Anxious moments, nerves and inexperience did not stop the Greenville High School Honeybees from moving to 8-2 and garbing a hard fought 39-33 win over the Coahoma County Lady Cougars Friday night.
The host Honeybees led throughout much of contest and withstood a fourth quarter surge. Up 37-30 with less than two minutes in the game, the visitors began to press Honeybee ball handlers. But, Ti’Alone Banks consistently dribbled past and around double and even triple team defense to find open teammates and run clock to preserve the victory.
“The good thing about this game is that we didn’t lose our composure down the stretch,” said Greenville High head coach Dakedreon Lampkin. “It’s a sign that we’re growing and maturing as a unit.”
Successfully breaking defensive pressure and traps at the end of the game was not only a testament to good ball handling but also quick thinking.
On a critical play that would’ve put Coahoma County in position to tie the game, sophomore forward Navea Ervin found herself being trapped by two Coahoma defenders. She quickly got the ball back to Banks, who drove to the basket, got fouled and knocked down two free throws to seal the win.
“I still put this in the category of an ugly win,” Lampkin said. “But I’d rather have an ugly win than a pretty win. Our inexperience showed a little bit in this gain but it’s good to see that the mental part of the game is being to be a plus for us.”
Carmen Rhodes led all scores with 14. Banks chipped in eight.
