MONTICELLO – McComb swept a Division 7-4A basketball double-header from Lawrence County Tuesday night, at Lawrence County High School. In the girls’ game, Angelia Johnson’s Lady Tigers dominated the second half, rolling to a 67-32 win over the Lady Cougars. In boys’ action, it went right down to the wire, with Hilton Harrell’s Tigers clawing out a narrow 46-44 win.

The game of the night was the boys’ game. McComb entered with a record of 20-1, and ranked number one among Mississippi’s 4A schools. The Tigers are the reigning 4A state champions. Right behind McComb in the Division 7-4A standings came Pat Bridges’ Cougars, with their lone division loss coming at McComb 18 nights earlier.

The upset-minded Cougars raced to an early 15-4 lead, but McComb clawed back into a 23-23 tie by halftime. The Tigers took the lead and stretched it to four points midway through the fourth quarter. That’s when things got interesting.

A Gabriel Lewis 3-pointer got the Cougars to within one point, at 36-35. Two free throws by Keith Davis and a basket by Keyshawn Feazell netted Lawrence County a 3-point lead, at 39-36. At that point, the Zarkeichious Martin Show started. The Tigers’ guard would hit three 3-pointers in the final two minutes, each of them erasing a Lawrence County lead.

Martin’s final 3-pointer put the Tigers ahead 45-43 with 44 seconds left. Lawrence County cut the lead to one when Phillip Moore made 1 of 2 free throws. McComb’s final margin of victory was provided by an Antonio Cowart free throw with 2 seconds left. The Cougars’ desperation heave at the buzzer clanged off the backboard.

Martin and Emanuel Thompson led McComb with 14 points each. Cowart added 12 for the Tigers, who improved to 7-0 in division play.

Lewis led the Cougars with 13 points and 4 steals. Keith Davis added 12 points. Feazell had a double-double, with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Moore contributed 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. LCHS fell to 15-9 overall, and 5-2 in the division.

The girls’ game was pretty competitive for a half. McComb led 33-23 at the intermission, then stretched its lead to 13 points by the end of the third quarter. The wheels really came off on Lawrence County in the final period, with McComb outscoring the Lady Cougars 22-0 in the quarter. The score really got out of hand in the final five minutes, when LCHS coach Vicki Rutland subbed for her entire starting five.

Mylisha Hammond led McComb with 16 points. She was joined in double figures by Chardonay Williams, who netted 10. The Lady Tigers remain very much alive in the Division 7-4A race with a 5-2 division mark.

Haven Johnson led the Lady Cougars with 11 points. Freshman Camryn Davis had 10 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocked shots. Turnovers cost Lawrence County any shot at the game. LCHS turned the ball over a whopping 39 times, 29 of them coming while the Lady Cougars’ starters were still in the game.

Lawrence County fell to 13-11 overall, and 4-4 in division play.

Both schools will host division foes on Friday. McComb will host Purvis, while South Pike will visit LCHS.