By By Rocky Higginbotham/The Meridian Star
Nov. 29, 2000
There were plenty of firsts Tuesday night at Southeast Lauderdale.
On a night that saw the Choctaw Central boys earn their first win of the season, Warriors' head coach Walter Wilson lost his voice; Choctaw Central's girls lost for the first time this season; and Southeast's girls earned their first win over the Lady Warriors since CCHS joined Division 5-3A.
The host Lady Tigers edged Choctaw 75-74, while the Warriors won the boys' contest 76-67.
Southeast returns to action Friday when the Tigers and Lady Tigers take on Northeast Lauderdale at Meridian Community College. Choctaw Central won't play again until Tuesday at West Lauderdale.
Southeast Lauderdale girls 75, Choctaw Central 74: The Lady Tigers got off to a fast start and knocked off the Lady Warriors in a thriller that went down to the final second.
It was the first loss of the season for Choctaw Central, which is now 6-1.
The Lady Warriors got off on the wrong foot, surrendering six points to Monique Horner as Southeast started the game on a 17-7 run. Choctaw closed the gap to 19-16 in the closing seconds of the first quarter only to see Horner and Southeast reel off seven points in a span of 10 seconds to send the lead back to 10.
Things were tied at 33 at halftime, and Southeast led 53-52 going into the final quarter.
There, the Lady Tigers scored the first six points of the period and never trailed again.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Choctaw's Shavon Willis and Chantay Frazier pulled the Lady Warriors within 66-63 with 2:55 left, and Choctaw Central cut it to 72-71 with 22 ticks remaining.
Horner hit 3-of-4 free throws on Southeast's next two possessions to make it 75-71, and Willis nailed a three-pointer with approximately two seconds on the clock to pull her team within one. Time ticked off and officials put two seconds back on the clock, but Horner took the inbounds pass and ran out the clock to nail down the win.
Horner finished with another triple-double, pouring in a game-high 36 points to go with 13 rebounds, 11 assists and six steals. But Miller said his inside duo of Kenitta Cooley (17 points, 15 rebounds) and Kim Carter (11 points, 10 rebounds) stepped up, as well.
The Ruffins combined for just 11 points, but took some of the ball-handling pressure away from Horner and also contributed eight rebounds and six steals.
Choctaw Central fell despite placing five players in double figures. Frazier led the way with 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals and Willis scored 13 points and dished out five assists.
Ferne Denson scored 11 points and added six rebounds, Crystal Lewis scored 11 and had four assists, Deaundra Johnson scored 10 points and grabbed nine rebounds and Melinda Ben chipped in eight points and pulled down a team-best 11 boards.
Choctaw Central boys 76, Southeast Lauderdale 67: The Warriors (1-4) finally cracked the win column, using a big third-quarter push and a high-pressure defense to down the host Tigers.
Choctaw Central started the game with a 12-2 run, forcing Southeast head coach Ryan Miller into a timeout. The Tigers (1-8) responded with a 14-4 spurt to tie things at the end of the first quarter, but the SEL momentum didn't last long.
Choctaw ran off 11 straight points midway through the second period and took a 38-30 lead into the locker room.
The Warriors were up 14 going into the final quarter and led by as many as 17. Twice, Southeast pulled to within seven: Once at the 4:08 mark and again with 1:09 remaining. But the Tigers could get no closer.
Choctaw Central got game-high honors from Beasley Willis and Anslem Henry, who poured in 26 points each and combined for nine steals. Jason Shoemake had 16 rebounds for the Warriors, who got six points each from Corey Sam, Giovann Dixon and Braden Sam.
Southeast put all five players in double figures, led by the career night of Jonathan Russell, who had 16 points and 20 rebounds. Anthony Horner scored 13 points, had 11 rebounds and five assists, Doug Rowe scored 12 points and had four assists, Lapatrick Carlisle had 11 points, seven boards and three steals and Ben Reed scored 10 points and had four steals.