BAY ST. LOUIS – The Lawrence County boys and girls both claimed victories Monday in the opening day of the Bay High Holiday Classic.

Vicki Rutland’s Lady Cougars rolled over D’Iberville 53-23 in a contest that was never in doubt. The boys’ game was much tighter, but Pat Bridges’ Cougars were also winners, pulling out a 51-49 win over 5A power Wayne County.

The D’Iberville girls defeated Lawrence County twice in practice games last summer, but they were no match for the Lady Cougars on Monday. LCHS led 14-2 after one quarter, and 31-7 at the half. Every Lady Cougar player who made the trip saw action in the blowout.

Zipporah Baylis led Lawrence County with 14 points. Camryn Davis added 10 points, six rebounds, three steals, and three blocked shots. DeNeisha Dickson had 10 points, three assists and three steals. Haven Johnson contributed eight points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals.

The Lady Cougars improved to 9-4 with the win. D’Iberville was led by Casey Ferguson, who had 12 points. The Lady Warriors fell to 4-6 on the campaign.

Later in the day, in boys’ play, perennial 5A contender Wayne County jumped out to an early lead on Lawrence County. The War Eagles led by as many as 8 points in the second quarter, and held a 27-22 lead at the half.

In the second half, however, Lawrence County switched to a 3-2 zone defense, and stymied the Wayne County offense. The War Eagles, who made an incredible 20-of-26 two-point field goal attempts, converted just 4-of-26 three-pointers. Lawrence County, meanwhile, figured out Wayne County’s full-court press, resulting in numerous easy baskets for the Cougars.

Keyshawn Feazell, despite being benched by foul trouble for most of the night, led LCHS with 15 points and six rebounds. Gabriel Lewis added 14 points, and Vernell Garner had 11. Phillip Moore had eight points, four rebounds and five assists.

The Cougars improved to 8-4 with the win. Wayne County, ranked among the top 5A teams in the state in the early season, fell to 9-3 with the loss. The War Eagles were led by Rameik Wallace’s 20 points.

Both the Lady Cougars and Cougars are slated to play at Bay High again today. The Lady Cougars take on St. Martin, and the Cougars will play Gautier. Lawrence County will play at Brookhaven on Saturday.