The McComb Tigers and the Lady Tigers escaped Sinclair Gymnasium with a pair of wins over their archrivals, the Brookhaven Panthers, Saturday night in non-divisional basketball action.

In the girls’ contest, the Lady Tigers knocked off the Lady Panthers to claim a 61-42 win.

In the boys’ game, the Tigers survived a late surge from Ole Brook in the fourth quarter to prevail 68-63.

Brookhaven resumes action Tuesday as they travel to Ridgeland to take on the Ridgeland Titans for three games. The junior varsity boys in tip off at 5 p.m., followed by a pair of varsity games.

McComb 61, Brookhaven 42 

Ole Brook and McComb fans gathered to witness two great games as the Lady Panthers and the Lady Tigers kicked off the action with a tough first quarter of action as McComb claimed a 14-9 advantage.

In the second quarter, the bout continued as the Lady Tigers managed to increase their lead with a 14-10 push to take a 28-19 lead into halftime.

In the second half, McComb continued to add to their lead with a 19-12 run in the third quarter and a 14-11 run in the fourth quarter to collect the win.

Kynitria Hill led the Lady Panthers with 14 points. Shoniece Smith contributed eight points. Chantel Quarles provided seven points. Asia Byrd scored five points.

McComb had three players to score in double figures as Destiny Smith lead the pace with 18 points. Mylisha Hammond chipped in with 13 points. Tykevianna Bullock scored 10 points.

McComb 68, Brookhaven 63 

The boys’ game provided a lot of excitement for their basketball fans as Sinclair Gymnasium was pack for this event.

In the opening quarter, both team fought in an epic defensive battle as McComb managed to claim the lead at 9-6.

In the second quarter, Brookhaven rallied back to outscore McComb 14-12, but trailed the Tigers 23-20 at halftime.

In the third period of action, the battle heated up as the Panthers put together a late run to take over the lead at 48-45 after a 28-22 run to end the quarter.

In the final quarter, the Tigers (20-1) managed to regain the momentum from the Panthers with a 23-15 run to steal away the victory from Ole Brook.

Brookhaven failed to make crucial free throws throughout the final quarter. The Panthers made 9 out of 18 free throws in the fourth quarter.

“This was a tough win for our guys,” McComb Coach Hilton Harold said. “Brookhaven has a very good team, but I am proud of my guys for fighting through this tough crowd to collect the win.”

Damarius Brooks direct the Panther (19-4) with 12 points and three assists. Lazorian McNulty and Shon Blackwell contributed 11 points apiece. Tavis Moore was the leader on the boards with 10 rebounds and scored nine points.

“The guys played a great game,” BHS Coach Preston Wilson said. “We just missed too many crucial free throw at the end that would made a difference. Overall, this was a exciting ball game for us and the fans.”

KaDarrion Mason pumped in a game high double-double of 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Tigers. Antonio Cowart chipped in 16 points. QuaDarius Pittman provided 11 points.