New Hope High School senior Tikorian Chandler knows the present status of his team but he also knows where they can go.
“At this moment, it’s just about getting in the gym and working hard every day,” Chandler said. “This is just a new team. It’s going to take time. Do we have some good players? Yes. We just got to keep working hard and get better every day.”
Chandler scored 22 points as New Hope beat West Lowndes 46-40 to complete the first night of play Tuesday at the new New Hope Gym.
In the opener, the West Lowndes girls won, 44-40. In between games, former Trojans and Lady Trojans were brought to mid-court for a prayer and dedication of the new building.
It was the first victory in six contests for the Trojans this season, eight months removed from an appearance at the Mississippi Coliseum for the Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A state tournament.
“We just needed a win,” New Hope coach Drew McBrayer said. “This team works hard. They play well together. Fundamental-wise they do a lot of things right. Heck, that’s why we have been in all the games, because of how hard we play. Now it’s a matter of making winning plays and learning how to win. This is a new team in so many ways so they are learning.”
In the first month of the season, New Hope had played a one-point loss, a two-point loss and a five-point loss.
“Just trying to learn how to put it all together right now,” Chandler said. “The guys on this team know how good we can be. We will be a lot different team in January. It’s just getting the gym and putting the hard work in. If we stay consistent, we have a chance to have a good season.”
McBrayer said he expects his team to continue to play close games. The last couple of seasons, New Hope has had a pair of dominant scorers. When a lull in action took place, the marquee scoring threats would step in and get the offense going again.
This year’s team is still looking for that type of offensive consistency.
On this night, it came from Chandler, who gave the team a huge lift with a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter for a 24-18 halftime lead.
For the Trojans, it was either feast or famine in that half. The lead was nine (at 13-4) and then lost (at 18-17). New Hope scored the final seven of the half to create the halftime push.
In the second half, New Hope built a 37-25 lead after a pair of scores from Rickey Johnson. Johnson finished with 11 points and eight rebounds.
West Lowndes (0-3) battled back for a 3-point deficit at 38-35 after a big basket from just inside the 3-point line by Quay Sanders.
New Hope answered with Krash Pascisco getting loose in the lane for a pair of hard-earned baskets on offensive rebounds to clinch the win.
“It was great to win the first home game in our new gym,” Chandler said. “The guys had been anxious for this night. The student section was loud and into the game. We hope to keep playing better and make this a difficult place to play for the rest of our home games.”
McBrayer beamed like a proud father when showing off some of the nuisances of the new gym. The former New Hope Gym was more compact with the students more on top of the action. In time, McBrayer hopes this building can fill on a consistent basis and give his team a similar advantage.
“We’ve been very good at home over the years,” McBrayer said. “This is just a first-class place to play all the way around. We hope to put it to good use. This was a great way to get started.”
For the West Lowndes boys, Dekylan Malone had nine points, while Sanders had eight points.
Marvaysha Seal led the West Lowndes girls (2-2) with 19 points, while Indian Woods had 16 points for New Hope (0-5).
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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