Lady Cats solid in return to hoops action, but GCHS boys outmanned
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From Staff Reports
Senior Serenity Blakely was one rebound shy of another double-double on Tuesday as the GCHS returned to action for the first time since mid-November and posted a 20-point win over visiting Pearl River Central.
SERENITY BLAKELY
GEN WALLEY
REANNA MOODY
The Lady Wildcats got off to a predictably slow start after the roughly 3-week layoff, but got rolling with 14 points in the second quarter to take an 18-9 lead into halftime. They continued to double-up their opponents in the second half, outscoring the Blue Devils 22-11 over the final two periods to earn the non-region win.
Blakely finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. She also led her team with six steals and four assists.
Sophomore Reanna Moody had nine points and also contributed two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Senior Gen Walley had seven points to round out the top scorers for GCHS.
The Pearl River boys got revenge for their schoolmates with a 63-42 win over the Wildcats in the nightcap. Junior Conner West had his best game to date with 25 points and 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to topple the talented Blue Devils.
“We were down big after 3 quarters andI challenged the guys to win the 4th and they responded,” Head Coach Brance Crane said. “We made some good plays on the offensive end, but ultimately we just didn’t have enough scoring and stops to beat a team like that.”
With the win, the Lady Cats improved to 5-0 on the year, but will take another break in action as they won’t hit the floor again until next Tuesday when they travel to Brooklyn to take on Forrest Co. AHS in their region opener. The GHCS boys will look to finally put all the pieces together on that road trip and get off to a hot start in region play, despite taking some lumps in first part of the season.
Greene County’s games against Stone County originally set for Friday are being rescheduled due to a coronavirus outbreak that has quarantined the Lady Tomcats. The games have been rescheduled to Thursday, Dec. 17, at home, beginning with the junior varsity boys’ game at 5 p.m.
GCHS Boys battle on despite limited roster
BROCK GREEN
J’SHON McGEE
The Lady Wildcats had a quarantine issue of their own and had not played since before Thanksgiving going into Tuesday’s matchup with PRC.
However, the Wildcat boys have played on despite a roster depleted due to illness and a couple of injuries. The Wildcats competed in the Richton Rotary Tournament last week, finishing 1-2 in the tournament, with a win over Richton and losses to West Jones and Perry Central. The Cats won their opener over Richton on Thursday by a 56-41 margin. Junior Conner West led the way with a double-double performance with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Brock Green and junior J’Shon McGee led the team with 12 points apiece, while freshman Keenan Franks followed with 11.
With only a couple of subs available off the bench, GCHS suffered a lopsided loss to the Mustangs on Saturday and a 14-point setback to the Bulldogs from New Augusta in the finale on Monday. Senior Mykal McLeod had his biggest outing of the year against West Jones, leading GCHS with nine points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Ryan James added seven points in the loss.
Against Perry Central, Franks and classmate Brycen Johnson led the way for GCHS. Franks led the team with nine points, while Johnson followed with eight. Both players pulled down six rebounds.
