Peyton Hood produced a career-game Friday night in John R. Gray Gymnasium. Hood pumped in a game-high 25 points, sparking the Brookhaven Academy Cougars to a 66-59 overtime win against the McComb Parklane Academy Pioneers.

     Parklane (10-4) erased an 11-point, 51-40, fourth-quarter deficit to gain a 57-57 deadlock at the end of regulation. However, the Pioneers missed their first 7 field goal attempts in the 4-minute overtime and BA capitalized at the free throw line, making 7-of-10 from the charity stripe.

     “We should have put the game away several times but we missed some opportunities, especially with free throws,” said BA coach Dale Watts. “Things like that will come back to bite you in the behind.”

     Watts watched his Cougars (13-4) make 6 straight free throws in the final 61 seconds of overtime. Hood, Gage Posey and Zac Smith each made a pair, forging a 66-57 lead before 6-foot-5 senior center Tyler Stutzman ended Parklane’s scoring drought with 3.3 seconds showing on the clock.

     “When we got into overtime, our guys relaxed and put a lot into it,” Watts noted. “I thought Peyton Hood had a heckuva first half,” scoring 19 points, including 4 treys.

     “Our seniors stepped up down the stretch and made some big shots,” Watts added.

     Senior guard Matthew Evans showed the coolness of a riverboat gambler, making 2 clutch free throws with 20 seconds left to gain a 57-57 tie. A last-second, baseline  shot by the Pioneers failed to fall.

     “It was a pretty good battle with Parklane,” said Posey, who finished with 14 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. “Peyton Hood really stepped up.”

     Senior guard Zac Smith sacked 16 points and made 4 steals in the victory. Evans had 6 rebounds.

     Parklane coach Chris Weaver, played for Watts when he was coaching the Pioneers. Weaver is a 1987 Parklane graduate. They both are members of the Summit First Baptist Church.

     ” There were two pretty good teams playing each other tonight,” said Weaver. “We struggled because BA played great defense. We finally got something going and managed to catch up at the end.”

     Weaver’s team outscored the Cougars 17-8 in the fourth quarter.  They took the lead at 57-55 on Brady Lea’s putback with 40 seconds left off a steal by Tyler Stutzman who finished with 11 points.

     Guard Spencer Remley paced the Pioneers with 19 points. Zach Stutzman and Lea scored 10 apiece. Zach Stutzman had 6 rebounds.

Junior High Results

     Twenty-one points by Conner Travis powered the Pioneers to a 49-21 victory. Peyton Yawn had 12 points and Reece Paulk 6.

     The Cougars got 11 points from Dawson Flowers and 4 from Roger Rushing.