SP teams split with Hernando as boys win and girls fall

By Brad Greer
With two games left in the regular season, both South Panola girls and boys basketball squads were looking to gain some momentum leading into the district tournament in two weeks by traveling to Hernando Tuesday.
Both teams came away with mixed results as the Lady Tigers remained winless in district play after a 55-47 loss while the South Panola boys slipped past the host Tigers 63-58 thus earning a season sweep.
The contest also marked the final time the two schools will meet  on the court in the regular season as district foes due to Hernando moving into Region 1-6A in the fall.
In the girls matchup, the Lady Tigers saw a 41-35 lead evaporate as Hernando scored eight unanswered points to start the fourth quarter.
South Panola (8-12; 0-5) pulled within three at 46-43 at the 4:04 mark but could not get any closer as Hernando connected on five straight free throws down the stretch to preserve the victory.
Sydney Morgan paced South Panola with 10 points while Breanna Bland chipped in with eight. Hernando’s Alyssa Greer led all scorers with 15 points.
South Panola came out of the gate smoking hot by scoring the first seven points of the game before Hernando rebounded with a 9-0 run. The Lady Tigers responded with a 11-3 spurt to close out the quarter that was keyed by three pointers from Morgan and Bland.
The Lady Tigers maintained their lead throughout the second quarter as Bland knocked down her second trey of the half to give the visitors a 22-14 advantage. Zeri Dunlap helped Hernando close the margin to 24-20 at halftime with a trey from the corner in the final seconds.
Marshala Doyle added six points for South Panola while Jannaria Sanford and Tracie Benson added five each. Gracie Holloway and Sedria Joy finished with four points apiece.
Hernando finished the night 21-of-39 from the free throw line while South Panola connected on 11-of-20 shots from the stripe.
The Lady Tiger Junior Varsity team got the four-game set underway with a 26-13 win as Aziyah McGhee led the way with six points. Ke’Amber Jackson, Teddera Patton and Ladayshia Robinson added four points each. Ty’Quera Victom, Takyra Webster and Sanford supplied two each.
The final game of the night saw the South Panola boys complete the season sweep of Hernando behind 27 points from Montrey Blackburn.
South Panola drained nine three pointers on the night that included six by Blackburn and three from Ernest Sanford. The Tigers also helped themselves at the free throw line by knocking down 14-of-23 shots.
Just as their varsity counterparts, the Tigers came out of the dressing room on fire by draining five-of-ten shots from behind the arch while leading 19-12 after one quarter of play.
South Panola kept their three possession lead for most of the second quarter before Hernando rallied to close the gap to 27-26 in the final minute, but Terriance Jackson ended the stanza with a monstrous  jam to end the half.
The game see-sawed back and forth in the second half  as Hernando knotted the score at 40-40 to begin the fourth period.
South Panola retook the lead at 46-41 on a pair of Blackburn’s two treys but yet again Hernando would not go away as Kelvin Cartwright swished a jumper with to close the margin to 51-49 with 2:28 remaining.
The Tigers pulled away in the final two minutes as Sanford was fouled on a three point attempt and connected on all three shots to extend the margin to 54-49.
Kendricus Carlton garnered 15 points for South Panola (8-6; 2-3) while Robert Hentz added five.
Hernando came away with a 30-27 win in the Junior Varsity boys contest. Keith Cole led South Panola with 10 points followed by Morris House with eight. Deronte Thomas registered seven while Thaddeus Kirkwood and Matt Burchfield added one point.
South Panola closes out district play tonight at Columbus beginning at 6 p.m before ending the regular season at Senatobia Tuesday with four games starting at 4 p.m.