With the Lady Jaguars going for a championship and the boys team aiming for third place in the 5A Region 3 playoffs, North Pike’s basketball teams split their games on Friday in Ellisville.
Lady Jaguars lose heartbreaker to Florence
The Lady Jaguars (21-5) took down Provine and Natchez to qualify for the title bout against top-seeded Florence, and they took the Lady Eagles to the wire in an intense game before falling 32-30.
In an incredible back-and-forth, North Pike actually held Florence scoreless in the first quarter, going into the second with a 7-0 advantage.
But the Lady Eagles pitched a shutout of their own in that frame, claiming an 8-7 lead at halftime.
The Lady Jaguars trailed by four entering the final quarter of the game and found themselves down three with 3.9 seconds to go.
Head coach Ron Kessler called a timeout and drew up a play for sophomore Kadence Jordan to have a clean look at a 3-pointer, and she proceeded to nail the shot, sending the game to overtime.
After the two sides traded buckets at the free-throw line during the extra period, North Pike found itself trailing by two with nine seconds left.
Kessler drew up another play for a 3-pointer, this time to go for the win. But the shot rattled out as time expired.
“Super proud of the energy and effort my team played with, and how well they paid attention to the details of our preparation and during the late-game timeouts,” Kessler said.
Jaguars secure third place with win over Bulldogs
Facing Natchez after falling to top-seeded South Jones in the semifinals, the boys team (16-10) secured a 44-32 win over Natchez to earn third-place in the district.
With the game tied at 18 going into halftime, the Jaguar defense stepped up in the second half and really limited Natchez' star players.
"I tell the guys all the time that defense travels no matter where you are," head coach Terrell Anderson said. "The guys locked in and got it done."
Kamerion Miller sealed the win with a thunderous slam late in the game.
Senior guard Quinterious Thompson led the way with 17 points for the Jaguars, while fellow senior Cedric McGhee tacked on nine points and junior Kentravious Johnson added seven.
Up next, the Lady Jaguars will host Gautier in the first round of the MHSAA 5A state playoffs at 6 p.m. on Friday, while the boys team will travel to face Wayne County at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
