Another Weekend Sweep for Hurricane Basketball Programs

The Hurricane basketball teams were back in action last weekend with two games at home, a region contest against Utopian Academy, and a non-region matchup with Northeast of Macon.

The Eagles of Utopian came into the boys’ game with a winless record at 0-16, but were also coming off a loss at Lamar County where they only fell by five points and were able to put up a season high in the scoring department of 90 points as a team. Knowing this, and that the team has some size and ability, meant that they could not be overlooked, even knowing their record.

The Canes responded to the challenge though, coming out as hot as they have all season and overpowering their overmatched opponent, taking a lead of 36-7 by the end of the first quarter, and putting up 27 more points in the second quarter to lead by 44 at the half, 63-19. With such a large lead and another game on the horizon the next day, the Hurricanes were able to sub liberally, scoring 16 points in the second half and finishing the game with the same 44-point margin and a 79-35 victory. This win moved their season record to 7-9, but 3-0 and in a share of first place in region 4-A.

The Lady Hurricanes squared off against Utopian in the first game of the Friday doubleheader action at ‘The Eye’ here in Monticello. The Lady Eagles of Utopian were similar in record to their boys’ team counterparts, coming into the contest with a 2-15 record (one of those by forfeit), and many of their games scoring less than 20 points a game. This game was no different than any of the others, with the Lady Canes scoring early and often, taking a 73-22 victory over the Lady Eagles.

The local ladies jumped out to a 27-6 lead after the first quarter of play, and that ballooned out to a 52-11 halftime lead. They were able to empty the bench, with 11 different players breaking into the scoring column in the rout. The Lady Canes finished with four players scoring in double figures, with freshman Jazmin Maddox leading the way with 17, followed by senior Kinya Thomas with 13, freshman Kamryn Davis and sophomore Toni Gantt with 12 each.

Last Saturday the Hurricanes welcomed the Northeast Raiders to town. The Raiders, a former region-mate and long-time opponent of the Hurricanes, came into the game with a deceptive 2-14 record, with some close losses mixed in within the past few weeks of action.

The Hurricanes came out strong in the first quarter of action, working out to a 16-8 lead at the first quarter break. During the ensuing second and third quarters the Raiders were able to work back to a tie, 22-22 at the half, and obtained a two-point lead at 36-34 after three quarters of play. In the fourth quarter, the Hurricanes came alive, led by junior Jamarkus Thomas, who scored 11 of his game high 22 points in the fourth quarter of play to lead them to a 17-5 scoring advantage, and a victory with a final score of 51-41.

The win moved the Hurricanes to 8-9 overall, and brought them their fourth consecutive victory in their current winning streak.

Coach Christopher Pennamon gave a synopsis of the team and coaching staff’s thought process going into the weekend and the rest of the season, stating that they were “playing one game seasons for the rest of the year!” He went on to mention that “no game is more important than the one that they are playing that day, and they are playing with a ‘win the day’ mindset.”

Another thing that coach mentioned about the philosophy he has passed along to this year’s boys’ team is the concept of the three W’s “Want it more, Work harder for it, WIN it!” This has been evident through the play of the team the past couple of weeks as they have continued to gel and shape into a winning team after a slow start to the season.

Much like the Monticello boys, the Lady Canes faced a tough opponent in their opening game on Saturday when the Lady Raiders came to town. The Lady Raiders came into the contest with a record similar to the Lady Canes, sitting at 6-7 for the season. They were looking to get back to .500 basketball, looking to pick up their eighth win on the season.

The game started out fairly close, with Northeast holding a slim 18-16 lead going into the halftime break. This was not to last for long though, as freshman Maddox and the Lady Canes outscored the Lady Raiders 28-5 in the third quarter to grab a 44-23 lead going into the final quarter of play.

The Lady Raiders were able to mount a slight comeback, scoring 15 in the final quarter, but it wasn’t enough as the Lady Canes were able to hold on for a 12-point win, 50-38.

This win evened their record at 8-8 for the season, and they are 1-1 in Region 4-A. They were led in scoring by Maddox, who finished with a game high 32 points from the floor, 19 of which came during the third quarter scoring outburs. Davis followed with eight points, freshman Desi Appling dropped six, and junior Selena Harvey and senior Thomas finished with two points each.

Coach Josh Stone said that he was “proud of the girls for how they have been competing, especially of late. Our team goes as our defense goes, and when we are bringing the intensity on defense, pressing and causing turnovers, we are a tough team to beat.”

SCORING

GIRLS

v. Utopian – J. Maddox 17, K. Thomas 13, T. Gantt 12, K. Davis 12, D. Appling 6, S. Harvey 4, G. Stacy 2, J. Asbell 2, A. Gay 2, A. Nalliah 2, M. Thurman 1

v. Northeast – Maddox 32, Davis 8, Appling 6, Harvey 2, Thomas 2

BOYS

v. Utopian – D. Pennamon 19, J Thomas 17, C. Ross 16, M. Epps 10, A. King 6, D. Head 4, J. Vinson 3, K. Davis 2, M. Maddox 2

v. Northeast – Thomas 22, Pennamon 13, Epps 4, King 4, Ross 4, Vinson 2, and Davis 2