It’s been 14 years since Parklane coach Ricky Gray has coached both boys and girls basketball in the same night.
After this year, he hopes to keep it that way.
“It’s hard, I’m tired. I’m not going to lie to you,” he said. “…I used to do it all the time when I was young, but not anymore.”
Gray was youthful enough Friday night to lead both Parklane teams past Copiah Academy on Senior Night again in place of girls coach Jeremy Ervin, who has been on a leave of absence since Christmas when he game down with an illness.
In the boys game, Gray only honored one senior — Zach Smith — but it was his underclassmen who took over, providing the Pioneers a glimpse of hope for the future.
Sophomore Brady Lea poured in 20 points, six steals and four rebounds off the bench and sophomore Spencer Remley continued to be a threat from the outside, scoring 17 in Parklane’s 67-59 win.
“You have to have those type of kids coming off the bench,” Gray said of Lea’s performance. “You have to have subs that produce.”
Parklane led early by as many as 12 points in the first half but Copiah crawled back to take a 46-45 lead heading into the final frame.
A 3-point play by Lea and a 3-pointer by Remley gave Parklane a 54-47 lead early in the fourth.
The Pioneers never squandered that lead and Justin Brent nailed 6 of 8 free throws down the stretch to keep Copiah at bay.
“Justin did what he’s supposed to do as a point guard. He distributed the ball well and he also made those clutch free throws,” Gray said. “We were missing those before but now we are starting to get that part of our game together.”
Brent finished with nine points, as did Zach Stutzman. Tyler Stutzman was 0 for 7 from the field but connected on 7 of 8 free throws to finish with seven points.
Ty Quick led Copiah with 18 points and five rebounds. Bryce Berry added 15 points and nine boards.
Copiah actually shot the ball better than Parklane (40 percent to 38 percent), but the Pioneers did most of their damage from the charity stripe. Parklane connected on 21 of 28 free throws while Copiah was only 2 of 5.
Meanwhile, the Lady Pioneers knocked off Copiah, 65-46, on an emotional Senior Night. Senior Terryn Chandler, who has torn both ACLs this season, was honored at the start of the game when Copiah let her score the opening basket.
A teary-eyed Chandler was immediately removed from the game because of her knees and received a round of applause from the home crowd. Chandler will have surgery Feb. 14.
“It being Senior Night and losing Terryn, the first quarter, quarter and a half was real emotional,” Gray said. “I think our focus finally came out at the end.”
Parklane picked up the pace in the second half to take a 48-41 lead after three quarters. The Lady Pioneers then used a 14-0 run in the fourth to seal the win.
Senior Emily Alford led Parklane with 19 points and senior Maggie Paulk chipped in with 14 points.
Alford, Paulk, Charly Ott and Molly Adams, along with Chandler, were all honored after the game for their contributions to the school and surrounding community.
Ott and Adams both added eight points for the Lady Pioneers.
“They’ve been starting pretty much for three years,” Gray said of the seniors. “It’s going to be hard to lose them. We try to get a lot of young girls in there now so they can get experience in close games and not just blowout games. It’s going to be hard to fill those shoes.”
Natalie Edwards was one of the bench players who had a solid night, finishing with eight points. A total of 10 players got in the scoring column for Parklane.
“To win at this level with these type of teams, you can’t win with six players,” Gray said. “We are giving a lot of young girls minutes and at least trying to play 10 or 11.”
Copiah was led by a four-headed attack who accounted for 43 of 46 points. Carleigh Roberts led the team with 12 points. Taylor Wilson and Elizabeth Pyron both had 11 points. Sarah Clair Armstrong also contributed nine points.
Parklane returns to the court Tuesday when it hosts Hillcrest. Varsity girls and boys play at 6 and 7:30, respectively, with no junior varsity games.
