By Brad Crowe
In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, students across America were dismissed from classes today without having to return until Tuesday morning. For the West Jones Lady Mustangs basketball team, however, there was more business to take care of before enjoying the three-day weekend. They played host to a highly-talented Ladies Tornadoes squad, both seeking their first win in District 3-5A competition. With focus and high intensity, the Lady Mustangs pulled off a sound victory by a final score of 77-49.
The Mustangs, now 14-2 on the season, were attempting to rebound from last week’s loss to South Jones, which seemed to serve as a wake-up call for a unit that had been cruising to win after win early on in the season. “There is always that sense of wanting to wake up and try harder after a loss,” admitted Coach Sharon Murray. “Of course you’d like to play with that kind of intensity every game, but it’s nice to see them respond well after a loss.”
Respond well, did they ever. West Jones jumped out to an early lead, which increased to double digits by the third minute of the second quarter. From there, they never looked back. Three Mustangs finished the game with more than twenty points scored: Brianna Carr (25), Jurnee McLaurin (22), and Brikayla Gray (24).
“I was proud of our effort tonight,” remarked Coach Murray. “I thought we did well on the defensive side of the ball at rebounding and limiting second-chance opportunities. Rebounding is just something you’ve got to do to be a good team, and I thought we did that well tonight.”
The Lady Mustangs now sit at 1-1 in division play with another district match awaiting them next Friday evening on the road against Wayne County. The Lady Tornadoes will also battle next Fridayevening in a game in Ellisville against South Jones.
Boys Game
The boys game between Laurel and West Jones on Friday night played out as a dominance showcase for the back-to-back 5A state champion Tornadoes. Coach Marcus Price’s team cruised to an 80-55 victory to extend their winning streak to five games and also advance to 3-0 in district competition. The Tornadoes won in an extremely efficient fashion, with nine players scoring five or more points. Austin Lindsey led all scorers with 11 points on the night. The Tornadoes will be back in action tomorrow evening in a non-conference game against Seminary during the MLK Shoot-Out Tournament.
