MONTICELLO – Lawrence County swept Pearl in girls’ and boys’ play in the final games of the two-day LCHS Thanksgiving Classic. Vicki Rutland’s girls beat Pearl by a 45-39 margin, and Pat Bridges’ boys clawed out a 41-40 nail-biter. The Lady Cougars and Cougars avenged close defeats suffered at Pearl two weeks earlier.

In the girls’ game, Lawrence County opened an early lead and held it throughout the remainder of the game, though the Lady Cougars could never pull away to a comfortable margin. In the earlier meeting, Pearl battled back from behind in the fourth quarter to snatch a close win. This time, the Lady Cougars were able to avoid that fate.

Sophomore forward Camryn Davis had a huge night for Lawrence County, pouring in 23 points and pulling down 10 rebounds DeNeisha Dickson added nine points, three assists and three steals. Almost all of Davis’ field goals came off of assist passes. Zipporah Baylis had five assists, and Jada McDuffey handed out three.

With the win, the Lady Cougars improved to 4-2 on the young season. Pearl, coached by Lacey Kennedy, was led by Caylyn Tate and Ashlyn Horne, who each tallied 13 points.

While the boys’ game wasn’t an artistic masterpiece, it was an energetic, intense, defensive battle. Lawrence County jumped to a 13-2 lead in the first five minutes of the game, then saw the wheels come off offensively. Pearl struggled just as much against the LCHS defense.

Early in the third quarter, Pearl caught the Cougars at 17-17. It remained knotted up throughout the third. The score was tied 27-27 entering the decisive fourth period. Lawrence County burst out to a six-point lead midway through the fourth, but Pearl again battled back to tie the game at 36-36. LCHS won out in the final two minutes.

Keyshawn Feazell, Lawrence County’s 6-foot-8 junior center, led the Cougars with 19 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocked shots. Phillip Moore added 12 points, five rebounds, and four assists. With several likely contributors still playing football for LCHS, Lawrence County used just six players in the game.

With the win, the Cougars improved to 5-2 on the season. One of those losses was a one-point loss at Pearl. The Pirates, coached by Don Moore, were led by Isiah Brown, who had 11 points.

Also in action Tuesday were area teams Bogue Chitto and Wesson. Bogue Chitto took on East Marion in a girls/boys double-header. Christi Terrell’s Lady Bobcats stayed hot, hammering East Marion 61-34. Zariah Matthews (16) Shakirianna Jefferson (14), Terrah Nelson (11) and Taneisha May (10) all netted double figures for Bogue Chitto.

In boys’ action, Mark Pitts’ Bobcats gave it a great first-half fight, trailing 30-22 at the break. In the second half, however, East Marion pulled away, winning 61-34. Damarcus Godbolt led Bogue Chitto with 18 points.

Wesson took on Tylertown. In the girls’ game, Tylertown exploded for 25 fourth-quarter points to break open a tight game and win it, 61-39. Jashia Smith had 15 for Wesson, and Aurianna Vaughn netted 11.

In boys’ play, Tylertown won by a 65-52 score. Wesson’s dynamic duo of Anthony Jones and Eric Rhymes combined for 45 of the Cobras’ 52 points. Jones led all scorers with 30, and Rhymes added 15.