Gators take basketball pair from Saltillo

Photo: Damar Bryant of Lake Cormorant is shown advancing the basketball during Tuesday’s 73-47 boys’ victory over Saltillo. Bryant led all scorers with 23 points. (Bob Bakken/DeSotocountynews.com)

Lake Cormorant uses stifling second-half defense to rout Saltillo

LAKE CORMORANT, Miss. – The Lake Cormorant Gators turned a competitive first half into a runaway victory Tuesday night, relying on their signature “controlled chaos” style to defeat Saltillo 73-47.

Holding an eight-point lead at halftime, Lake Cormorant exploded in the second half, limiting Saltillo to just 20 points over the final two quarters.

Lake Cormorant head coach Kendrick Davis said the game plan relied heavily on defensive intensity, a standard he felt his team missed in the first half despite leading 35-27.

“At halftime, we were just up eight, and I felt like we didn’t do the things we need to do on defense to push that … to a double-figure lead,” Davis said. “So at halftime, I challenged the guys to come out in the third or fourth quarter and sit down and guard, and after you guard, box out and rebound the ball.”

The Gators responded to the challenge. They held Saltillo to 11 points in the third quarter and nine points in the fourth. The defensive pressure allowed the Gators to open the fourth quarter on a tear, pushing the score to 62-38—the largest lead of the night to that point.

“Our defensive motto is we want to limit teams to 10 points or less in each quarter,” Davis explained. “Because if they get 10 points (a quarter), that’s 40 points. And obviously, we can score 41 points to get the win.”

Senior leader Damar Bryant paced the Gators’ offense with a game-high 23 points, including 13 in the first half. Davis praised Bryant’s complete performance on both ends of the floor.

“He rebounded the ball well,” Davis said of Bryant. “He got some shots early and got some confidence and scored the basketball for us tonight.”

Demario Jones Jr. added 15 points for Lake Cormorant, scoring 11 of those in the first half to help the Gators establish an early rhythm. Messiah Dunn chipped in 10 points.

The game began as a back-and-forth affair, with the teams tied 7-7 midway through the first quarter. However, Lake Cormorant closed the period strong to take a 21-9 lead. Saltillo fought back in the second quarter to trim the deficit, but the Gators’ second-half surge proved too much to overcome.

For Saltillo, Eli Shannon led the scoring with 15 points, followed by Jeremiah Foster with 10.

With the win secured, Davis noted that the fast-paced, high-pressure nature of the game suited his team perfectly.

“I want a back-and-forth game,” Davis said. “I call it crazy, controlled chaos.”

Lake Cormorant girls top Saltillo 51-41, remain undefeated at home

Lake Cormorant girls basketball defended its home court Tuesday night, defeating Saltillo 51-41 behind balanced scoring and a strong defensive effort.

Ashley Black led the Gators with 13 points, while teammate Desirae Green added 11. Saltillo’s Mariah Gerson scored all 13 of her points in the second half, including nine in the third quarter, but the Tigers could not overcome Lake Cormorant’s early lead.

The Lady Gators built momentum with a 27-16 advantage at halftime and stretched the margin to 46-29 after three quarters. They maintained control down the stretch, holding off Saltillo’s late push.

Head coach Angela Allen-Harris praised her team’s execution, noting the importance of slowing the game down and converting easy opportunities.

“We prepared the girls pretty well,” Allen-Harris said. “We taught them to slow the ball down, see what they can get, and most importantly, make layups. Tonight we were finally able to knock down some easy ones.”

The win keeps Lake Cormorant undefeated at home this season, improving to 6-0. Allen-Harris emphasized the team’s growth and commitment to building a winning culture.

“They’re starting to learn exactly how the culture we’re establishing revolves,” she said. “We take one game at a time, trust the process, and give ourselves grace as we grow.”

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Tuesday, Dec. 9

Prep boys basketball

• Olive Branch 77, South Panola 51
• Lake Cormorant 73, Saltillo 47
• DeSoto Central 53, Lafayette (Oxford) 32
• Hernando 47, H.W. Byers 45
• Horn Lake 53, Cleveland Central 35 
• Southaven 42, Lewisburg 38
• Grenada 50, Center Hill 47
• Northpoint Christian 62, Pleasant View 30

Prep girls basketball

• Olive Branch 70, South Panola 49
• Lake Cormorant 51, Saltillo 41
• Lafayette (Oxford) 34, DeSoto Central 30
• H.W. Byers at Hernando
• Horn Lake at Cleveland Central 
• Southaven 50, Lewisburg 49
• Grenada 62, Center Hill 41

Prep boys soccer

• Lewisburg 7, Horn Lake 0  
• Olive Branch 3, Center Hill 2 (overtime)
• Tupelo 2, DeSoto Central 1
• Saltillo at Lake Cormorant
• Hernando 7, Southaven 0

Prep girls soccer

• Lewisburg 7, Horn Lake 0
• Center Hill 10, Olive Branch 0 
• Tupelo 2, DeSoto Central 0
• Saltillo at Lake Cormorant
• Southaven at Hernando