India Singleton took over on Senior Night inside Laurel’s Gymnasium.
The senior captain and shooting guard buried six threes Friday night helped Laurel claim its first win over West Jones in girls basketball since February of 2017.
Singleton led with 27 points in Laurel’s 52-39 win as the Lady Tornadoes concluded Region 5-5A play for the regular season. The Region 5-5A Tournament is set to begin next Saturday at South Jones.
“To be honest, I was concerned about our girls and the possibility of not being focused on Senior Night,” said Laurel girls basketball coach Sherri Cooley. “But they came out and executed the game plan just like we worked on all week. I’m really proud of them.”
“I don’t think India has ever beaten West Jones, so she really wanted to get that win. She took it upon herself and told me she wanted to do it.”
Of Singleton’s six baskets behind the arc Friday night, three found their mark in the third period and helped Laurel build a 44-23 lead heading into the final eight minutes. Singleton and the Lady Tornadoes held on in the final period to win, despite getting outscored 16-8.
A large part of Laurel’s success was being able to limit West Jones’ leading scorer Brikayla Gray. In the two team’s first meeting three weeks ago to the day, Gray scored 34 and led the Lady Mustangs to a 19-point victory, 67-48. Friday night, Gray managed only 15 points. She was held to 2 points in the first half.
"I'm just so happy for our girls," Cooley said. "They have the talent; they have the athletic ability; they just need to know that they can do it. And that is what I have been trying to instill in them all week. I knew they could do it."
Singleton was the only Lady Tornado with points in the double-digits.
Sophomore Manaca Keyes led in rebounds with eight.
Despite the win, Laurel still finishes Region 5-5A in the regular season as the No. 3 seed and will play No. 2 seed, West Jones, again in the first round of the region tournament.
"Our district is one of the best in the state," said Cooley. "We have West Jones; it's tough to beat them no matter what, and I know they'll come back ready to beat us. Then you have South Jones, who is hard to beat too, and of course, you have Brookhaven, and we know what they're like. So it will be a challenge."
Laurel improves to 13-12 overall and 3-3 in Region 5-5A. West Jones falls to 13-8, and 3-3 in region play.
