Lady Tigers smother Lake Cormorant while Tigers fall hard

By Brad Greer
The South Panola basketball teams traveled to Lake Cormorant Thursday and came away with drastically  different results by splitting the varsity contests.
SP (girls) 56, Lake
Cormorant 36
The Lady Tigers improved their record to 2-0 as they eased past the homestanding Lady Gators.
Sophomore guard Marshala Doyle poured in a game-high 17 points for the Lady Tigers who raced out to a 16-4 first quarter lead and were never seriously threatened from there on out.
After a slow start that saw one field goal being scored in the first three minutes, South Panola got rolling offensivly as baskets by Doyle and Sydney Morgan gave the Tigers a 8-0 advantage that prompted a Lake Cormorant time out.
Temaya Williams ended the first quarter by connecting on back-to-back three pointers as time wound down.
Lake Cormorant got back into the contest as the second quarter got underway with a 7-0 run that dwindled South Panola’s lead to 16-11 before Doyle’s steal and layup broke the streak.
With less than two minutes remaining in the half, Williams got hot yet again from behind the arch by draining a pair of three pointers to give the Tigers a 29-15 cushion at intermission.Williams finished the night with 12 points.
South Panola kept the pressure on as the third quarter got under way by maintaining its double digit lead thoughout the second half.
Kaniya Ford and Doyle scored four points apiece in the third stanza as the Tigers hada 42-28 cushion in the final period.
South Panola shot 21-of-61 from the floor and 7-of-14 at the free throw line while forcing 27 Gator turnovers.
Ford followed Doyle and Williams in the scoring column with seven points while Chloe Morgan added six.
Christy Hubbard chipped in with four markers. Takrya Webster tacked on three points with Breanna Bland and Sydney Morgan closedout scoring with two points each.
Lake Cormorant (boys)-76
South Panola- 46
In a game that was never in doubt, the Gators spoiled South Panola’s opening game of the season as Montez Allen led all scorers with 25 points.
Kendricus Carlton paced South Panola with 17 points. Jaylen Heffner supplied eight while Kentrell Key hit six points on two three pointers.
Terriance Jackson followed with five second-half points. Nicholas Porter and Ernest Sanford chipped in with three points. Shaquelle Jackson contributed with two points. Matt Burchfield and Markevious Vaughn had one point each.
Lake Cor. (JV boys)-44
South Panola-34
Lake Cormorant held off a late second half charge by the Tigers to pick up the victory in the Junior Varsity game.
The Gators led 32-18 at halftime before South Panola cut the lead to 35-29  late in the third quarter. That however would be as close as the Tigers would get Lake Cormorant pulled away in the fourth period.
Deronte Thomas and Keith Cole had eight points each for the Tigers. Jerry Hubrins added five points with JaMichael Ford and Thaddeus Kirkwood registering three each.
Stanwon Porter and Ben Rowsey each finished with two points.
South Panola tips off its home season by hosting Cleveland today beginning at 4 p.m. with Junior Varsity girls action.