MONTICELLO-Lawrence County closes out its regular season tonight with a Division 7-4A varsity double-header at North Pike. On Tuesday, the Cougars and Lady Cougars took a one-night vacation from division play, and hosted 2A powerhouse Bay Springs. While lacking the importance of a late-season division contest, Lawrence County fans got treated to one of the most-entertaining games of the season.

In girls’ play, Bay Springs jumped to an early lead and cruised to a comfortable 53-33 win over Vicki Rutland’s Lady Cougars. The real Tuesday action was in the boys’ game. Bay Springs entered with a lofty record and one of Mississippi’s top players, “Dandy Dozen” selection Bruce Stevens. But it was Pat Bridges’ Cougars who came away with the win, overcoming Stevens’ 36-point outburst in a 69-64 overtime victory.

The boys’ game was tight throughout. It was tied at 26-26 at the half, and it was knotted at 34-34 after three quarters. In the waning moments, two Phillip Moore free throws gave LCHS a 53-50 lead. There were only 3.7 seconds left. Stevens weaved through Lawrence County’s full court pressure and launched a shot from just past the half court stripe. By the time Stevens’ shot reached its destination, the buzzer had already sounded, but the standout’s seventh 3-pointer of the game sent the contest into overtime.

In overtime, Lawrence County erupted for 16 points, many of them from the free throw line. In the fourth quarter and overtime combined, the Cougars converted 14 of 16 free throws. They made 23 of 27 for the game.

Gabriel Lewis led LCHS with 20 points, 9 of them coming on 3-pointers. Moore added 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. He hit 10 of 11 free throws in the game. Keyshawn Feazell had 12 points and 12 rebounds. Keith Davis also netted 12 points.

For Bay Springs, Stevens was as advertised-one of the top players in the state. He tallied 36 of the Bulldogs’ 64 points.

“This was a great win for our team,” said LCHS coach Pat Bridges, whose Cougars improved to 17-9 with the victory. “Bay Springs is a state title contender, with one of the best players in the state. This was a good game for our guys in that it was a game with playoff-like intensity. Winning a game like that helps a team’s confidence the next time it gets in a situation like that.”

The girls’ game wasn’t as dramatic. Bay Springs assured that by racing to a 21-7 first quarter lead. Vicki Rutland’s Lady Cougars gave it a good fight after that, but were a bit outgunned on this night. Bay Springs’ Shay Kemp led all scorers with 16 points. Center Erykah Walker, who dwarfed every Lawrence County player, dominated on the inside, scoring 11 points.

Jada McDuffey led Lawrence County with 9 points. Jazmine Moore added 8, and Haven Johnson had 7. Kametrius Leggett led the Lady Cougars in rebounding with 7. Camryn Davis had 6 rebounds and 4 blocked shots. The LCHS girls improved to 13-13 with the loss.

Going into tonight’s final regular season game, the LCHS boys are locked into second place in the division. Thus, they won’t play until Thursday, in the semi-finals, of next week’s Division 7-4A tournament. The Lawrence County girls are locked into fourth place, and will face fifth-seeded Columbia in an elimination game on Tuesday.

The Division 7-4A tournament will be played at Lawrence County High School.