MCCOMB – The Brookhaven Panthers and the North Pike Lady Jaguars were victorious Friday afternoon basketball action at the McComb Holiday Tournament.

In the girls’ game, the Lady Jaguars managed to take advantage of the Lady Panthers’ holiday rust to thump Ole Brook 48-35.

In boys’ action, the Panthers overcame their sluggish start to surpass North Pike 73-68.

Brookhaven returns to action Friday as they prepare to visit Monticello to tangle with the Lawrence County Cougars and Lady Cougars in a makeup doubleheader. The girls will tip off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys.

North Pike 48, Brookhaven 35 

The Lady Panthers (7-6) came out strong in the first quarter to claim a 16-9 lead over the Lady Jaguars, before going ice cold through the remainder of the contest.

In the second and third quarters, the Lady Jaguars (8-4) took charge and overpowered Brookhaven with a 36-9 run to secure a 35-25 lead after three quarters of action.

In the fourth quarter, the Lady Panthers tried to rekindle that opening-quarter spark to rally back and skin North Pike like they done earlier in the year, but the Lady Jaguars were prepared and defended against the comeback to capture the victory.

Senior guard Tatyanna Turner pumped in a game-high 16 points to lead the Lady Jaguars. Junior forward Rickera Martin chipped in with 10 points.

“We played really well after the first quarter,” said North Pike coach Lance Golmon. “The girls managed to put together a good run in the second quarter and continue it in the second half. Overall, we are steadily improving as a team, but we have got to do a better job on blocking out and rebounding.”

Junior guard Jessica Wilson was the offensive leader for the Lady Panthers with a team-high double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Fredericka Fairman paced Brookhaven with 14 rebounds..

“Apparently, the girls are still in the holiday season mode,” said BHS coach Freda Craft. “We came out and got off to a good start, and through the rest of the contest it was like we just forgot how to the play. Overall, we just did not come ready to play, and North Pike did.”

Brookhaven 73, North Pike 68 

The Panthers and Jaguars provided plenty of offensive excitement for their fans throughout the contest, but before the game even got started, North Pike cashed in on early 2-0 lead prior to the tipoff from a technical foul during Ole Brook’s warmup drills.

During the opening quarter, Brookhaven struggled to overcome their holiday rust as the Jaguars secured an 18-15 lead.

In the second quarter, the Panthers managed to spark their offensive game plan and battled back to claim a 35-29 halftime lead.

In the third quarter, Ole Brook continued to roll and increased their lead to 54-43, before North Pike rallied back and outscored the Panthers 25-19, but could not overcome the point spread as Brookhaven held on for the win.

Junior guard Shaquan Richardson and sophomore guard Lazorian McNulty were the offensive leaders for Brookhaven with 16 points apiece. Damarius Brooks contributed 10 points. Tavis Moore led the Panthers (11-3) on the boards with six rebounds and had six points.

“We got off to an slow start, but managed to overcome the struggle to take the lead at halftime,” said BHS coach Preston Wilson. “In the second half, we played a lot better offensively, but defensively we could not put North Pike away. Overall, we played well but we still have a lot of things to work on to get better.”

The Jaguars (8-4) had four players to score in double figures, as Dehendrick Wells led the charge with 19 points. Javion Jackson chipped in with 13 points. Justin Griffin added 12 points, and Jalen Jackson had 11 points.

“The guys played hard until the very end,” said North Pike coach Keith Russ. “We came up just short at the end by not making crucial free throws down the stretch when we needed them. Overall, I was pleased with the effort and we will continue to work hard to get better.”