By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
June 27, 2003
DECATUR The Choctaw Central Lady Warriors stole away their opening contest in the State Games of Mississippi at the East Central Community College gym on Thursday.
Choctaw Central's pressure defense forced back-to-back turnovers on inbound passes with three minutes left in the first half as the Lady Warriors pulled away from the Bay Springs girls en route to a 65-41 victory.
The Lady Warriors continued to pressure the Lady Bulldogs in the second half snatching three straight passes from the baseline eight minutes into the final 14 minutes of the game.
Chantay Frazier paced the Lady Warriors' offense with 17 points and Ashley Flint added 13 points.
Nadosha Strickland scored a team-high 14 points for Bay Springs, and Jasmine Payne added eight.
Durant boys 85
East Union 32
The Durant boys' squad tallied the most lopsided victory of the day at ECCC over East Union.
Jeremy Williams scored a game-high 15 points in Durant's 53-point win, and Frisco Levy added 10 points. Jonathan Boyd, Terrence Simmons and Antonio Eshridge each scored eight for Durant.
Tracy Ragsdale notched 14 points for East Union, and Chase Punch added eight. Matthew Allen, M.J. McWhorter and Clay Hall each scored three points.
WS boys 57
Lake 47
The William Sullivan Yellow Jackets stung the Lake Hornets early and often in the low post at the start of the second half en route to their victory.
Yellow Jackets center Markendrick Boyd scored six of the squad's first eight points from the blocks in the opening five minutes of the final half.
Boyd finished with a game-high 20 points, as he left Lake looking for an answer to stop his assault from down low.
Phillip Holmes scored 10 points for William Sullivan, while Marcello Green added eight.
Tyron Bobbitt scored a team-high 17 points for Lake, and Ivon Hickman and Danny Towner each added six.
Play in the State Games basketball tournament resumes at ECCC with the West Oktibbeha boys taking on Jefferson County at 10:10 a.m. today. Six games are on tap at the gym in day two.
Bay Springs boys 51
Cleveland 41
In the second game of the day at the junior college gym, the Bay Springs boys' squad scored a victory over Cleveland.
Phillip Simms led a balanced Bay Springs' scoring sheet with 12 points, and Reggie Shellwood and Ben Jones tallied 11 and nine points in the win, respectively.
Lacarius Acoff scored 12 points for Cleveland, and Anderson Davis added 10 points in the loss.