For the past three games, the Poplarville girl’s varsity basketball team battled through close outings, each resulting in a win for the Hornets.

On Tuesday Dec. 6, the Hornets (8-1) traveled to Picayune (2-6) in search of a win against the Tide, a feat that the Hornets’ Head Coach Dee Robinson has not accomplished in her four years at the helm.

The Hornets made a fourth quarter comeback against the Tide, scoring 15 points, while allowing Picayune to score only three field goals in the process. Poplarville won, 44-41.

“I love playing against Picayune because they have a go-get-it mentality every time they step on the court. It makes us have to level up to that intensity and it was great to see the girls perform the way they did,” Robinson said.

Hornets senior Zanaisha Turner leads the team in scoring so far this season, averaging 23 points per game. The team has played nine games this year.

“Zanaisha is just a tremendous athlete. It’s hard to stop her from scoring,” Robinson said. “She’s a long-jump champion for the school, which enables her to be able to jump over most people that guard her.”

Although Picayune had a slow start to the season—losing their first five games—they have won two of the last three games, rebounding off their loss to the Hornets with a 49-17 victory over East Marion on Friday. During that game, the Tide defense refused to allow the Eagles to score more than eight points in a quarter, and shut them out in the second quarter to take a 25-8 lead going into halftime.

The Poplarville Hornets host Lumberton on Dec. 12 in a non-conference game at 6 p.m. while the Picayune Maroon Tide host Long Beach in a non-conference game on Friday Dec. 16 at 6 p.m.