Center Hill hoops sweep Hernando
OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. — The Center Hill Mustangs relied on second-half resilience and defensive adjustments to sweep the Hernando Tigers in a high school basketball doubleheader Tuesday night.
The Center Hill boys rallied from a halftime deficit to defeat Hernando 50-45, securing their second consecutive victory. In the girls’ contest, the Lady Mustangs clamped down defensively in the fourth quarter to edge the Lady Tigers 39-36.
Boys: Center Hill 50, Hernando 45
Clutch free-throw shooting in the final quarter proved to be the difference for the Mustangs (2-7), who erased a nine-point halftime deficit to overtake the Tigers.
Center Hill converted 11 of 13 attempts from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter, a statistic head coach Julius Cosby cited as the deciding factor.
“That was very important,” Cosby said. “The last time we lost to them, I think we shot 6-of-17 on free throws, and it was miserable. We’ve been working on it and getting better every game. In the fourth quarter, that’s when they count. It’s winning time.”
The game began in Hernando’s favor, with the Tigers using a late 5-0 run in the first quarter to take a 10-7 lead. Hernando, coming off a narrow 62-61 win over Lake Cormorant Monday, extended that advantage in the second quarter, leading 28-19 at the break.
The momentum shifted in the third quarter as Center Hill narrowed the gap, trailing just 35-33 entering the final period. After a scoreless opening four minutes in the fourth, the Mustangs tied the game at 35-35. With 1:12 remaining, Center Hill held a slim 42-40 advantage before sealing the game at the charity stripe.
K.J. Irby led Center Hill with 12 points. Cosby praised the undersized guard’s work ethic and impact on the floor.
“He’s been special for us,” Cosby said of Irby. “He comes to work every day. He’s going to give me everything he’s got. He’s undersized for what he is doing, and he is doing a great job.”
Kaleb Price scored a game-high 13 points for Hernando.
Girls: Center Hill 39, Hernando 36
In the opening game, the Center Hill Lady Mustangs overcame roster setbacks and a halftime deficit to secure a 39-36 victory.
Defense dictated the second half, with Center Hill outscoring Hernando 17-9 after the break. The defensive effort was particularly stifling in the fourth quarter, where the Lady Mustangs held Hernando to just four points.
“We had some setbacks throughout the day today trying to put some pieces together,” said Center Hill head coach Traci Hoggatt. “They have some ‘stick-to-itiveness,’ as my high school coach used to say. We were able to work through some speed bumps.”
Hernando led 27-22 at halftime and maintained a 32-30 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. However, the Lady Mustangs rallied, relying on bench players to fill gaps in the rotation.
Yazlyn Buffington led Center Hill with 16 points.
“She is a great kid,” Hoggatt said of Buffington. “As good of a basketball player as she is, she’s a great person, too. Absolutely talented.”
Gemma Walker led Hernando with 14 points.
SCOREBOARD
Monday, Dec. 1
Prep boys’ basketball
- Hernando 62, Lake Cormorant 61
- Northpoint Christian 53, Delta Streets Academy 47
Prep girls basketball
- Lake Cormorant 56, Hernando 36
Tuesday, Dec. 2
Prep boys basketball
- DeSoto Central 54, Southaven 52
- Lewisburg 53, Horn Lake 49
- Center Hill 50, Hernando 45
Prep girls basketball
- DeSoto Central 41, Southaven 39
- Horn Lake 50, Lewisburg 32
- Center Hill 39, Hernando 36
Prep boys soccer
- Lewisburg 3, DeSoto Central 0
- Olive Branch 4, Lake Cormorant 1
- Center Hill 11, Grenada 0
- Hernando 3, Tupelo 2
- Horn Lake 1, Southaven 1 (Horn Lake wins in penalty kicks 4-2)
- Starkville Academy 2, Magnolia Heights 0
Prep girls soccer
- Lewisburg 5, DeSoto Central 3
- Olive Branch 8, Lake Cormorant 1
- Center Hill 7, Grenada 0
- Tupelo 1, Hernando 0
- Southaven 2, Horn Lake 1
NOTABLES: Giovani Salinas scored a goal and had 2 points in Horn Lake’s boys soccer victory over Southaven Tuesday night…Hernando Man of the Match awards went to Gavin Walker and Lex Callahan after the Tigers’ 3-2 boys soccer win over Tupelo Tuesday night. Hernando goals came from Isaac Jones, Walker, and Samuel Loayza….David Moore scored two goals in Lewisburg’s 3-0 boys soccer victory over DeSoto Central, Logan Correro posted the goalkeeping ‘clean sheet.’
SPORTS ETC.: Monday was a big day for fall sports at Lake Cormorant, as Tylen Matthews was announced as Region 1-6A Offensive Player of the Year, Rashad Bobo was pegged as Region 1-6A Defensive Players of the Year, and volleyball standout Sofia Gonzalez was selected as Maxpreps Mississippi Volleyball Player of the Year.
