The Grenada High School basketball teams had a full slate of action last week coming off the Thanksgiving holidays. They both played four games with three games being at home.
Charleston
The four-game week began last Tuesday at home against Class 2A member Charleston. Katelyn Leavy led the girls scoring going 7-of-8 from the field for 20 points to lead all scorers as Grenada won a 57-18 decision. Lauren Harges was 4-of-10 shooting for 11 points. Takiyah Townsend chipped in 10 points on the night, while Amya Anderson scored nine points. Kelsey Fedrick had three points to go with six rebounds. Kyla Hughes and Gabby Burt both scored two points.
In the boys game, Grenada led 39-12 at intermission and won going away by a 60-29 decision.
Senior Antonio Blackmon was 7-of-12 from the field and tied with Kelton Jones, who was 5-of-8 from the field, for game-high scoring honors with 15 points each. Cammeo Noel had eight points and Tylann Kimble finished with seven points. Jekerious Williams chipped in five points and Robert Smith had four points. Thomas Ware, Jarques Perry and Jones scored two points apiece.
South Panola
The Chargers built a 26-15 advantage against the Tigers from Batesville at halftime. They managed to lead by as many as 17 points.
Blackmon led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting. Classmate Tra Yates had 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Junior Cameo Noel was 6-of-10 from the field and finished with 13 points to go with a team-high nine rebounds. Lazarus Conley had six points and Jardarius Townes and Chris Battled both had five points. Thomas Ware rounded out the scoring with two points.
“We struggled to score early on as they were very physical,” coach Joey Cooley said. “We did a better of job of getting out in transition in the second half and get-ting some easy buckets. Defensively, we have done a good job, however, we are still allowing too many offensive rebounds from our opponents.”
In the girls game, the Lady Chargers had a 34-30 lead midway through the third period and the wheels came off in a hurry for GHS. Two numbers that stood out in the game were 23 turnovers and 8-of-26 shooting from the free throw line.
“You can’t win games shooting free throws like that,” coach Kendrick Conley said. “We missed 12 layups and got outrebounded by 16. The turnovers were ridiculous. They just wanted it more than we did.”
Townsend paced the scor-ing with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. Harges was 7-of-19 from the field and finished with 15 points. Gabby Burt had six points, while Hughes and Leavy each scored four points. Anderson finished with four points. Alyiana Burt, Rikki Lee and Tamyah Miller all had a point each.
Calhoun City Game 3 last week was a home encounter with Class 2A member Calhoun City. Once again, the Chargers built a big second-half lead leading by as many as 18 points and were able to hold for the win.
“We are starting to grow as a team as the competition gets tougher,” Cooley said. “After they cut the lead to two points, we responded with a 16-8 run to close the game.”
Grenada led 38-26 at halftime.
Blackmon paced all scorers with 25 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field. He also took game-high honors with 11 rebounds. Yates and Noel both scored 13 points. Jones finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Townes chipped in six points, while Jaylon Skinner and Kimble each had two points.
The junior varsity Chargers won a 44-23 decision over the Wildcats. Perry led Grenada with seven points. Travis Wilks chipped in six points. DruDarius Barnes snd Robert Smith each scored five points. Chance Jenkins and Antonio Scott both had four points, while Martervion Austin, Demetreus Ross and Jones all scored three points. Zach Townsend and Ware both had two points.
In the girls contest, the Lady Wildcats used a 7-2 fourth period to win a 59-55 decision at Calhoun City.
Harges was 9-of-17 from the field and scored a game-high 22 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Leavy had 12 points on 4-of-10 shooting. Alyiana and Gabby Burt both had three points. Anderson and Fedrick both scored three points, also.
Coffeeville
The story was once again a second half collapse this time against the Class 1A Pirates. Grenada led 50-42 with just over three minutes remaining. A missed layup, a turnover and missed loose ball turned into points by the Pirates put them up 51-50. Coffeeville went on to a “This was the third of our four losses where we had second half leads,” Cooley explained. “We have to find a way to win close games when we have the opportunity.”
Blackmon paced the scoring with 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting. Yates scored 13 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field and finished with eight rebounds. Townes chipped in nine points on 4-of-8 shooting. Noel had four points, Jones added three points and Conley scored three points.
The junior varsity boys won a 30-10 decision to improve to 4-1-1 on the season. Perry and Townsend led the scoring with four points each. Chris Cole, Shane Rosenthall and Ross each scored three points. Williams, Ware, Scott, Jones and Smith all scored two points.
In the girls game, Grenada built a 36-17 halftime lead and won a 55-35 decision. Takiyah Townsend led the Lady Chargers with 16 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field. Fedrick scored 10 points and pulled down five rebounds. Leavy scored nine points and Harges finished with eight points. Gabby Burt and Miller both scored four points. Alyiana Burt and Anderson each have two points. Grenada hosted Indianola Gentry Tuesday night. Results from those games weren’t available. The teams travel to Greenwood Friday to face Amanda Elzy starting at 6 p.m.
Saturday, the Chargers face Coffeeville on the road in the Loggins Classic at Calhoun City. Action starts at 3 p.m.
