PETAL – Call them the Comeback Kids.
That's what Petal coach Brandon Jennings will tell you as the Panthers came up with their sixth come from behind win in front of a sold-out crowd in Petal's gym on Friday night.
The Comeback Kids rallied from a 9-point deficit to come away with a 52-51 win against rival Oak Grove.
"I guess you can call them the comeback kids," Jennings said. "We have done it so many times this year.
"We kept our composure and battled back."
Yet unlike the Panthers' previous wins, Petal's defense had to make a stand as the Warriors got the ball with 10 seconds left in the game, trailing by one point.
"I told them during the timeout that for 10 seconds, we have to play the toughest defense we have played all year," Jennings said. "They answered the call and have done that all year. I just wish we started the first half like we did that second half."
After Oak Grove inbounded the ball, Petal's defense forced the Warriors to kick the ball out to the top of the key to PJ Woodland. Woodland found an open Kabe Barnett inside the paint for a potential layup but was called for traveling.
"We wanted to run a play, but we kind of overplayed it," Oak Grove coach Laron Brumfield said. "We had a layup, but the guy traveled. I'm not the type of guy that will draw stuff up. I want to run stuff that we are familiar with, and that was something we were going to run that we have worked on a little bit. But it just didn't work. We got some good penetration. We just didn't make the play at the rim."
The Panthers now move to 18-3 and 3-0 in region play while the Warriors fall to 7-7 and 0-2 in region play. Despite the loss, Oak Grove coach Laron Brumfield was optimistic.
"I thought it was a great game," Brumfield said. "Both teams played hard. Tt was a game of momentums. That's what basketball is supposed to be. I think both teams wanted it. They made a few more plays than we did and came out on top. That's how it's supposed to be. It was a great atmosphere."
In front of a home crowd that numbered over 1,000 fans, Petal started the game with a 6-0 lead. The Warriors quickly responded and, by the end of the first quarter, tied the game to 14-14.
"People are recognizing that we are winning now, so everybody wants to come out and support," Petal guard Jamar Jenkins said. "It's crazy playing in that crowd. I feel like the crowd helped us engage in the game.
"They are like extra defenders on the floor."
Oak Grove continued to have success and built its lead in the second quarter. The Warriors went on a 9-2 run and took a 33-26 lead into halftime.
"(Oak Grove was) very physical," Jennings said. "Coming in, we knew they were going to try and be physical. Their offensive rebounding killed us. We just turned it around in the second half like we have been doing all season."
Midway through the third quarter, Oak Grove held a 38-29 lead, but Petal began to find success on the boards, specifically with the offensive rebounds.
"In the second quarter, we got into a rhythm and made some shots," Brumfield said. "Then we came out on the third and played pretty good defense. We just gave up too many offensive rebounds in the third quarter. They really beat us on the boards."
Between Petal winning the rebound battle and the combined efforts of Jenkins and Christian Parks, the Panthers pulled together a 15-3 run that stretched between the end of the third quarter and the start of the fourth. Parks and Jenkins combined to score 13 of the Panthers' 15 points in the run. Cam Lewis, who scored six points, scored on a layup late in the fourth quarter to give Petal its needed cushion.
"We just finally got hot," Jennings said. "Chris got some blocked shots. We were able to get out and get the ball into transition. We were able to get the ball to Cam down low. Chris hit an outside shot that we have been waiting on all year. That just makes our offense more deadly when he is able to knock down that shot.
Parks had a double-double for Petal as he scored a game-high of 19 points, came down with 13 rebounds and recorded three blocks while Jenkins scored 16 points.
"Jamar Jenkins is probably one of the toughest players that I have ever coached," Jenkins said. "Somebody is going to get a heck of a point guard whoever decides to take a chance on that kid. He's a better kid off the court. Christian Parks came up with some big shots, some monster dunks and that really got our student section going."
Oak Grove had three players reach double digits, with Woodland leading his team with 13 points. Barnett scored 12 points, and Tyrell Pollard put up 11 points.
"Nobody thought we could do it," said on Jenkins on his team starting region play undefeated. "We have beaten the odds. We are showing people that we can actually hoop at Petal."
