Lady Warriors take first defeat

By By Marty Stamper/EMG sports assistant
January 10, 2004
NEWTON The Choctaw Central Lady Warriors found out how the other half has been feeling Friday in the Newton Invitational Tournament.
Louisville's Dee Forrest scored 50 points to lead the Lady Wildcats to a 72-68 win over the previously-unbeaten Lady Warriors.
Forrest, a 6-foot-1 Dandy Dozen pick, scored 18 points in the second quarter and had 12 in the fourth despite being double and sometimes triple-teamed most of the night.
Choctaw Central, which had knocked off previously-undefeated teams Southeast Lauderdale and Bay Springs earlier this week, had no answer for Forrest, who has signed to play for Ole Miss.
In losing their first game of the season, the Lady Warriors led 18-13 after one quarter and took a 40-35 lead into halftime. Choctaw Central held a 56-52 advantage to start the fourth quarter.
It quickly evaporated as Louisville opened the final quarter with a 6-0 run and outscored the Lady Warriors 16-4 over the first five minutes of the fourth quarter to pull out to a 68-60 lead.
Choctaw Central, 16-1, got no closer than the final four-point margin.
Louisville, 12-3, also got 14 points from Erica Hardin and six from Tenisha Jones.
Choctaw Central got 21 points from Ashley Flint, 16 from Chantay Frazier, eight from Kelly McMillan, seven from Mystee Dale, and six each from Kristi Willis and Shyatesa York.
Bay Springs 89
Newton 77
Kristi Martin scored 11 of her game-high 39 points in overtime to lead the Lady Bulldogs past Newton.
Newton led 71-67 with only 15 seconds to go in regulation, but Martin hit two free throws and dished off to a wide open Leatrice Ulmer in the left corner for a 3-pointer at the horn to end regulation with a 72-72 stalemate.
The game had eight ties and seven lead changes in the fourth quarter alone.
Martin hit four 3-point shots and was a perfect 13-of-13 at the free-throw line to lead the 16-1 Lady Bulldogs. Bay Springs also got 23 points from Nadosha Strickland, 13 from Ulmer, and six from Jasmine Payne.
Newton, 14-6, got 20 points from Whitney Thames, 17 each from Karmarshea Jones and Jessica Anderson, 15 from Rosalind Jones, and six from Chotsani Henderson.
Choctaw 82
Louisville 52
The Warriors improved to 15-2 overall and 2-0 in the tournament with the 30-point blowout.
Choctaw Central led 21-10 after one quarter and held a 45-25 halftime lead.
Jaric Anderson led the Warriors with 24 points. Scotty Nickey scored 16, while Sean Ahshapanek and Rodgrick Anderson both had seven.
Louisville, 5-10, got 24 points from Doug Hudson, 10 from Shun Yarbrough, and nine from Maurice Gladney.
Newton 85
Bay Springs 55
Five players scored in double figures as Newton spanked Bay Springs by 30 points in the finale. The Tigers improved to 2-0 in the tournament with the win.
Newton, 10-9, got 20 points from Cornelius Caraway, 14 each from Darrin Murrell and Brandon Shelton, 13 from Kolby Tillman, and 12 from Courtney Ruffin. Jamario Walker added six points.
Not that it was easy early on.
Newton saw a 12-point lead (30-18) get cut to one (30-29) before stretching back out to a 12-point advantage (43-31) in the second quarter. The Tigers carried a 45-36 lead into halftime.
The Tigers steadily pulled out to a 26-point lead with 5:43 remaining on back-to-back treys from Caraway and Ruffin.
The Tigers' biggest lead of the night was 82-49.
Bay Springs, 12-5, got 15 points from Phillip Sims, 10 from Reggie Shellwood and six each from Labarton Jones and Ben Jones.