MONTICELLO-Lawrence County and Bay High, of Bay St. Louis, split a Saturday afternoon basketball double-header at Lawrence County High School. In girls’ play, Bay High rode a strong first half to a 42-23 win. The boys’ game was a dandy, with the homestanding Cougars hanging on for a 46-45 win in a game that went down to the wire.

In the girls’ game, Debbie Triplett’s Lady Tigers rolled to a 24-5 halftime lead and cruised after that. Bay High, a perennial 4A contender, smothered the Lady Cougars with its defense. Bay High started the game on a 15-0 run, as LCHS failed to score until midway through the second quarter.

Simone Jackson and Breanna Smith led Bay High with 10 points each. To their credit, the Lady Cougars, while struggling mightily on offense, gave it a great fight on the defensive end, keeping the game respectable. Bay High improved to 8-0 with the win.

“I was awfully proud of the effort, and the intensity,” said Lady Cougar coach Vicki Rutland. “There’s no ‘quit’ in our bunch. The score isn’t indicative of the effort our players gave today.”

Jada McDuffey led the Lawrence County girls with 9 points and 6 rebounds. DeNeisha Dickson added 6 points. The Lady Cougars fell to 3-5 with the loss.

The boys’ game was close throughout, and low-scoring, as Bay High employed its ultra-patient, constant-motion, half-court offense. It was tied 29-29 through three quarters. Bay High’s final lead came at 42-40. Lawrence County’s Gabriel Lewis put the Cougars in front with an old-fashioned 3-point play with 2:10 left on the clock. LCHS would never relinquish that lead.

Keyshawn Feazell and Keith Davis led the Cougars with 14 points each. Feazell added 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocked shots. Phillip Moore added 8 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Five of Moore’s 8 points came in the critical fourth period.

“This was a good win for our team,” said Cougar coach Pat Bridges. “It was good to win a close, crunch-time type of game. Our team had to work hard on both ends of the court. Every possession is crucial in a game like this.”

Bay High stayed in the game with deadly three-point shooting. The Tigers hit ten 3-pointers, compared to just one for LCHS. Conner Ladner and Mekhi Wyman led Bay High with 14 points each. Ladner hit four 3-pointers in the game.

Bay High fell to 5-3 with the loss. Lawrence County improved to 7-1 with the win. Lawrence County will next be in action Friday night, at Brookhaven High School.