Saturday sports page: Hernando, Olive Branch fall at Tangle on the Trail
Photo: Hernando’s Jaliah Kelly was surrounded by Choctaw Central defenders during the first half of Saturday’s game. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)
Choctaw Central girls pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Hernando 65-52 Saturday morning in the first game of the Tangle on the Trail Classic at Pontotoc High School.
The classic is billed as a daylong showcase of girls basketball talent and the girls’ version of the boys Tangle that took place in December.
Hernando’s standout shooting guard Fran Kelly took advantage of the opportunity to highlight her abilities by leading all scorers with 33 points, a total that included five three-pointers.
This year’s Lady Warriors, ranked on top of the 4A rankings and second to Biloxi overall, are now 13-2 after the victory. Hernando, now ranked 10th among 7A squads, fell to 12-5 with the loss.
Saturday’s game was tight throughout until the fourth quarter, with the Lady Warriors holding a 16-15 lead after eight minutes and Kelly netting all but two of the Lady Tigers’ 15 points.
Fran Kelly was held to just a basket in the second quarter, but Cailyn Pitts and Gemma Walker picked up the slack with five and three points respectively in the quarter, and Hernando still trailed Choctaw Central, 32-31, at intermission.
Fran Kelly came out of the locker room and struck for 11 points in the third quarter on three three-pointers and a pair of free throws. Pitts provided the other points for Hernando with a three-pointer in the period, as Choctaw Central took a 49-45 lead going into the final quarter of play.
That’s when the Lady Warriors took over, out-scoring the Lady Tigers by a 16-7 margin for the 65-52 victory. Fran Kelly gave Hernando all of the offense in the final eight minutes of the contest.
Hernando coach Blake Jones believes the experience will help his team get ready for what’s left of the regular season and the playoffs.
“We wanted to come and play a good team,” Jones said. “Choctaw Central has got a great team this year, but this will help us down the stretch for sure.”
Jones also felt his team’s inability to grab a lead in the game kept them from controlling the tempo.
“We just gotta have some people step up on offense and make some more shots,” said Jones. “Stops are tough when you’re down four, down six, down eight, but if you’re up four, up six, up eight, they’re not any easier, but you got a little bit of momentum. We could never get our lead and build our lead up.”
Jones added Choctaw Central did their damage from outside, having counted 38 three-point shots in the game. The Lady Warriors made seven of that 38 shots in the win.
Choctaw Central’s Kailynn Perry scored 14 points to earn her Most Valuable Player honors for the contest.
“The girls played hard and did a good job,” Jones said of his group. “We just got to get back to the drawing board.”
LADY QUISTORS FALL AT TANGLE: Leading for three quarters, Olive Branch fell to Belmont of 3A 71-66 in the finale of the day for the Tangle on the Trail.
Coach Jason Thompson’s Lady Quistors led Belmont, the second-ranked team in 3A through the third quarter, holding a 52-44 lead when the quarter ended. But Belmont outscored the Olive Branch 27-14 in the final quarter of play for the come-from-behind victory.
Olive Branch was led in scoring by Caleigh Nix with a game-high 27 points. Belmont was paced by MVP Katie Jourdan with 22 points and 16 rebounds.
Prep boys basketball
Saltillo Shootout – at Saltillo
- Saltillo 70, Lewisburg 63
- DeSoto Central 75, South Panola 59
- DeSoto Central: KJ Patrick – 19
Prep girls basketball
Tangle on the Trail – at Pontotoc
- Choctaw Central 65, Hernando 52
- Hernando: Fran Kelly – 33
- Belmont 71, Olive Branch 66
- Olive Branch: Caleigh Nix – 27
Prep girls’ soccer
- DeSoto Central 4, Bay High 4 (draw)
SPORTS ETC.:
