Hawks down ’Cats, Devils

District wins are the biggest ones, and the Holly Springs Hawks came out on top in their Region 2-3A opener last week.

They made the short bus ride to Independence and left with a 73-58 victory.

“Daveon Miller had a big double-double in our district win,” coach Sylvester Kilgore said. “It was a good way start to district play.”

Miller dominated the boards versus the Wildcats with 22 rebounds (17 on defense and five on offense). He also scored 15 points.

Tyhem Reaves was the top gun with 17 points. Also scoring in double digits were Ded’drick Faulkner with 12 and Derek Fountain with 10.

The Lady Hawks mounted a huge rally and fell two points short, 51-49.

“We fought back from an 18-point deficit and lost by two,” coach Andre Jones said.

The game was tied at 21 at the halfway point.

The Lady Wildcats outscored Holly High 20-5 in the third and stretched its lead a bit more to start the fourth.

That’s when the Lady Hawks displayed their neversay-die effort. They outscored the home team 23-10 in the fourth but it wasn’t quite enough.

Powering the offensive attack for Holly High were Arriyunna Washington with 17 points and Celekeisha Brown with 14.

Holly High-Ashland

Rivals from neighboring counties, Marshall and Benton, collided Friday night as Holly High met Ashland. Winners were the Hawks and the Lady Blue Devils.

It was a big night for Fountain as the Holly Springs boys rolled to a 71-48 win. The junior poured in 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Other Hawks had solid showings, too. Miller grabbed 16 rebounds and scored 15 points. Reaves scored 14, going five of six from the freethrow stripe. Cori Bell added

10.

The Hawks outrebounded the Devils 48 to 31.

“It was a good win in a great environment,” Coach Kilgore said. “We were able to bring back Bell (two-time all-state guard) who had missed the last two games with the flu. He really bolstered our attack. Miller (a recent Northwest Community College signee) had another double-double, and Fountain once again caused havoc with his size and skills. And sharp shooter Reaves gave us a big boost.”

Holly High used its fastpace tempo to grab a lead and win every quarter.

“We had our opponent playing from behind all night,” he said. “It was a good team effort as we had contributions from across the board while being supported by a well-traveling Hawk nation.”

The Holly Springs girls let a one-point halftime lead, 27-26, slip away and fell 51-40 to Ashland.

Washington was again the top performer for the Lady Hawks. She hit for 18 points and also grabbed eight rebounds, seven of those on the defensive end.

Holly High outrebounded the Lady Devils 44-43.

Brown had a double-double, scoring 14 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Other top rebounders were Arkajah Sims with 12 and Tangela Mosley with nine.

The Lady Hawks (2-8) and the Hawks (4-5) hosted Coahoma Tuesday night. They will then host North Panola Friday. The boys will participate in the Ultimate South Showcase Saturday at Bartlett, Tenn. They will face Tipton-Rosemark at 10:15 a.m.