MCCOMB – The Brookhaven Panthers suffered two disappointing setbacks to the McComb Tigers in front of a pack house Tuesday night in Day 2 of the Holiday Tournament at McComb Gymnasium.

In the girls contest, the McComb Lady Tigers defeated the Lady Panthers 47-28.

In the boys’ game, the undefeated Tigers (12-0) survived a thrilling offensive battle against the Panthers to claim a 90-65 victory.

In other tournament action, the South Pike Lady Eagles soared past Wilkinson County 73-26. The Wilkinson County Wildcats feast on the Eagles 67-61 in the early games.

In the late afternoon games, the Amite County Trojans and Lady Trojans swept the North Pike Jaguars. The Lady Trojans crushed the Lady Jags 65-49. In the boys contest, the Trojans knocked off the Jags 49-45.

Brookhaven returned to McComb, Wednesday, for more tournament action as they took on the North Pike Jaguars. The girls began action 3 p.m., followed by the boys in the final day of McComb’s Holiday Tournament. Check Friday’s edition of The DAILY LEADER for coverage.

McComb 47, Brookhaven 28 

The Lady Panthers (0-14) are still searching for their first win of the season as took on the McComb Tigers in their first day back, from the holidays, on the hardwood.

In the opening quarter of action, both teams fought back and forth in a low scoring battle as McComb commanded a 10-8 advantage.

In the second quarter, the Lady Tigers (5-3) managed to extend their lead over Brookhaven with an 11-7 run to carry a 21-15 lead into halftime.

In the three quarter, McComb managed to find the offensive rhythm and overpowered the young Panthers with an 18-4 run to take a commanding 39-19 lead into final frame of action.

In the last quarter of play, the Lady Panthers outscored the Lady Tigers 9-8 but could not overcome McComb’s large lead.

“My girls played really well,” said McComb coach Angelia Johnson. “I was very pleased with their efforts. We managed to control the tempo of the game and cut down on our turnovers. This was a good win for us as we try to get ready for district next week.”

Mylisha Hammond powered the Lady Tigers offense with 14 points. Kevanique Butler contributed seven points.

Shoniece Smith was the top scorer for the Lady Panthers with eight points. Chantel Quarles provided five points.

 McComb 90, Brookhaven 65 

In the boys contest, Brookhaven and McComb fans showed a lot of interest in this rivalry as the gym was packed to the point that people were being turned away at the ticket booth for being over crowded.

The Panthers and Tigers did not disappoint their basketball fans as they opened the first quarter of action with plenty of offensive excitement. At the end of the first quarter, McComb had a 23-16 lead.

In the second quarter, the Tigers managed to take advantage of Brookhaven’s cold shooting spell to increase their lead with a 21-11 push to take a 44-27 lead into halftime.

In the second half, McComb outscored the Panthers 26-17 in the third quarter to take a commanding 70-44 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter of action, the Panthers managed to find their rhythm as they outscored the Tigers 21-20 but could not overcome McComb’s big lead.

“The guys came out and played hard,” said McComb coach Hilton Harrell. “Brookhaven has a good up tempo team. We knew that we had to take control of the tempo early by working the ball around to slow down Brookhaven offense.”

Antonio Cowart powered the Tigers with a game-high 32 points and seven rebounds. Kadarron Mason contributed 17 points and gathered eight rebounds. Tredarrius Lee added 10 points. Emmanuel Thompson was the leader on the boards for the Tigers with 11 rebounds.

Danarius Gray was the offensive leader for Brookhaven (11-2) with 17 points. Damarius Brooks chipped in with 10 points. Darrian Wilson provided eight points. Tavis Moore powered the boards for Ole Brook with four rebounds. Shon Blackwell added seven points, five steals and four assists.

“Defensively, we played poorly,” said BHS coach Preston Wilson. “We did not defend McComb’s shooters and them too many second chance opportunities. Offensively, we did not shoot very well. We got behind early and could not fight our way back into contest.”

South Pike 73, Wilkinson Co. 26 

Myneka Frazier paced the Lady Eagles with 17 points. Katie Hull directed the Lady Wildcats with 10 points.

Wilkinson Co. 67, South Pike 61

Treveon Jones scorched the nets for Wilkinson County with 29 points. Chris Lewis carried the Eagles with 18 points .

Amite County 65, North Pike 49 

Destiny Williams paced the Lady Trojans with 29 points. Rickera Martin was the top scorer for the Lady Jags with 12 points.

Amite County 49, North Pike 45 

Javion Jackson powered the Jaguars’ offense with 13 points. Darrian Robinson directed the Trojans with 13 points.