The third quarters made all the difference for North Pike and Port Gibson on Saturday.
The North Pike girls won 83-65 and the boys lost 67-57.
The Lady Jaguars scored the first three buckets in the third quarter to go up 11, thanks to some pressure defense.
Hali Sasser hit a 3-pointer on the first possession and two steals led to baskets for Brittany Patterson and Laiha Pevey. Port Gibson closed it to three but never closer as North Pike scored 25 points in the fourth quarter.
Freshman Kayla Hughes scored 21 for North Pike, and once she got the ball down low the passing lanes opened to get the rest of the Jaguars involved.
“With any type of zone if you can reverse the ball for open looks,” North Pike head coach Lance Golmon said.
Hughes found Pevey on the other block for 10 points and Patterson finished with 22 after scoring nine of North Pike’s first 12.
Shanika Turner scored 11 and Sasser scored eight, with Olivia Kennedy netting nine.
The boys played Port Gibson to a tie in the first quarter, thanks to a 3-pointer a few feet from halfcourt by LeMichael Quin at the buzzer, but Jeremick Jordan was able to score 24 points and grab 10 rebounds down low against Port Gibson’s 7-footer Jamarious Sykes.
“Jordan did a great job on the block and got the big guy in foul trouble,” North Pike head coach Keith Russ said. “He didn’t show any intimidation.”
North Pike trailed by five at half, but Port Gibson lengthened that to 15 midway through the third quarter.
Quin finished with 11 points and 13 boards in his return to the team.
