Tupelo boys hang on tight against Sasakwa
Dec. 21—SASAKWA — The Tupelo High School boys basketball team had a comfortable lead for a few fleeting minutes. Then Sasakwa made the Tigers uncomfortable for the rest of the game.
The Tigers used a late defensive stand to hold off the Vikings 52-51 in a frenetic home game Friday night.
The Tigers head to Christmas break with a 7-7 record, while Sasakwa dipped to 3-4.
The Vikings, trailing by one, had the last possession of the game but couldn't score against a tough Tupelo defense.
"We got a defensive stop to win it," said head coach Clay Weller. "It was a tale of two halves. The kids really got after it in the second half. The first half was probably our worst defensive half of the year thus far. I'm proud of my players for hanging in there and battling back in the second half. We had far more defensive intensity in the second half.
Tupelo led 11-2 after the w
Sasakwa girls ease past Tupelo
SASAKWA — Sasakwa used big runs in the first and third quarters to overpower Tupelo 71-45 at home Friday night.
The Lady Vikings head to the holiday break with a 5-2 record, while Tupelo dropped to 4-10.
"It was a solid win for us going into the break. We had (Cednei Hulbutta) back tonight and everyone contributed," said Sasakwa head coach Rikki Wolf. " We shot the ball well and were solid defensively overall as a team. It was a great team win."
The Lady Vikings were still without the services of Emileigh Palmer, who is dealing with a knee injury.
"We continue to keep Em in our prayers and pray that she will be back on the court soon," Wolfe said.
Sasakwa raced to a 20-9 lead after the first quarter. The two teams both scored 19 points in the second period and the Lady Vikings went to the locker room with a 39-28 lead. Sasakwa pulled away with a 24-7 third-quarter burst.
Alina Rangel led the SHS offense with 25 points, including three 3-point shots. Elle Odom and Mena Cedartree both hit double figures with 10 points each. Hulbutta added eight points for the home team. Odom and Cedartree both made a pair of treys.
Kylee Watson led Tupelo with 16 points and sank three 3-pointers. Isabella Neal just missed double digits with nine and Jaycee Stringer contributed eight for the Lady Tigers.
