Lawrence County’s Lady Cougars breezed through the first round of the 4A playoffs, beating South Pike 56-34 to advance to Friday’s night’s second round.

Causing turnovers, South Pike was able to keep themselves in the game for the first half. The Lady Cougars settled down in the second half and got their offense off on the right foot. Pressing the ball down the court, the Lady Cougars were able to take control of the game.

“We started off a little slow,” Lady Cougars’ senior Camryn Davis said. “We had to have patience with our shots.”

The Lady Cougars started the game going on a nine-point run before the Lady Eagles could sink a basket. Creating turnovers, South Pike slowly started working on the Lady Cougars’ lead, but the Lawrence County girls had offense to spare, leading 20-9 heading into the second.

The Lady Eagles opened up the second hitting a three-pointer to try to knock down the Lady Cougars’ lead. South Pike refused to go away, as the girls managed to cause more turnovers. Lawrence County’s offense didn’t do much in the second quarter, but they capped the Lady Eagles’ at seven points and held a 26-16 lead at halftime.

South Pike’s defense grabbed up some turnovers early in the third quarter and converted them into points, dropping in 16. But the Lawrence County girls got plenty of looks at the basket and added 16 points of their own, and still held a 10-point lead, 42-32, heading into the final frame.

Despite causing a few more turnovers, the Lady Eagles were unable to slow down the Lady Cougars’ offense. The Lady Cougars held South Pike to just two points the entire fourth period. The Lady Cougars won the game by a final score of 56-34, advancing to the second round of the MHSAA 4A playoffs.

The Lady Cougars will host the Lady Tigers of Moss Point Friday in round two. The game tips off at 7 p.m.

The South Pike Lady Eagles finish the season with an 11-17 overall record and 4-7 in Region 6-4A.

Story by Dave Linton