The South Pike Eagles basketball teams each led from start to finish in double-digit road wins Friday night over Amite County.
The South Pike Lady Eagles (5-0) continued to roll Friday thanks to a fast start en route to a 63-36 victory.
Head coach Hilton Harrell said the game gave him a chance to start planning for district play and beyond.
“We were able to get a look at our bench to see what we have,” he said. “We needed to be able to look at some kids to see who we can count on later in the season and last night was a good measuring stick.”
Harrell said his team’s full-court pressure forced Amite County to committ turnovers, leading to points for South Pike.
Senior NaKaylis Washington poured in 15 points to lead South Pike in scoring.
Tomia Mitchell and Destiney Gordon added 10 points each and Moriah Hurst scored 9 points.
South Pike 54, Amite County 32
The South Pike boys followed up the girls’ performance with a wire-to-wire win of their own in the last game of the night.
South Pike (3-2) used its speed and quickness against the the bigger Amite County squad.
“The guys are buying into how we like to play basketball,” Harrell said. “We’re getting better, but we have a long way to go.”
Harrell said his team showed improved ball movement Friday night making plays and sharing the ball.
Ja’Quarius Lewis led the team with 14 points with Demarcus Ellzey contributing 12 points off the bench.
Big man Jalon Andrew scored 8 points and blocked 9 shots, according to Harrell.
Harrell said his coaching staff will look at film and evaluate some of the little things the team didn’t do well and improve them, such as taking charges among other things.
He said it was also an opportunity to evaluate some of the younger players on the team, who typically don’t get a lot of minutes on the court.
“We’re preparing for district play,” Harrell said. “Every game will be a grind.”
South Pike will be on the road Tuesday against Forest Hill.
