The Mendenhall Tigers left the Magee High School gym undefeated in varsity play after two very competitive games by the Trojans. The Lady Tigers were able to hold off a comeback by the Lady trojans and win the game with a final score of 49-47. The Lady Tigers were led by junior center Kam McLaurin in scoring. McLaurin was a force inside with 15 points on the night. After trailing by double digits in the first half Trojan’s senior guard Nicole Sandifer led the charge for her team leading to a thrilling finish. The Lady Tigers took the win and will move on to face Lawrence County, and Magee’s next opponent is Forrest County High School.
Another equally exciting game played out during the boys game. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead thanks to the sharp shooting of Montavis Hobbs and Jay Rankin. They also dominated the glass with the strong interior play of Tayton James and Xavier Peele. However, it was a game of runs. The Trojans began to find a rhythm as the game proceeded and were able to get stops and play in transition. Jeremiah Cole, Kendal Middleton, and Ken Porter provided an offensive spark for the Trojans and gave them a slight lead heading into halftime.
The Tigers recaptured the lead early in the fourth quarter setting the stage for an exciting finish. Tigers Jay Rankin did a great job finding his teammates for easy baskets. Jeremiah Cole took over for the Trojans down the stretch of the fourth scoring several points in the final minute of the game and gave his team a 1 one-point lead after knocking down a clutch three pointer in the corner with less than 20 seconds on the clock. The Tigers attacked the basket on the next possession down one point. Mendenhall gathered the rebound after a missed layup and the ball found Montavis Hobbs on the perimeter and he knocked down the three-pointer to put the Tigers up two points for a final score of 72-70.
Montavis Hobbs led the Tigers with 27 points followed by Jay Rankin with 13 points. Jeremiah Cole finished the game with 30 points followed by Ken Porter with 12 and Kendal Middleton with 11 points for the Trojans.
