By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
PURVIS – It’s been a banner season in basketball so far at Purvis High, with both the Tornadoes and Lady Tornadoes enjoying excellent years.
But both Purvis teams had some cold water thrown on their success Friday night at the hands of Stone High, which came away with dominant victories in the Region 7-4A doubleheader.
In both cases, it was the third quarter that made the difference.
Stone held the Lady Tornadoes without a field goal in the third period and went on to a 49-31 victory that kept the Lady Tomcats atop the region standings.
“They are a more athletic team than we are, and our inability to handle the ball hurt us,” said Lady Tornadoes coach Michael Thornton. “We shot, I think, 0 for 9 in the third quarter from the field, and you can’t go zero percent against a really good team and expect to win.
“They outscored us 17-3 in the third quarter, and that was the difference in the game.”
The first half was tight throughout. Stone (18-4 overall, 7-0 region) took the lead in the first quarter on the strength of four 3-point shots, two each by Reina Hartfield and Yazmine Bradford.
The Lady Tomcats built a six-point lead at the end of the first quarter, and a seven-point lead in the second quarter, but both times Purvis (20-4, 3-3) battled back.
Senior guard Karson Suire hit a pair of mid-range jump shots to bring the Lady Tornadoes back early in the second quarter, and junior forward Jaelyn Bass got a pair of free throws and a layup down the baseline after Stone pulled out to a 21-14 lead midway through the period.
“Our kids played hard, but some of our better players are going to have to play better in big games,” said Thornton. “We have been struggling with lately in shooting, and that continued tonight.
“We’ve got to find a way to improve our shooting in the next two weeks before the region tournament.”
Purvis’ shooting woes were a big factor in the third quarter, as the Lady Tornadoes were 0 for 11 from the field in the period. Many of the misses were short shots down a crowded lane that just didn’t fall.
And in the third quarter Stone’s splendid sophomore guard, Hayleigh Breland got hot.
Breland, who is already getting Division 1 looks, drove the baseline for a layup, drew a foul and made the and-one, then swished a trey from the right baseline on the next trip down the floor to put Stone up 29-19. She finished with a game-high 16 points for Stone.
“Stone is a well-coached team and their point guard, Breland, is a big-time player,” said Thornton. “She’s definitely a D-1 prospect.”
While Purvis struggled to make shots, Stone hardly missed in the second half, converting 9 of 16 from the field in the second half, including 6 of 9 – and 3 of 5 from 3-point range – in the third quarter.
Bradford added 15 points for the Lady Tomcats, on five 3-pointers, and Hartfield finished with 11 points. Bass led the Lady Tornadoes with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Purvis boys looked like they were in great shape in the first half of their game, outscoring the Tomcats 12-7 in the first quarter and building an eight-point lead midway through the second.
But Stone (14-9, 5-2) caught fire from 3-point range late in the period, hitting two treys, a medium-range jumper and a layup in a 10-0 run that wiped out the Tornadoes’ lead.
The lead changed hands four times in the final minute as Purvis rallied, and the Tornadoes led 25-24 at halftime.
But as was the case in the girls’ game, the boys game turned in the third quarter.
Junior Cortez Dennis nailed a 3-pointer to give Stone the lead for good after both teams came up empty on their first possessions of the half. Purvis tied it one final time, 29-29, on a drive down the lane by senior Montero Ray, then the Tomcats hit overdrive.
Sparked by sophomore guard Isaiah Brown, Stone used a 7-1 run to seize command, then had a 10-0 run to finish the period, building a big lead that the Tornadoes couldn’t dent.
The Tomcats shot 9 of 16 (56.3 percent) in the third quarter, including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc. Brown hit seven of Stone’s 11 treys on his way to a game-high 32 points. Dennis added 14 points for the Tomcats.
Ray had 16 points to lead Purvis (18-4, 4-2). Trell Camp added 13 points and Bryson Rowell had 12 for the Tornadoes. Purvis will be back in action on Tuesday at Greene County.
Prep Basketball Summaries
Friday at Purvis
GIRLS
Stone 49, Purvis 31
Stone 14 7 17 10 – 49
Purvis 8 10 3 10 – 31
STONE (18-4, 7-0 in 7-4A): Haleigh Breland 16, Reina Hartfield 11, Yazmine Bradford 15, Christian Fairley 2, Marie Moye 5.
PURVIS (20-4, 3-3 in 7-4A): Jaelyn Bass 12 (11 rebounds), Bree Gray 2, Brianna Lowe 5 (8 rebounds), Elise Jackson 6, Karson Suire 6.
BOYS
Stone 70, Purvis 51
Stone 7 17 22 24 – 70
Purvis 12 13 7 19 – 51
STONE (14-9, 5-2 in 7-4A): Isaiah Brown 32, A.J. Petty 7, Cortez Dennis 14, Javun Jackson 7, Caleb Armstrong 3, Zion Thomas 5, Tayshaun McDonald 2.
PURVIS (19-4, 4-2 in 7-4A): Bryson Rowell 12, Ashton Westmoreland 9, Trell Camp 13, Montero Ray 16, Tyler Hill 1.
