Warren Central holds off Ridgeland comeback, 62-55
Published 12:00 am Thursday, December 23, 2004
[12/18/04]RIDGELAND Despite a 19-4 run in the second half, the Ridgeland Titans couldn’t complete the comeback in a 62-55 loss to Warren Central on Friday.
“If we played the second half like we played the first half, it would have been a totally different ballgame,” Ridgeland coach Rod Davidson said. “In the second half, we came out as a team and that’s what we need to have a team effort.”
The last time these two teams met, the Vikings (7-6) won easily with a 22-6 run in the second quarter. This time, they created the lead in the first quarter as Shaun Walker scored seven of his team-high 13 points in the opening quarter.
Warren Central led by 12 after the first quarter and Quinton Jenkins’ six points in the second quarter helped establish a 38-24 halftime lead, one that almost cost them the game.
“I think we got up at one point, then took it for granted,” said WC coach Jessie Johnson. “We turned it back up in the end, but we just can’t go through those phases where we think we can turn it on and off when we want to.
“That’s going to hurt us in the end.”
Warren Central was hurt by Kenyonna Davis and Karlin Givens. The forward tandem combined for 18 points in the second half, including 10 points during the run that got the Titans back in the game.
“Our guards played excellent and our post players did a wonderful job,” Davidson said. “They did what we ask them to do get low, box out and explode to the goal as much as possible.”
After two Titans’ baskets cut the lead to 56-55, Walker and Anthony Lewis led WC on a 6-0 run to put the game out of reach.
(G) WC 57, Ridgeland 39
A tight game at the half quickly turned into a laugher as the Lady Vikes used a 16-5 run in the second half to win at Ridgeland.
“I thought we did a lot better job in the second half than the first,” WC coach Donny Fuller said.
Cookie Johnson finished with 15 points and Latham added nine, but it was the outside presence of Shondalyn Rodgers that was the dagger. The newest addition to the team was lost early in the season with a pulled hamstring injury, but Fuller believes she’s back at full strength. She had nine points, including the 3-pointer that increased the lead to 45-30 with five minutes left in the game.
(G) PCA 37, SIA 33
Annie Beaugh scored 14 points, Amy Beaugh added 10, and Porters Chapel overcame a two-point second quarter to beat Sharkey-Issaquena.
PCA (13-5, 6-0 District 4-A) led 16-8 after one quarter, but was outscored 8-2 in the second. The Lady Eagles kept a slim lead for much of the second half, though, and Annie Beaugh hit two free throws late in the fourth quarter to seal it.
(B) SIA 59, PCA 46
Seth Hodges scored 10 of his 15 points in the second quarter as Sharkey-Issaquena outscored Porters Chapel 20-6 in the period and rolled to a 13-point win.
Zack McDaniel added a game-high 20 points for the Confederates. Dan Ivey scored 17 and Hayden Hales had 11 for PCA, which doesn’t play again until hosting Tri-County on Jan. 4.