Lady Tigers cruise past Lady Panthers

The Brookhaven Panthers celebrated Senior Night Wednesday with an 81-70 victory over Class 6A rival Jim Hill at Sinclair Gymnasium.

In girls’ action, the Lady Tigers overpowered the Lady Panthers to claim a 51-24 win.

Brookhaven 81, Jim Hill 70

Brookhaven’s high-powered offense was too much for Jim Hill in the first half as the Panthers cruised to a 45-32 lead.

In the second half, the Tigers turned the tables, outscoring Brookhaven 38-26. But it wasn’t enough to overcome Brookhaven’s lead and the Panthers held on for the win.

Brookhaven (20-2, 3-2) had five players to score in double figures as Garrick Smith led the charge with 18 points and six rebounds. Demarius Brooks chipped in 17 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. Shon Blackwell contributed 15 points, eight assists and three steals. Lazorian McNulty provided 14 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Darrian Wilson scored 10 points and had five rebounds. Darius Bryant had four points and three rebounds. Danarius Gray finished with three points, two steals and two assists.

Quindarius Gibson directed the Tigers with a game-high 24 points. John Knight III pumped in 20 points. Jon Washington provided 14 points.

Lady Tigers 51, Lady Panthers 24 

The Lady Tigers quickly pounced on the Lady Panthers in the first to claim a 13-6 lead. They continued to roll in the second to take a 24-13 lead into halftime.

The Lady Tigers outscored the Lady Panthers 27-11 in the final two quarters to collect the win.

“The girls played really well in the first quarter, but crucial mistakes hurt us throughout the rest of the game,” said BHS coach Preston Wilson. “Overall, I was very pleased with my girls’ effort. They fought hard until the very end.”

Cheyenne Motley was the top scorer for the Lady Panthers (2-20, 1-4) with six points. Asia Byrd provided four points. Arnancy Arnold scored three points. Taylor Carter, Mya Washington, Cynphoni Thompson, Alarria Townsend and Angel Washington contributed two points apiece. Miyah Miller had one point.

The Lady Tigers had a balanced scoring attack. Nakeisha Holcomb powered the Lady Tigers with 11 points. Ieisha Lacey and Olajuwon Olagbegi chipped in eight points apiece. De’Aisha Herring netted seven points. Chelsey Hicks scored six points.

Brookhaven held a special ceremony to honor basketball, cheerleader and ROTC seniors Wednesday night. Brookhaven will take the rest of the week off before returning to action Tuesday as the Panthers and the Lady Panthers travel to Jackson to face Wingfield. The varsity girls will tip off at 6, followed by the boys at 7:30 p.m.