The Lincoln Prep Panther and the Homer Lady Pels kept pace in their respective district titles with wins on Friday night at Lincoln Prep in Grambling.
LINCOLN PREP PANTHERS 80, HOMER PELICANS 68
The No. 3 ranked Panthers started fast out of the gate with a
13-1 run to set the pace for the game. The Pelicans looked to have a long night starting out down 23-10 after the first quarter. Chanse Robinson netted 7 points in the opening quarter.
The Panthers looked to continue the domination as Triston Gatson nailed a three to start the quarter. Jayshun Miller then sparked the Pelicans with a 3-pointer and a drive to the goal to give Homer an 8-0 run to close the gap to within six points. The Pelicans got within as close as three points in the quarter. Lincoln Prep took a 45-36 into halftime.
Homer kept chipping away at the early start with the Panthers barely holding on to the lead. The Pelican opened with another small 5-0 run on to be ended by a 3-pointer by J’Colby Middleton.
Chanse Robinson continued to keep Homer at arm’s length away from catching the Panthers. Frustrations by the Pelican garnered a technical foul that allowed Lincoln Prep to regain control. A last-second three from the wing by Fred Payne maintained Lincoln Prep 8-point lead heading into the final quarter.
The Panthers turned up the heat in the final quarter. Another three by Payne triggered a 7-0 run by Lincoln Prep. The Panthers were up by thirteen with a half a quarter remaining. A little too much excitement and celebration in the eyes of the refs gained a technical by the Panthers. Lincoln Prep controlled the rest of the game for the win.
Chanse Robinson led the Panthers with 22 points and 13 rebounds for the evening. Fred Payne also scored a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. J’Colby Middleton bucket 15. Meci Payne scored 10.
Jayshun Miller was the lead scorer for the Pelicans with 29 points. J. Tate had 18 points.
With Arcadia’s loss on Tuesday night against Ringgold, the Lincoln Prep Panther tied their district with a win over Calvary. With Arcadia winning on Haynesville on Friday night, the Panthers needed the win over Homer to keep up with the Hornets in the race
HOMER LADY PELICANS 55, LINCOLN PREP LADY PANTHERS 38
The Homer Lady Pels had a hard time shaking off Lincoln Prep early in the game. Jordan Shelton 3-pointer set the tone on how the pace would be for the first quarter. Auniyah Rhone brought the Panthers back into the game with a jump shot and a three. Lincoln Prep caught the Lady Pels late in the first quarter at 11-11. The two traded baskets until Cece Evans bucketed a shot with a few seconds remaining to give 15-14 to the Lady Panthers.
The two teams continued to match each other on shots as no more than a 2 point lead could be achieved in the second as the two teams went into halftime tied 23-23.
The Lady Pels came out at halftime with the two teams continued to trade shots in the first three minutes. Shelton had enough. The defense kicked in for the Lady Pels with two steals by Williams and another by Shelton. Turner crashed the boards grabbing rebounds. Shelton netted nine points in the next four minutes and Turner and Williams contributed to the 15-0 run to close out giving the Lady Pels the 42-30 lead.
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Shelton went on fire in the final quarter scorching the net for 12 points as the Lady Pels rolled to the 55-38.
“I was a little worried because we only had eight players,” Homer Coach Elaine Gilbert said. “I thought my core of the team, six of who play a lot, stepped up. At halftime, we were tied. The defense that I don’t have faith is a basic 2-3, but it worked because they rotated. We hit the boards hard and my senior (Shelton) came through for me. One of our goals was not to get into early foul trouble. She (Shelton) had two fouls in the first half and normally I bench her, but I trusted that she would not pick up that third. I played her and she played smart.”
Jordan Shelton came up short one rebound and one steal from a triple-double as she accumulated 28 points, 9 steals, and 9 rebounds.
Auniyah Rhone finished with 15 points or the Lady Panthers. Tiyan Heard netted 12 points 7 rebounds.
The Lady Pels are still one game behind the Haynesville Lady Tors who won on Friday night against Arcadia. The district title could come down to the final night against Haynesville in Homer. The game was originally scheduled for Valentine’s day next Friday, but it has been bumped back to Thursday night. “We’re all energized about it,” Coach Gilbert said. “It’s our senior night and last regular-season ball game. I have faith in these girls just like I told them tonight. We’re going to come to play and it’s going to be an exciting game. The Lady Pels are going to be on top.”
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