The Brookhaven Lady Panthers climbed back into the win column with a 43-38 win over the Clinton Lady Arrows in a non-divisional battle between Class 5A versus 6A, on Teacher Appreciation Night, Tuesday night in Sinclair Gymnasium.

     In boys action, the Arrows tamed the Panthers in the fourth quarter to secure a 65-54 victory.

     Brookhaven continues action Friday. They visit McComb to battle their region 5A rivals, the McComb Tigers and Lady Tigers. The girls game tips off at 6 p.m., followed by the boys.

Brookhaven 43, Clinton 38

     The Lady Panthers (17-6, 2-1) roared to an early 8-0 lead in the first quarter before Clinton managed to get on the scoreboard with four minutes left. Ole Brook led 14-5 after one quarter of action.

     In the second quarter, Brookhaven continued to overpower Clinton in the paint and commanded a 24-13 lead at halftime.

     In the second half, the Lady Arrows (14-9, 3-0) turned up the defensive pressure and outscored the Lady Panthers 25-19.

     In the fourth quarter, Brookhaven seniors Christen Benson and Carey Crozier stepped up and provided big plays to help lead the Lady Panthers to the win.

     Crozier provided a strong performance in the paint to lead Brookhaven with 14 points. Diamond Herring and Benson netted 10 points apiece. Archea Brotherns and Fredricka Fairman were the leaders on the board with 7 rebounds.

     “The girls came out and played really well in the first half,” said Brookhaven coach Freda Craft. “In the second half, Clinton did a good job fighting back with their defensive pressure.

     “We need to do a better job handling the pressure in tough situations. Overall, I am proud of the girls’ effort to fight to the end for the win.”

     Kiana Walker was the leading scorer for the Lady Arrows with 12 points.

     “We struggled all night to get things going offensively,” said Clinton coach Felicia Lofton Burton. “Our energy finally arrived in the second half, but Brookhaven made the plays needed to win.”

Clinton 65, Brookhaven 54

     The Panthers and Arrows provided plenty of offensive and defensive fireworks for their basketball fans.

     In the first quarter, Brookhaven and Clinton battle back and forth as BHS held a slim 15-13 lead.

     The physical bout continued in the second quarter and Ole Brook took a 27-24 lead into halftime.

     In the second half, the Arrows (13-10, 1-2) overpowered the Panthers 19-8 in the third quarter to take a 43-35 lead.

     In the fourth quarter, the Panthers (11-12, 0-3) charged back to tie the game at 43-all with an 8-0 run with five minutes left. The Arrows answered with a 12-0 run and held on for the victory.

     Senior center Ryan Thibodeaux was the offensive leader for the Panthers with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Fred Trevillion contributed 16 points.

     “This was a tough, physical game,” said Brookhaven coach Preston Wilson. “Our guys played hard. We just allowed Clinton to get too many second and third chance opportunities in the second half. That was the difference of the game.”

     Clinton had three players score in double figures. Donell Williams paced the Arrows with a game-high 22 points. Marcus Washington netted 16 points. Anfernee Felton had 13 points.

     “Great game,” said Clinton coach Clay Norton. “It was a tough battle until the third quarter. Brookhaven did a great job fighting to stay in the contest. Overall, I am pleased with my guys effort to create turnovers with our defensive pressure to get the win.”

     Junior Varsity Results

      Clinton eluded Brookhaven 50-40 in the JV boys game.

     Armani Wakefield directed the Arrows with 16 points. Traveon Tripp provided 13 points and Kene Okoye had 10.

     Carl King was the top scorer for the Panthers with 12 points. Randy Wilson netted 9 points.