LUMBERTON – When was the last time Lumberton beat Oak Grove?
It was a question fans and school administrators likely began to ask one another during the girl’s Lamar County Classic Tournament championship game.
It’s safe to say that nobody inside Lumberton’s gym on Tuesday night understandably knew that answer.
The reason for that is because the Lady Panthers pulled off the Mississippi High School sport’s version of David defeating Goliath as Lumberton, a member of Class 1A, which is the smallest classification in the MHSAA, defeated Class 7A’s Oak Grove 42-36.
The school size difference? Oak Grove enrolls 1,381 students compared to Lumberton’s 131.
True to the differential, Lumberton essentially played its five starters all night, with only one player being briefly substituted into the game.
As unlikely as the circumstances may have been, Lumberton coach Jay Lofton admits he felt his team could pull out a win as the Lady Panthers are now the winners of seven straight.
“I thought we had a decent chance coming into this game,” Lofton said. “I felt good about our game plan. I felt our girls were locked in. It meant something to them to win this game.
“To be the smallest school in Lamar County and beat the largest school in Lamar County does mean something.”
The victory for Lumberton is by no means luck, but rather a statement win as the Lady Panthers improve to 9-2 on the season.
In fact, Lumberton’s only losses are to West Jones, which is ranked No. 6 in the state, and to a Bay Springs team that’s ranked No. 2 in Class 2A. Seven of Lumberton’s victories all came against larger schools.
“I don’t think this was a fluke,” Lofton said. “Oak Grove has a really good team, but I truly believe that we have a really good team this year also.”
The two differences in the game for Lumberton were getting to the free throw line and stopping Oak Grove’s 6-foot-3 center Jordyn Henry. Jayla Adams is listed as the Lady Panthers’ tallest player at 5-foot-10.
Henry scored eight of her team-leading 15 points in the first quarter that left Lumberton holding on to a 14-11 lead.
“We didn’t hustle,” Oak Grove coach Mark Swindle said. “They got all of the 50-50 balls. They played really well. Jay does a good job with them. We just didn’t put forth the effort that I think we can. That was a big factor.”
The Lady Panthers broke the game open with an 11-0 run in the second quarter to build a 31-18 lead. Leading Lumberton’s offense was Kelsey Joseph, who scored 16 points, along with Kali Chavis’ 10 points and Jayla Adam’s nine points. Chavis, who stands at a mere five feet, was named the tournament’s MVP.
Jayla, who is a junior, is one of the state’s leading rebounders.
“She’s (averaging) around 15 points per game, and Kaylee is a sophomore for us, averaging about 17 points per game,” Lofton said. Both of them play extremely well for both of them to still be underclassmen.”
Oak Grove (5-5), however, responded in the third quarter with a 13-2 run to cut the deficit to 34-31.
“We got some loose balls,” Swindle said. “We started converting on some plays offensively, and they turned the ball over, and it got us back into it. I’m just disappointed with our effort.”
Lumberton held on to its narrow lead with timely shots and game-sealing free throws. By the end of the game, the Lady Panthers went 14 of 22 from the line compared to Oak Grove going only 3 of 5.
“In big moments, girls hit their shots,” Lofton said. “We were able to weather it in the end and get just enough points to still come out on top.
“I feel like we have a chance to make a run this year.”
Lumberton hosts East Marion to open region play on Friday, while Oak Grove hosts Meridian.
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