It was Eagles against Eagles when South Pike and Florence took on each other Friday night, with South Pike’s girls routing Florence 58-19 and the boys coming away with a 56-48 victory.
The South Pike Lady Eagles took a first-quarter lead and kept the advantage for the rest of the game to go 13-1 on the season.
Moriah Hurst had four rebounds and shot two 3-pointers.
NaKaylis Washington scored 12 points and had six rebounds.
Tomia Mitchell scored 14 points and had three assists. Alyssa Smith had nine rebounds.
South Pike head coach Hilton Harrell said key players such as Mitchell, Hurst and Washington executed a tough game plan by “moving the basketball from side to side, keeping the distance, shifting and getting the open areas so they can make shots.”
Harrell also said “the pressure” not only helped them win but also kept South Pike so far ahead during the course of the game.
“We created a lot of turnovers and got a lot of easy transition baskets,” he said.
South Pike 56, Florence 48
In the boys game, the first quarter ended with a score of 16-13, signaling the start of what would become a much closer contest.
The first half ended with Florence County holding 22-21 lead.
South Pike, however, fought hard to stay ahead during the third quarter, when the team’s intensity and excitement began to build not only for the players but for the spectators as well.
Demarcus Ellzey led South Pike with 15 points, most of which came from beyond the arc.
Ja’Quarius Lewis had 13 points and seven rebounds. Kemarcus Wells had 11 points, including two 3-pointers. Justin Edwards had 9 points and made eight free throws. Jalon Andrews had eight rebounds and six blocks.
Harrell said Andrews’ height was an important factor to blocking a lot of Florence’s shots.
Wells’ ability to knock down big shots and shoot 3-pointers was another key component for the team, Harrell said.
He also applauded Florence’s skill, which he said showed well in the close game.
“Florence is well coached,” he said. “They’ve got a good record themselves. Playing in the Jackson area with the record they have, I knew coming in here that they were going to be good. We’ve worked real hard on trying to stifle their best players and keep them out of the game.”
South Pike takes on Lawrence County Tuesday.
