Holly High splits with Chicago foe


Thursday, January 8, 2009
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Holly High splits with Chicago foe

By CLAUDE VINSON
Sports Editor

Photos by Lawrence White

Keeping his balance

Kentona Shipp (14) tries to keep his footing as an Orr player goes to the floor.

Head coach Naylond Hayes extended an invitation to one of his former players (at Rust College) now turned head coach at Orr Academy, a public funded school from Chicago, Ill., to play Holly High during the holiday break.

Lou Adams was coached by Hayes as a Bearcat at Rust College during 1987-1991. He has been a head coach for six years in the Illinois system.

The Orr teams had made stops in St. Louis and Tunica before landing in Holly Springs on Saturday night. The Lady Spartans (18-7) had dropped their game to the Lady Lions of Rosa Fort on Friday evening.

The Lady Spartans and the Lady Hawks kicked off their contest at 6 p.m. and traded baskets for most of the opening frame. Katrina Cowan hit a long one at the buzzer, and Holly High trailed by just one, 14-13.

The close play continued during the second and Holly High was getting some great production from its reserves. The Lady Hawks eked out a two-point margin of 26-24 at intermission.

JaShanta Walker and Katia Isom began to take the game straight to the visitors in the third. Isom was grabbing rebounds and releasing balls to Kamilah Reliford and Shekerra Dawkins. They put an 11-point distance between the teams. Orr began a push and cut it down to five at the end of the third at 37-32.

The Lady Hawks had been playing a bit conservatively during the previous quarters but were holding off no longer. They began forcing the ball inside to draw contact. It was working. The Lady Hawks were staying at the free-throw line. Although shooting about 48 percent, they were keeping a two- to three-point separation. They went on to a 52-48 win.

The Lady Hawks had three shooters in double figures – Tamekico Johnson with 15, Isom with 13 and Walker with 12.

Orr’s post player, Marrissa Winston led the floor with 20, followed by Ziporah Williams with 12 and Andrea Murray with nine.

Hawks fall to Orr

The Orr Spartans had won over the Lions of Rosa Fort on Friday night and were trying for a sweep of Mississippi teams on their Southern sojourn.

If their long road swing was having an affect on them it was not immediately apparent. They ran out to a 16-13 lead in the first frame. They were matching speed with Holly High’s fast offense.

There was quite a bit of banging in the first and it became more physical in the second. Orr was tagged with 22 infractions overall while Holly High was hit with the same amount. The Hawks were just four behind at halftime at 34-30.

Coach and former player

Naylond Hayes (left), head coach of the Hawks, welcomed Lou Adams and his Orr Academy teams from Chicago, Ill., to Holly Springs Saturday. Adams played for Hayes when he coached at Rust College.

The Orr supporters were small in number but big in voice. They were loud boisterous, even when there was no ball in play. The Orr coach was constantly bating the officials. He had been “inviting” a “tech” all evening and he finally got one when Holly High took a three-point lead after Shermaine Jones got the three the old fashion way. The lead evaporated quickly when the Spartans closed the quarter at 46-39.

The Hawks were not being intimidated by the rough play. Foul trouble was taking its toll on the Spartans, three of their starters had already reached three fouls each. However, the Hawks could not sustain a late game attack and the Spartans won 62-50.

Marcus Tolbert paced the visitors with 15, most coming inside the paint. Mike Henry (who fouled out) also had 15 and Malik Logan threw in 10.

Holly High’s Jones and Marcus McKinney had 12 apiece.

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