Olive Branch takes district hoops sweep of Gators

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. — The Olive Branch Conquistadors relied on a dominant first-half defensive performance and late-game poise to secure a 69-59 victory over the Lake Cormorant Gators on Friday night.

Despite building a commanding 16-point lead at halftime, Olive Branch (OB) had to withstand a furious rally from the Gators in the final two quarters. Lake Cormorant’s offense exploded in the second half, led by Demarius Bryant, cutting the deficit to single digits before the Conquistadors steadied the ship to seal the win.

A Tale of Two Halves

Olive Branch controlled the tempo early, stifling the Gators’ attack. The Conquistadors jumped out to a 15-8 lead after the first quarter and clamped down further in the second, holding Lake Cormorant to just 7 points in the period. At the break, Olive Branch held a comfortable 31-15 advantage.

However, the dynamic shifted coming out of the locker room. Lake Cormorant found their rhythm, outscoring Olive Branch in the third quarter to trim the lead to 48-36 heading into the final frame.

“I thought the first half defensively was pretty good; we held them to 15 points,” said Olive Branch head coach Eric Brumbaugh. “Then they kind of got away from us a little bit in the second half. Our goal coming out at halftime was to try to win the third quarter, and we didn’t.”

Withstanding the Rally

Lake Cormorant’s comeback was fueled by Demarius Bryant and Demario Jones Jr., who combined for 45 points on the night. Bryant, who finished with a game-high 24 points, caught fire from deep, hitting multiple three-pointers in the second half to pressure the Conquistadors’ defense.

Coach Brumbaugh noted that rebounding struggles and defensive lapses allowed the Gators to climb back into the game.

“The thing that hurt us most was rebounding,” Brumbaugh said. “There was a stretch there where they got three or four offensive rebounds and put-backs… That’s an 8-to-10 point swing right there. But our defense was just good enough to squeak out a win.”

Callicut and Smith Lead the Offense

When Olive Branch needed stability, they turned to Tommy Callicut. The standout forward scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the second half, using his patience and strength to finish through contact and secure critical rebounds.

“I thought Tommy did a great job of being patient and taking what the defense gave him,” Brumbaugh said. “He had some rebound put-backs, got downhill a couple of times, and finished and-ones.”

Cordi Smith provided a steady hand throughout the contest, adding 14 points. Brumbaugh praised Smith’s consistency, noting, “He’s been solid for us every game. It’s just kind of quiet… you look at the book at the end and see he’s got a good amount of points.”

Caleb Nix chipped in 11 points, doing most of his damage in the first half to help build the early lead, while Antonio Howell added 10 points.

Lady Quistors Weather Third-Quarter Rally to Defeat Lake Cormorant 75-48

The Olive Branch Lady Quistors utilized a dominant first half and a high-scoring fourth quarter to secure a 75-48 victory over the Lake Cormorant Lady Gators on Friday night.

Despite a massive lead at halftime, Olive Branch had to withstand a furious third-quarter comeback attempt by the Lady Gators before pulling away in the final frame.

Olive Branch head coach Jason Thompson expressed relief at the result, emphasizing the importance of the win regardless of the game’s flow.

“Always glad to get the victory,” Thompson said. “No matter how it looks—ugly, bad, pretty good, or whatever the case may be—it’s always better to get the victory and have some things to fix and clean up… than to have the opposite.”

Early Dominance and Defensive Pressure

Olive Branch controlled the tempo early, suffocating Lake Cormorant’s offense. By midway through the second quarter, the Lady Quistors held a 30-10 advantage. By halftime, that lead had ballooned to 40-14, as the Lady Gators were held to just 14 points in the first 16 minutes.

Thompson credited his team’s depth and conditioning for the fast start.

“I thought that we could kind of use our depth, use our athleticism, and use our continuous pressure… just keep throwing waves at them to the point where we could possibly wear them down,” Thompson explained.

Lake Cormorant Strikes Back

The momentum shifted dramatically in the third quarter. Capitalizing on six straight Olive Branch turnovers, the Lady Gators found their rhythm. After scoring only 14 points in the entire first half, Lake Cormorant exploded for 20 points in the third quarter alone, holding Olive Branch to just nine points in the frame.

By the end of the third, the Lady Gators had cut the deficit to 49-36.

When asked about his team’s ability to recover from the turnover-plagued stretch, Thompson noted that his squad is battle-tested.

“This is a group that… has been through a lot,” said Thompson. “We’ve been up and we’ve been down, and we’ve been through adverse moments throughout the course of the season… So that was nothing that was different from what we’ve already experienced.”

Closing the Door

Olive Branch regained their composure in the fourth quarter, putting the game out of reach with a 24-point outburst. The lead swelled back to 20 points at 62-42 with just over five minutes remaining, eventually ending in a 27-point margin of victory.

The Lady Quistors were led by a trio of high-scoring performances. Caleigh Nix led the way with 20 points, while Chloe Dorsey and Vadalja Pimpton added 19 points each.

“Those players are very quality players that have a great skill set that can produce that kind of results every single night,” Thompson said of his leading scorers. “So I’m just glad that they did it tonight.”

For Lake Cormorant, Desirae Green led the effort with 19 points, followed by Jordin McGill with 15 points.

Friday, Dec. 12

Prep boys basketball

• Lewisburg at Hernando
• Harding Academy 80, Northpoint Christian 39
• Olive Branch 69, Lake Cormorant 59 

Prep boys soccer

• Center Hill 5, Lake Cormorant 0
• DeSoto Central 5, Horn Lake 1 

Prep girls basketball

• Lewisburg at Hernando
• Harding Academy 46, Northpoint Christian 42
• Olive Branch 75, Lake Cormorant 48

Prep girls soccer

• Center Hill 11, Lake Cormorant 0
• DeSoto Central 8, Horn Lake 0

NOTABLES: Nailah Herrera led Northpoint in scoring with 17 points in the Lady Trojans loss to Harding.