From Staff Reports
TUPELO –New Hope High School had to work hard to get a pair of basketball games into the victory column Tuesday night.
However, the Lady Trojans and Trojans did just that.
The New Hope girls survived a missed last-second shot to knock off Center Hill 35-34, while the New Hope boys lost a 15-point lead but regrouped in overtime to knock off Center Hill 70-69 in the Tupelo Tip-Off Classic.
For the New Hope girls, Lanoria Abrams and Kennedi Stephens each had 10 points. Alaysha Jennings added six points.
Alex Melton scored a basket to give the Lady Trojans a 35-32 lead. Center Hill then answered on the offensive end. New Hope was attempting to run out the clock when it turned the ball over. Center Hill then missed the front end of a one-plus-one with 0.9 seconds left and New Hope grabbed the rebound.
In the boys game, sophomore Terryonte Thomas had 18 points, while Demyis Mayberry added 13 points. Jaylon Bardley had 12 points, while Shemar Johnson had 11 points.
n Starkville Academy falls twice: At Starkville, the Starkville Academy basketball teams dropped a pair of home decisions to Jackson Prep Tuesday night.
The Starkville Academy girls dropped a 50-21 decision, while the Starkville Academy boys fell in the final minte, 60-56.
For the Starkville Academy girls, Bonner Hughes had eight points, while Anna McKell had four points. McKell and Maria Moorehead each had a team-high three rebounds.
Starkville Academy hit only 5-of-42 shots from the field and did not make a 3-pointer.
Jackson Prep received nine points from Lexi Dodd and eight points from Olivia Brown.
The Starkville Academy boys hung in from the free throw line. The Volunteers only shot 34 percent from the field (16-of-46) but made 18-of-29 shots at the foul line (67 percent).
Starkville Academy also held a plus-nine rebounding advantage and only turned the ball over 12 times.
Brandon Lane led the offensive attack for the Volunteers with 23 points. John McReynolds added nine points. Reid Stevens had a team-high seven rebounds.
Jackson Prep, which shot 60 percent from the floor, placed three players in double figures — Holman Buchanan (15 points), Paul Andress (12 points) and Ben Clark (10 points).
n Starkville High sweeps Louisville: At Starkville, in its home debut Tuesday night, the Starkville High basketball teams took a pair from Louisville at the BeeHive.
Behind a double-double from Kelsey Jones (23 points, 10 rebounds), the Starkville girls improved to 2-0 with a 68-31 victory.
The Starkville boys also moved to 2-0 with a 69-36 win. Keith Harris and Josh Skinner each had 13 points apiece for the Yellow Jackets.
n West Point drops pair: At Tupelo, in the evening session of the Tupelo Tip-Off Classic, the homestanding Tupelo Golden Wave and Lady Wave swept a pair of basketball games from West Point.
The West Point girls dropped a 62-31 decision in the opener, while the West Point boys fell 88-35.
Antonio Green led Tupelo with 16 points, while Ecurlo Forest paced West Point with 12 points.
n Oak Hill Academy wins twice on road: At Cleveland, the Oak Hill Academy basketball teams swept pair of close decisions on Bayou Academy’s home court.
The Oak Hill Academy girls improved to 7-2 with a 52-51 win, while the Oak Hill Academy boys are now 2-1 after a 39-37 victory.
For the Oak Hill girls, Sarah Dill had 17 points and 10 rebounds (nine offensive). Tanner Grubbs also had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Sydney Holton also had 10 points.
Riley Pierce paced the Oak Hill Academy boys with 15 points, while Kaleb Darnell had nine points.
n Hebron Christian boys take road win: At Starkville, the Hebron Christian School boys basketball team took a 67-46 victory at Starkville Christian Tuesday night.
For Hebron Christian (2-0), Landon Hill had 18 points, followed by Clay Faulkner with 17 points, Peyton Griffin had 13 points and Channing Tapley had 12 points.
The Hebron Christian boys and girls (1-0) begin district play Tuesday night at Calhoun Academy.
n Correction: In Tuesday’s Dispatch, a story about Victory Christian Academy football player Anthony Sharp misidentified the team’s mascot.
Victory Christian Academy goes by Eagles.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 37 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.