from combined reports
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN — The Quitman girls basketball team jumped all over host Newton early Friday.
The Tigers, though, responded and rallied for an 82-81 win to close the regular season.
The Panthers led 22-14 after the first quarter and led by as many as 19 points in the opening half before Newton closed with 46-37 by the break. After the Tigers grabbed a 63-60 lead at the end of the third period, the teams traded shots throughout the final period.
Tineshia Evans paced Newton with 27 points, while Tramekia Walker added 17. Ashtin McNichols chipped in with 14 as the Tigers improved to 24-2.
Quitman, which fell to 15-6, was led by Elyssa McKenzie's game-high 31. Porsche Jones scored 12, Ashley Hearn contributed 11 and Relanda McFarland finished with 10 points.
Newton, which has a first-round bye, hosts the Region 5-2A tournament next week, while Quitman will play in the Region 5-4A tourney at Northeast Lauderdale.
— Jamie Wachter
Newton boys 61
Quitman 58
The Tigers overcame a slim halftime deficit to secure a regular season-ending win at home Friday.
Quitman led 23-22 at halftime before Newton grabbed a 41-39 lead through three quarters.
Cordarian Nichols paced the Tigers with a game-high 22 and Dwayne Bingham added 15. Corey Carlton chipped in with 11 as Newton improved to 17-9.
The Panthers, who fell to 14-6, received 13 points each from Phylandus and Phillip Powe. Marcus Heidelberg added 11 for Quitman.
Newton, which has a first-round bye, hosts the Region 5-2A tournament next week, while Quitman will head to Northeast Lauderdale for the Region 5-4A tournament.
— Jamie Wachter
Union girls 56
Pelahatchie 30
The Yellowjackets (14-10) held a huge 34-10 lead at the half and never looked back Friday.
Union's Iesha Taylor led the Yellowjackets with 14 points. Delaina Wilson finished the night with 11, while Keena Louis contributed 10 points.
Pelahatchie's leading scorer was Tanisha Bradford with 15 points.
Union will be back in action against Pisgah in Region 5-2A tournament play next week at Newton.
— Josh Taylor
Union boys 80
Pelahatchie 51
The Yellowjackets (9-12) held a 33-23 lead at the half and never trailed in the game.
Union was led on offense by Kenneth Harris with 23 points, Trace Wallace with 22 points, Shunadrick Landfair with 13 points and Forzetra Ealy with 11 points.
LaBrandon Hill led Pelahatchie with 21 points.
Union faces a rematch with Pelahatchie in next week's Region 5-2A tournament at Newton.
— Josh Taylor
Northeast Lauderdale 76
Kemper County boys 63
The Trojans used a lethal long-range attack to hand the host Wildcats a regular-season ending loss.
Northeast hit 10 3-pointers as it led throughout. The Trojans were up 21-11 after the first quarter and pushed that advantage to 36-22 at halftime.
Jamond Hill led the Trojans (19-6) with 23 points, while Johnny Jones added 22. Kemper was paced by Nicholas Giles' 13 points and Tomaun Rencher's 12.
The Trojans and Wildcats (22-4) resume play next week in region tournaments. Northeast hosts the Region 5-4A tourney, while Kemper County will head to Heidelberg for the Region 5-3A tournament.
— Jamie Wachter
Northeast Lauderdale 65
Kemper County girls 30
The Trojans shut down host Kemper County on Friday. Northeast led 14-9 after the first quarter and 29-14 at halftime. The Wildcats were also outscored 22-4 in the fourth quarter.
Northeast, which improved to 19-5, was led by Norianna Haynes' 28 points. Jacqueline Williams added 15. Kemper County received 12 points from Kundriay Spencer.
The Trojans and Wildcats (22-4) resume play next week in region tournaments. Northeast hosts the Region 5-4A tourney, while Kemper County will head to Heidelberg for the Region 5-3A tournament.
— Jamie Wachter
Choctaw Central girls 70
Southeast Lauderdale 53
The Warriors pulled away from host Southeast in the third quarter Friday, turning a 25-18 halftime lead into a 54-38 advantage.
Southeast, which fell to 6-16, was led by Rachel Adams' 20 points. The Tigers also received 10 points from Jordan Gentry.
Choctaw Central (18-7) was paced by Delanda Chickaway's game-high 21 and Deshayna Hickman's 18.
The Tigers and Warriors return to action in the Region 5-3A tournament at Heidelberg, which begins Tuesday.
— Jamie Wachter
Prentiss Christian girls 38
Heidelberg Academy 27
Prentiss Christian shut down HA's offense offense in the second quarter during the MAIS District 8-A tournament at Wayne Academy.
Cynthia Hilton led HA — which led 9-8 after the first quarter before being limited to just three in the second period — with nine points. Prentiss, which led 16-12 at the half upped its lead to 28-21 through three quarters.
Mary Morgan Dungan scored a game-high 22 to pace Prentiss.
— Jamie Wachter
Wayne Academy 38
Laurel Christian girls 24
The Jaguars blitzed Laurel Christian in the second half off the MAIS District 8-A tournament Friday at Wayne Academy.
Leading 17-14 at halftime, WA outscored Laurel Christian 15-6 in the third quarter. Katrina Lofton led the Jags with 13 points, while Kelli Durr added 10.
Lofton, Durr, Morgan Tynes and Kelsey Crawley were named to the All-Tournament team from Wayne. HA's Cynthia Hilton was also honored.
— Jamie Wachter
