By John Blackledge, llcsportswriter@gmail.com
The Laurel Tornadoes split a pair of games in hardwood action against the Quitman Panthers Thursday night in district action at Laurel Gym. The Lady Panthers won 61-22, while the Tornadoes beat the Panthers 51-48.
Tornadoes 51, Panthers 48
Desmond Bridges sent the Tornadoes on a 11-3 run with a trey to start of the game with 5:45 left in the opening quarter. The Panthers answered, scoring 13 straight points to tie the game at 13-all.
With time expiring, Bridges hit another trey to give the Tornadoes a 16-13 advantage to close out the quarter.
The Tornadoes outscored the Panthers 16-12 in the second quarter to take a 32-25 lead into half-time.
Laurel head coach Jason Williams was pleased with the way his guys played. “The guys are playing with tremendous heart,” he said. “We have a youth filled team, and for them to be playing together like they are... I’m just pleased with them.”
With 1:20 left in the third quarter Darrien “Speedy” Bester nailed two free throw attempts to send the Tornadoes on a 13-4 giving them a 45-29 lead. Quitman added a bucket with time expiring, and the Tornadoes led 45-31 heading into the finale.
The Panthers outscored the host 25-16 in the final quarter of play, but it wasn’t enough, as LHS got their first district win of the season.
Williams was proud to get the first district win behind them. “We started off slow. These kids could’ve quit, but they didn’t, and its showing out on the court,” he said. “It was also our first district win against a quality opponent.”
Bridges finished the game with 33 points for the winners, while Felton Collins netted 9.
Phillip Powe led the Panthers with 20.
Lady Panthers 61, Lady Tornadoes 22
Destiny Henderson led Laurel with 6 points, while Porsche Jones led Quitman with 20.
