period. Doyle missed a majority of the first half after picking up her third foul early in the second quarter.
Hernando closed the first half on a 9-0 spurt to grab a 24-13 advantage at intermission as South Panola went scoreless the last 4:40 of the second quarter. Kendria Merriweather paced the visitors with 13 points.
Doyle led all scorers with 14 points while Sydney Morgan and Breanna Bland followed with eight points each. Tracie Benson garnered five points with Sedria Joy and Breanna Johnson garnering four each. Kaniya Ford rounded out the scoring with one point.
SP (boys) 62, Hernando 47
South Panola overcame a slow first quarter to outscore the visitors 17-3 in the second period to gain a 28-16 lead at halftime before cruising to the victory.
Kendricus Carlton poured in 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor as the Tigers (4-2) built a commanding 40-18 advantage in the third quarter.
Hernando (3-6, 0-1) led 13-11 after one quarter of play before South Panola took the lead for good at 16-15 on Carlton’s two free throws with six minutes left in the second period.
Kentrell Key added a pair of baskets while Ernest Sanford and Robert Hentz knocked down a pair of free throws as the Tigers connected on 7-of-11 attempts from the charity stripe in the quarter and 18-of-24 for the game.
Montray Blackburn followed with 14 points while Key and Sanford contributed with seven and six points each. Shaquille Jackson and Hentz chipped in with four each. Terriance Jackson rounded out the scoring with two points.
SP (JV girls) 39, Hernando 27
Takyra Webster was a one woman show as the freshman scored 24 points to lead South Panola.  Ty’Quera Victom followed with five points and Jannaria Sanford added four. Ke’Amber Jackson, Kahlena Hentz and Aziyah McGhee finished with two points.
SP (JV boys) 50, Hernando 24
Deronte Thomas powered his way to 24 points in the Tigers‘ blowout win.
Stanwon Porter registered 10 points while Markevious Vaughn and Morris House added five points each. Issac Porter and Eldridge Brooks finished with one point each.
The Tiger teams played in the Ridgeland Shootout last night but the scores were not available at press time. The schools are on Christmas break and will return to action after the new year.