The New Hope High School boys basketball team held off a late rally and the Lady Trojans earned a dominant victory to complete a sweep Friday night of West Lowndes High.
The Trojans (3-0) used a huge second quarter, which included a 27-6 run starting at the end of the first quarter, to take a big halftime lead en route to an 80-68 victory. Behind a full-court trapping defense, New Hope caused a flurry of turnovers to build a comfortable lead.
“We try to run (the full-court trap) here and there and dictate the tempo with it,” New Hope coach Drew McBrayer said.
However, West Lowndes (0-3) fought back in the second half, at one point trimming the deficit to eight points in the fourth quarter.
“We got some turnovers but also gave up some easy baskets,” McBrayer said. “With the lead, I didn’t want to do that, but it didn’t matter. They went right by us.”
It was too little too late for the Panthers, though, as they fell short.
“We dug a hole we couldn’t get out of,” West Lowndes boys coach Ricky Hill said. “We showed a lot of heart coming back.”
McBrayer said he was “very disappointed” with his team’s second-half effort.
“We didn’t come out of the locker room,” he said.
Joc Pilgrim (27 points) and Jason Tate (18) led New Hope. Forward Curtaves Lathan had 13 points and seven rebounds, and Chris Mosley had eight rebounds for New Hope.
Guard Antonio Wilson led all players with 32 points for West Lowndes, including five 3-pointers. He also had five assists. Bryant Smith, Reginald Hill, and Cody Crawford each had eight points for the Panthers.
New Hope outscored West Lowndes 21-4 in the second quarter, but West Lowndes won the other three quarters by a 64-59 margin. West Lowndes scored 35 points in the fourth quarter, more than the first three quarters combined.
The Lady Trojans (4-0) also did their part to pick up a road win against the Lady Panthers (0-3) 69-17.
New Hope jumped out of the gates with a 7-0 start in the first two minutes never looked back. A 24-4 second quarter gave the Lady Trojans a 41-10 halftime lead, and a strong outing in the third quarter sealed the deal.
“I’m really proud of how hard they worked over the summer, and I’m happy to see them achieve success,” New Hope coach Laura Lee Holman said. “Tonight, we had two starters on the bench with injuries and our subs came out and stepped up.”
D.J. Sanders led New Hope with 25 points, including 17 in the first half. She also had 10 rebounds. Mercedes Nattix had nine points and four rebounds, and Gabby Murray had seven points. Lauren Holifield led the team with five assists.
Tyesha Knott led the Lady Panthers with five points, and Khadejah Smith added four points and three rebounds.
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