Byhalia takes district openers
High school basketball games just got a lot more important, and Byhalia tipped off Region 2-3A competition on a high note.
Both the Lady Indians and Indians visited Tunica Thursday night of last week and left with wins over Rosa Fort.
The girls got off to a strong start and crushed the Lady Lions 47-19.
“It’s good to win that first district game,” coach Alainey Hughes said. “These are the ones that matter the most.”
Mikayla Echols connected for a pair of threes in the first quarter, and Jasmine Malone also hit one from long range as Byhalia surged ahead 17-1.
The lead ballooned to 31-4 at halftime, and the defenses dominated in the second half with the Lady Indians winning by 28.
Malone led the offense with 19 points. Jaliyah Culp added 12. Culp hit three threes in the second quarter.
Coach Derwin Cooper’s Byhalia boys also picked up a win in its district opener, 68-56 over Rosa Fort.
RoMontrez Tuggles scored 11 points in the opening period as the Indians grabbed a 16-14 advantage.
Byhalia turned up the defensive pressure in the second, holding the Lions to just eight points. Meanwhile, balanced scoring on the other end pushed the lead to 31-22.
Kanaan DeBerry got hot in the third as the Indians went up by 14 and went on to win by 12.
Top point producers were Tuggles with 25, DeBerry with 17 and Jamarion Austin with 13.
Byhalia-Southwind Byhalia teams dropped a pair of home games to Southwind (Tenn.) on Tuesday of last week. The Lady Indians stayed close in the first half before falling 38-26. They were down 13-11 at intermission but failed to score in the third, and that proved to be the difference.
Malone had 17 points for Byhalia.
The Indians, on the other hand, struggled in the first part of their contest and lost 59-47 to the team from neighboring Tennessee.
Byhalia fell behind 20-7 in the first quarter and was down 34-13 at halftime.
Mario King and Austin shared high-scoring honors for the Indians, each scoring 17.
The Lady Indians (4-8, 1-0 in district) and Indians (4-7, 10) hosted DeSoto Central Tuesday. They visit county rival Holly Springs Friday for district games. They will play in the Holly Springs Legends Classic Saturday.