BOGUE CHITTO – In a classic Tuesday night mismatch, the Class 5A Brookhaven Panthers and Lady Panthers overpowered Class 1A Bogue Chitto in outdated R.L. “Bob” Calhoun Gymnasium. The Lady Panthers roared to a 69-57 win and the Panthers romped 62-28.

     Brookhaven hosts Hazlehurst Friday night for a varsity doubleheader. Bogue Chitto entertains Vicksburg St. Aloysius for its first Region 7-1A test of the season.

     The Lady Panthers (8-5) dethroned the queens of Lincoln County with depth and full-court pressure. The Lady Cats (12-2) were fresh from dominating last week’s Lincoln County Round-Robin Tournament at Loyd Star.

     “I was proud of our effort in the first quarter,” said Bogue Chitto Christi Terrell. “Then we made about a gazillion turnovers. Brookhaven has a lot of  height and that gave us trouble.”

     The Lady Panthers expanded a 19-16, first-quarter lead to 44-25 at halftime. Their aggressive defense caused numerous turnovers.

     Directing the rout was center Archea Brotherns with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Playmaker Christen Benson had 11 points and 4 assists. Kynetra Hill added 11 points and Jessica Wilson grabbed 7 rebounds.

     “We played together and we caused a lot of turnovers,” said BHS coach Freda Craft. “We won every quarter.”

     Craft’s talented team carried a 59-35 lead into the final frame.

     Bogue Chitto, a state tournament semifinalist last season, got a game-high 20 points from senior guard Adrienne Wallace. Christian Black chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds.

     The Panthers (8-5) raced to a 30-1, first-quarter lead. Blown out bulbs on both scoreboards caused some difficult in reading the score but the game wasn’t close. After the first frame, BC coach Gareth Sartin ordered the scoreboard operator to run the clock continuously, speeding up the conclusion of the game by several minutes.

     Sartin, who coached the BC football team to a 13-1 record and the South State finals, was pressed into coaching the basketball team when Theodore “Bo” Black elected not to coach boys basketball after coming out of retirement last summer.

     A new gymnasium, located in front of the old one, is under construction. It’s steel frame towers over the 60-year-old facility.

     “We shot the ball well but we still have a lot of work to do,” said BHS boys coach Preston Wilson. He watched his team sack 8 treys, including 3 by reserve guard Randy Wilson.

     Fred Trevillion played long enough to score 15 points for the Panthers. Khalil Newton chipped in 10 points. Senior center Ryan Thibodeaux collected 8 rebounds.

     The Panthers sprang to a 13-0 lead before Damien Terrell hit a free throw for BC’s first point with 3:28 showing. A jumper by Dennis Rogers from the left wing gave BC its first field goal at the 5:51 mark of the first half.

     The Bobcats got 11 points from senior Germie Martin, an all-state wide receiver who has been selected to play in the Bernard Blackwell All-Star Football Game, set for Dec. 22, at Gulfport.