The South Pike Lady Eagles and head coach Marcus Flippin wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to happen again.
Flippin and the Lady Eagles were still seething after they watched a 10-point fourth-quarter lead disappear in a 45-43 loss to Franklin County four days earlier.
“We just stopped being aggressive and settled for outside shots,” Flippin said.
The Lady Eagles ensured that wouldn’t happen as they scored 25 fourth-quarter points and whipped the Amite County Lady Trojans 68-41 Tuesday night at South Pike’s Willie Earl Jones Coliseum.
South Pike (3-4) already led 43-30 heading into the fourth quarter, but continued its relentless assault on the basket.
The attack was led by guard Tomika Cook, who was fouled on a baseline drive. Her two subsequent free throws grew South Pike’s lead to 47-30. On the Lady Eagles’ next possession, Cook muscled past two defenders for a short jumper in the paint to make it 49-30 with 7:09 to play.
South Pike’s lead passed the 20-point mark after an Amite County turnover, when LaDestine Gordon sank a baseline jumper to push the margin to 57-36.
The Lady Trojans, meanwhile failed to convert on five of their next six possessions that included a pair of turnovers. Amite County’s only basket in that time came on Shanarrya Martin’s running layup through the lane to make it 61-41.
But South Pike answered with the game’s final seven points, including a three-pointer from shooting guard Akayla Powell that made it 64-41.
“We basically came out flat,” Amite County head coach Shaune Handy said. “We didn’t play our style of ball on defense or offense. We were dead at both ends.”
Guard Raven Ashley got the Lady Eagles a fast start. She dropped in a jumper from the left wing as she was fouled, then capped the three-point play with the free throw to open South Pike’s lead to 14-4. Ashley finished with a game-high 25 points.
Tydesheaia Pool led Amite County with 16 points.
