Ethel basketball swept J.Z. George with a 63-51 victory for the Tigers and 50-33 for the Lady Tigers.
The boys overcame a slow start.
“I was very pleased with the effort and the never quit attitude that the boys brought to the court,” said Coach Corey Parish. “They never flinched after we got down 11-0 to start the game.”
The Tigers outscored J.Z. George 63-40 over the final 29 minutes.
Kentrell Dotson and Davion Hunt led balanced scoring for the Tigers, each with 13 points. Ladamian Merritt had 10 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks and Antony Clark scored 10 points.
“We did an excellent job of sharing the ball again as eight guys scored and four were in double figures” said the coach. “We have a lot of work to do to get into game shape, but they guys are putting in a lot of hard work and preparation to get to where we want to be as a tam as the division season approaches.”
The result was a reversal of a 66-53 loss to J.Z. George November 19.
Girls
Zantavia Clark scored 18 points for the Lady Tigers. Jaterika Merritt had 11 points, Nicole Patrick nine points and eight rebounds, and Abbie Ellington was a force on the boards with 12 rebounds.
“The girls did an excellent job on defense,” Parish said, pointing out that J.Z. George's top two scorers were held to 20 points after they scored 43 against Ethel on November 19. Ethel won that game 61-53 behind 36 points by Clark.
Parish said the Lady Tigers were sluggish in the first half despite holding an 11-point lead at intermission. The team stepped up the defensive intensity in the third quarter, outscoring J.Z. George 15-2.
In games against Winona Monday, the Lady Tigers ran their winning streak to five with a 34-28 victory, but the Tigers were defeated 76-43 as Winona — the state’s fourth ranked team in 3A — won a sixth straight game.
Ethel will participate in a tournament at McAdams December 27 and 28.
