Ethel girls’ basketball defeated J.Z. George 61-53 but lost to McEvans 81-49 and dropped a 51-48 game to Choctaw County in overtime.
Coach Corey Parish said the Lady Tigers were not able to handle pressure from McEvans, resulting in too many turnovers, but improved in that area against J.Z. George.
“We did a much better job hustling and getting to our spots on defense than in the previous two games,” he said of the victory over J.Z George. “We are still struggling from the free throw line and with missed layups, but as the season progresses, I feel we will get better in both areas. With such a young team, to be a few possessions and/or decisions from being 4-1 makes me feel good about the rest of the season. I feel we have the potential to finish the year out strong and have a successful season.”
In the loss to Choctaw County, the Lady Tigers made only 12 of 37 free throws, missed 12 layups and committed two turnovers in the final minute.
“We played hard, but no matter the effort, it is hard to overcome 25 missed free throws and a dozen missed layups,” said the coach.
Zantavia Clark had a big game in the win over J.Z. George with 36 points, three rebounds and three steals. Jaterika Merritt had 11 points and three rebounds, Abbe Ellington 10 rebounds, five points and two steals, Nicole Patrick five points, four rebounds and three steals and Jasmine Johnson contributed six rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two points.
Clark had 27 points against McEvans and 12 against Choctaw County. Johnson had eight rebounds and six points in the loss to McEvans, and Merritt was the team's high scorer against Choctaw County with 17 points.
Boys
The Tigers opened the season with losses to Choctaw County 55-45, McEvans 51-37, and J.Z. George 66-53. Most of the players came straight from football after the season ended and did not have a preseason.
“This group of young men has had only one real day of practice together. Therefore, they do not know a lot about each other yet and they are definitely not in basketball condition,” Parish said. “Despite that, they are playing very hard as a unit. In all three games, they have been within a single digit in the fourth quarter with a chance to win and that is all you can ask. This is a young group starting a freshman at point guard in Jaylen Estes who has done a great job running the team throughout the first three games.”
Anton Clark led Ethel in scoring in all three games with 21 points against Choctaw County, 18 against J.Z George and 11 against McEvans and drew praise from Parish for his leadership.
“This is a young group and so far, we are finding strength in numbers as we are playing 9-10 kids a night who are contributing,” said Parish.
Nine players scored in the JZ. George game.
Following the Thanksgiving break, the Tigers and Lady Tigers return to action December 2 with home games against Choctaw County.
