Lions rally to beat Cardinals

Michael Mabon was the hero when Marshall County rivals H.W. Byers and Potts Camp met on the hardwood Tuesday, Jan. 9.

He traveled almost the length of the court and hit the game-winning layup with one second on the clock as the Lions stunned the Cardinals 64-62.

"I am so proud of the entire team for staying focused and getting the job done," said Kevin Jones, head coach at H.W. Byers. "It was a great team win for us. The boys battled hard."

The two teams entered with identical 3-2 records in the Region 2-1A race.

The host Cardinals took an early 10-4 lead on Mitchell Saulsberry's putback. With 1:21 left in the first quarter, Shun Gardner's jump shot pushed the advantage to 25-9.

The Cards led by 16 points, 25-9, at the end of the opening period.

The two teams swapped threes near the 3:00 mark of the second, coming from Potts Camp's Jaquives Muse and Byers' Ka'Damian Rhyan.

The Lions got to within seven and then the Cardinals took a 34-26 lead to the locker room at halftime.

"You could tell Potts Camp wanted it more in the first half," Coach Jones said, "but we settled down and played great defense and started attacking their big men in the second half and got them in foul trouble. It helped because they were giving us so many issues when they were on offense because of their height and blocking our shots when they were on defense."

Byers cut the deficit to five with 6:58 to go in the third on KaDerious Rhyan's drive to the goal. But three minutes later Potts Camp stretched its lead to nine when Saulsberry scored inside the paint.

At the end of the third, the Cards were up 51-45.

KaDerious Rhyan cut it to two, 51-49, a minute and a half into the fourth, but Muse answered with a three.

The Lions got to within two at the 1:26 mark and within one with 54 seconds left. Malik Glover hit a free throw to tie the game at 62 with 23 seconds remaining.

Potts Camp had a shot to win it in the closing seconds but missed its chance. That's when Mabon used his speed and sank the game-winner.

"Our offense picked up in the second half," Jones said.

He also praised the defensive effort of Glover and Ka'Damian Rhyan down the stretch, which forced some turnovers.

KaDerious Rhyan poured in a game-high 23 points for Byers. Mabon added 13 and Julian Moore 11.

For Potts Camp, Saulsberry had 20 points, 12 of those in the first quarter. Muse scored 15, including three threes, and Kedarian Faulkner added 11.

Girls game 

The Potts Camp girls stormed out of the starting gate to take an 8-0 lead and never looked back. They beat rival Byers 55-39. 

The Lady Cards were up 19-9 at the end of the first, thanks to back-to-back buckets from Ashley Anderson. 

Jakorien Hubbard got the Lady Lions to within seven at the 3:32 mark of the second quarter. But A. Anderson's shot to close the first half gave Potts Camp a comfortable 3015 lead. 

Jazmine Anderson's three put the home team up 41-22 at the close of the third and coach Brad Wren's Lady Cardinals went on to win by 16 points. 

A. Anderson dominated. She scored 25 points, 15 of those in the first half. J. Anderson added nine and Jasmine Hudson eight. 

For H.W. Byers, Hubbard scored 19 and Myesha Buffington nine. 

The Lady Cardinals (8-10 overall and 3-3 in the district) and the Cardinals (8-11 overall and 3-3 in the district) visited Ashland Tuesday. They will host non-district opponent and county rival Byhalia Friday. Next Tuesday, Jan. 23, they will host Myrtle for district games. 

The Lady Lions (2-10 overall and 0-6 in the district) and the Lions (4-7 overall and 4-2 in the district) visited West Union Tuesday. They will host Falkner Friday and then host Hickory Flat next Tuesday, Jan. 23. All are district contests.