GCHS basketball sweeps Stone County in key region matchup
PROTECTED CONTENT
If you’re a current subscriber, log in below. If you would like to subscribe, please click the subscribe tab above.
Username and Password Help
Please enter your email and we will send your username and password to you.
GCHS freshman Braedon Spivery is shown taking the ball to the basket after making a steal against Stone County on Tuesday. Spivery had a big night for GCHS, leading his team with 12 points, five steals and two blocks, while also pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out three assists.
Photo by RUSSELL TURNER – Herald Editor
By RUSSELL TURNER – Herald Editor
The Greene County High School basketball program had a big night on Tuesday as the Wildcats and Lady Cats swept visiting Stone County in a key region matchup.
The wins were huge for both teams, but for different reasons. The Lady Cats were 1-1 going into Tuesday’s matchup, but were coming off a disappointing loss at Bay High last week in a game they led by five going into the final period and are still adjusting to playing without senior guard Reanna Moody, their leading scorer before suffering a season-ending injury before Christmas break. The GCHS boys on the other hand were 0-2 in region play after losses to Moss Point and Bay High and in desperate need of a win. Both got what they needed against the Tomcats.
With or without Moody, the Lady Cats’ game plan always starts with defense and GCHS was in true form against Stone with 20 steals. The stingy style of play allowed the Lady Cats to carry a 26-12 lead into halftime. They stretched the lead by two in the third quarter en route to a 43-27 win.
Senior leader Alisa Johnson set the tone with five steals, 10 points and two assists. Classmate Faith Walley had a big night, controlling the paint on both ends of the court. Walley made 4-of-6 shots from the floor and finished with eight points, and five rebounds.
Junior Shanya McLeod led GCHS scorers with 11 points and also had three rebounds, two assists and two steals. Freshman Rakhiya Moody had another strong all-around game, scoring seven, pulling down eight rebounds and recording four steals. Seniors Kennedy McCann and Chan Steele, along with freshman Zamiah Knight each finished with two points but stepped up big in other areas. McCann added four rebounds and two steals, while Steele had six rebounds, including five on the defensive end. Knight tied Johnson for the team lead with five steals as GCHS improved to 16-7 overall and 2-1 in region play.
On the boys’ side, GCHS looked dominant at times and held double-digit leads at multiple times throughout the game. Stone County proved pesky and continued to battle back and pulled to within five points late in the game. But, strong rebounding and the ability to make points off of turnovers prevailed as the Cats held on for a 56-48 win.
The Wildcats were relentless on the glass, pulling down 42 rebounds in the game. The Cats also combined for 16 steals in the contest, with freshman Braedon Spivery leading the way with five takeaways. He also led the team in scoring (12 points) and blocked shots (2), while grabbing seven rebounds and three assists.
Freshman Jase Mathews and senior Ryan James were the other Cats scoring in double figures. Mathews finished with 10 points, five rebounds and two assists, while James had 11 points and five rebounds. Seniors Kayden ‘KJ’ Miller and junior Brycen ‘BJ’ Johnson each scored eight points, combined for 18 rebounds and eight steals. Johnson led the team with 10 rebounds.
The win pushed GCHS to third in the region standings behind Pass Christian and Bay High.
The road doesn’t get any easier for GCHS as the month of January is filled with a tough region slate, beginning with a trip to Pass Christian this Friday. They will host Moss Point on Tuesday and travel back to the Coast next Friday to take on Bay High. The rest of the month will feature region matchups with Pass Christian (home) and Stone County (away), and non-region games versus Fruitdale and at George County.
