Port Gibson runs past St. Al in River City Challenge

Published 2:16 pm Monday, November 22, 2021

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Port Gibson's D'Andrew Reynolds, left, and St. Aloysius' Padre Gray (3) chase after a loose ball during Monday's game at the River City Challenge at Vicksburg High School. Port Gibson won, 93-50. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius' Ashton Gray drives into the lane against Port Gibson. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Port Gibson's D'Andrew Reynolds (31) and St. Aloysius' Padre Gray (3) get tangled up during Monday's game at the River City Challenge at Vicksburg High School. Port Gibson won, 93-50. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius' Korey Sims handles the basketball against Port Gibson. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius' Lazaveon Sylvester shoots a jumper over Port Gibson's Markeith Wilson (15) during Monday's game in the River City Challenge. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

Port Gibson's Elijah Ellis (22) grabs a rebound in front of St. Aloysius' Will Keen (23). (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius' Matthew Pitre drives toward the hoop for a layup Monday against Port Gibson. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

St. Aloysius' Ahmad Stewart (5) brings the ball up the floor against Port Gibson. (Ernest Bowker/The Vicksburg Post)

The St. Aloysius Flashes got off to a good enough start Monday morning. A couple of quick baskets and an early lead had them feeling like all was right with the world.

A couple of fouls and quite a few points on the other side of the scoreboard later, the good times were over.

Markeith Wilson led four Port Gibson players in double figures with 15 points, and the Blue Wave used a second-quarter surge to blow out St. Al 93-50 in the opening game of the River City Challenge at Vicksburg High School.

“I think it started at the end of the first quarter going into the second. We got in a little foul trouble, and when you take one of my best ballhandlers away turnovers start to pile up on us. And then it was just like a snowball effect,” St. Al coach Anthony Lumpkin said.

St. Al jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before Port Gibson (3-2) used a run late in the first quarter to go ahead 19-11. The Blue Wave carried the momentum into the second quarter, starting with a 9-2 run that pushed the margin into double digits for good.

Port Gibson wound up outscoring St. Al 26-13 in the second quarter and led 45-24 at halftime. The Flashes never got closer than that in the second half.

“I think, initially, we showed them we could play. And then when they got that confidence it was tough on us,” Lumpkin said.

Antwan Jones finished with 14 points for Port Gibson, DeMarquis Tarleton scored 11 and Michael Smith had 10. Four other players scored at least six points.

Lazaveon Sylvester scored 10 of his team-high 18 points in the third quarter for St. Al (2-4). Padre Gray scored 11 points, and Korey Sims and Matthew Pitre chipped in five apiece.

St. Al will have a week to lick its wounds before hosting crosstown rival Porter’s Chapel Academy next Monday. The Flashes have four games left before their District 3-5A opener at Madison-St. Joseph on Dec. 10, which Lumpkin said is the real focus right now.

“It’s been a tough schedule, so we’re content with where we’re at right now. We’ve got two games that are very winnable coming up and that would put us at .500 heading into district play,” Lumpkin said. “We’re preparing for district, so we want this tough competition now. That’s one of the reasons we decided to come and play this game.”

About Ernest Bowker

Ernest Bowker is The Vicksburg Post's sports editor. He has been a member of The Vicksburg Post's sports staff since 1998, making him one of the longest-tenured reporters in the paper's 140-year history. The New Jersey native is a graduate of LSU. In his career, he has won more than 50 awards from the Mississippi Press Association and Associated Press for his coverage of local sports in Vicksburg.

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