Blue Devils triumph over Lamar Christian, Lady Devils fall
Published 7:00 am Thursday, February 1, 2018
until the final whistle: Breyanna Bernard fights for possession of the ball against a Lamar Christian defender earlier in the season. With the regular season coming to an end soon, the Lady Devils will face Hattiesburg and North Pike in key-region matchups. Photo by Victor Tun
finishing strong: Blue Devils’ Holden King, who finished the game with two points, drives the ball past a Lamar Christian defender in earlier action. Photo by Victor Tun
CARRIERE — The Blue Devils built a 15-2 lead early in the first quarter and used that momentum to defeat Lamar Christian School 72-39 Tuesday night.
Pearl River Central’s AJ Banks finished the game with a double-double after notching 27 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Ethan Henley finished with 11 points and Jason Long scored 10. After one quarter of play, the Blue Devils led 19-12, with eight of those points coming from Banks, five from Caden Thompson and two from Long, Henley and Willie Reece each.
In the second quarter, PRC (15-6, 2-2 Region 7-5A) and Lamar Christian were able to turn their offensive possessions into points, but by the time both teams headed to the locker rooms at the end of the half, the Blue Devils still held a double-digit lead.
During the second quarter, Banks scored nine of the team’s 11 points in the second quarter, with Long adding the other two points.
Baskets from Henley, Banks and Reece helped PRC outscore Lamar Christian 16-6 in the first five minutes of the third quarter and secure the team’s 15th victory of the season.
By the end of the third, the Blue Devils led 55-31 after five more points were scored by Banks and four were scored by Jonathan Jenkins.
During the fourth quarter, Long added six more points, Elway Fitzgerald scored three and Banks, Codi Parks, Caleb Cruz and Holden King had two points each.
Pearl River Central Head boys basketball Coach Scott Stephens said the team’s offensive and defensive execution at the beginning of the game is what propelled the Blue Devils to a victory against Lamar Christian.
— Lady Lions 58, Lady Devils 31: A 24-point performance by the Lady Lions in the third quarter propelled the team past PRC to earn a 58-31 victory Tuesday night.
With the score tied at 15 at the beginning of the third quarter, Samantha Orgeron scored two points to give the Lady Devils a temporary 17-15 lead. After the score by PRC (14-9, 1-3 Region 7-5A), Lamar Christian scored 21-straight points, with 11 of those coming from successful free throws. Lindsey McCurdy scored a point for PRC in the closing seconds of the third quarter, but the Lady Lions managed to score a 3-point shot right at the buzzer.
In the fourth quarter, Lakyn Spence scored five points, Madison Gower had four, Harlee Davis added three and Breyanna Bernard had one. Both basketball teams will travel to Hattiesburg High School Friday night to take on the Tigers in a key-district matchup. The Lady Devils will tip-off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys team at 7:30 p.m.
