Wayne County girls, boys win in 5-4A tourney

By By Steve Swogetinsky / special to The Star
Feb. 17, 2004
QUITMAN Both Wayne County teams and the Mendenhall girls earned a place in the South State 4A Basketball Tournament next week as all claimed victories here Monday night in the first round of the Division 5-4A Tournament.
Mendenhall defeated the host Quitman High School girls 54-43, while Wayne County swept two from Florence High School. The Lady War Eagles won their first-round game 63-24, while the Wayne County boys claimed a 73-30 win.
Action continues tonight with three games. The West Jones girls and boys teams tangle with Northeast Lauderdale at 5 and 6:30, respectively. In the night cap, the host Quitman Panthers take on Northeast Jones at 8 p.m.
Mendenhall (girls) 54
Quitman 43
The Lady Tigers of Mendenhall pulled away from Quitman in the fourth quarter and held on for a hard-fought victory. The Lady Panthers had trailed 10-7 at the end of the first quarter, but outscored Mendenhall 11-10 in the second stanza to trail 20-18 at the break.
Quitman stayed with Mendenhall throughout the third period. Then Kermonica McGee sank two free throws to tie the game at 28-all with 2:36 remaining in the period. But Mendenhall then outscored the Lady Panthers 6-2 in the time remaining to build a 34-30 lead at the break.
That momentum continued into the fourth quarter as the Lady Tigers outscored Quitman 10-3 in the first four minutes to go up 44-33. Quitman rallied, pulling back to within two points, 45-43, on McGee's three-pointer with 1:44 remaining. But those were the final points of the night and the season for the Lady Panthers as Mendenhall pulled away.
McGee led Quitman with 24 points while Mashana Bonner added 11. McGee, Bonner, Danesha Williams and Evelyn Howze all played their final game for Quitman as they will be graduating in the spring.
Mendenhall, 18-11, tangles with Wayne County on Thursday at 4 p.m. in the second round.
Wayne Co. (girls) 63
Florence 24
The Lady War Eagles upped their record to 21-6 on the season as they rolled over Florence.
The score was tied at 4-4 with 5:32 left in the first quarter. Then the Lady War Eagles held their opponents scoreless for the rest of the quarter while putting in 14 points of their own to go up 18-4 at the break. It was more of the same during the second period as Wayne County notched 21 points while holding Florence to eight. At the intermission, Wayne County led 39-12. It was more of the same throughout the second half as Florence scored 12 points while the Lady War Eagles put in 24.
Florence coach Bill Broadhead was disappointed with the loss but not the season as his team finished with an 11-16 record.
Ratassia Worsham led Wayne County with 14 points, while Florence did not have a player in double figures.
Wayne Co. (boys) 73
Florence 30
For veteran coach Geary Jackson, this game marked a first for his 25-year boys' basketball coaching career when the War Eagles shut out Florence for the entire first quarter.
Leading 17-0 after the first quarter, the War Eagles outpointed Florence 14-6 during the second stanza to lead 31-6 at the break. The second half was never close as Wayne County outscored Florence 42-24 in the final two quarters of play.
The War Eagles, now 14-10 on the season, made it to the finals of the State 5A Tournament last season. But with one starter back Cedric Jones, who scored 20 points against Florence Jackson said his team had its work cut out for it. Florence did not have a player in double figures.
The War Eagles take on the winner of tonight's Quitman-Northeast Jones game on Thursday at 8:30 p.m.