Wildcats snap 3-game skid
By Staff
PANTHERS, TIGERS BATTLE Quitman's Jermel Thigpen tries to steal the ball from Noxubee County's Omarr Conner. Photo by Paula Merritt/The Meridian Star
By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
Dec. 13, 2002
Meridian's Wildcats snapped a three-game losing streak with a 65-57 win over Heidelberg in the first round of the 2002 Frazier-Yarbrough Tournament Thursday night at MHS.
Noxubee County knocked off Quitman 62-55 in the other boys' matchup.
In today's boys' games which will be held at Meridian Community College, Noxubee County faces Heidelberg at 5:30 p.m. and Meridian takes on Quitman at 8:30.
Meridian 65
Heidelberg 57
The Wildcats got their first win since Nov. 25 as they held off a slippery group of Oilers that wouldn't go away.
Meridian, 5-4, led 17-13 after one quarter and took a 31-22 lead into halftime. Heidelberg battled back to within 46-40 with 1:15 left in the third quarter.
The Oilers were still down by six at 50-44 following a 3-pointer by Jessie Yates with 6:56 to play. Yates hit five 3s in leading Heidelberg, 3-4, with 21 points.
Jason Windom's second dunk in a 39-second span gave Meridian a 52-44 lead with 6:38 left.
Heidelberg got a layup apiece from Joe Agee and Yates and two free throws from Agee to close to within 53-50 with 4:08 showing.
Cyrus McGowan scored on a putback off his own miss and Theo Naylor drove the baseline for a 57-50 Wildcat lead with 3:12 left as Meridian pulled away.
Windom finished with 19 points, McGowan had 13, Earnest Hampton had nine, Cornelius Miles eight, and Naylor seven.
Heidelberg got 16 points from Jordan Payne and 12 from Agee.
Noxubee County 62
Quitman 55
Quitman carried a 31-27 lead into halftime thanks to a basket by Roderick Laphand at the horn, but Noxubee claimed a 35-24 advantage over the second half to get the win.
The Tigers held a 48-38 lead with 7:20 remaining in the fourth quarter. Laphand hit a long two-pointer and made a layup with 6:27 to go to pull Quitman to within 48-42.
Noxubee stretched out to a 12-point lead and held on for the win.
Omarr Conner led Noxubee with 21 points. Brandon Tate scored 18 and Tim Lowery had seven.
Quitman, 5-5, got 14 points from Prince Trotter, 11 from Brandon Lee, eight each from Laphand and Johnathan McCarty, and six from B.J. Parks.