SUMRALL – With a new coach and a new roster, this season has been a struggle at times for the Sumrall boys.
But Friday night against Purvis, the Bobcats got a much-needed shot in the arm in the form of a 60-47 victory over the Tornadoes in Region 7-4A action at the SHS Gymnasium. Sumrall improved to 7-14 overall and 1-3 in region; Purvis dropped to 6-8 and 0-3.
“This was a needed win for us,” said Sumrall coach Jonathan Garner, who took over the program after former coach Eric Cooper took an administrative position with the Lamar County School System.
“We’ve been struggling all year, but we’ve been telling our guys we’ve got to stay with the process. After losing all those guys last year, all that senior leadership gone, we’ve got a lot of new guys stepping into those roles and understanding how to play the game.”
In fact, the Bobcats put together arguably their best game of the season. They shot a decent percentage from the field, converting 21 of 59 shots (35.6 percent) for the game, and they took care of the basketball, committing just 14 turnovers.
Defensively, Sumrall held Purvis to 17 of 61 (27.9 percent) from the field, and forced eight of their 19 turnovers in the fourth quarter to quell the Tornadoes’ late-game rally.
“It’s all about buying in,” said Garner. “That’s what we’ve been preaching all year long. It’s not always going to be easy and it’s not always going to be comfortable, but if they stay disciplined, buy into the process and work hard, we’ll be OK.”
It was a back-and-forth game until midway through the second quarter. Purvis led 15-13 after the first quarter, and built a five-point margin before the Bobcats asserted themselves.
Purvis senior Judd Gipson had 9 points in the first 10 minutes of play, getting a soft four-foot jumper to give the Tornadoes an 18-13 lead.
But Sumrall senior Owen Hatten took over taking a steal coast-to-coast for a layup, then hitting a 15-footer from the left wing. Senior Jacyree Washington put back a layup, drew a foul and converted the and-one to give the Bobcats a 20-18 lead.
Hatten had 12 of his 15 points in the first half to set the tone for Sumrall.
“I told my teammates we were going to come out hot and be aggressive on defense,” said Hatten. “I had my mind set that I was going to come out at the beginning of the game that I was going to score, and put my teammates in the best position to win.”
Senior Logan Brewer got a putback to tie it up one last time, but Sumrall took the lead for good on a five-point play resulting from a technical foul on the Tornadoes.
Sophomore Chase Markus converted the two technical foul shots and one of two free throws resulting from the initial foul, then Hatten nailed a 15-footer from the right side to complete the play.
“I thought we did a lot of good things tonight, and I was proud of the way we played,” said Purvis coach Matthew Lofton. “This was a great high-school basketball game
Indeed, after falling behind by five points, Sumrall outscored Purvis 19-4 to take a commanding 32-22 lead at halftime.
“That’s what we told the kids at the beginning of the season,” said Garner. “We’ve got to have five guys with 10 or more points. We’re not going to focus on one person every night to carry us.
“But it always starts with defense. The better defense we play, the easier it will be on the other end.”
The Bobcats opened up a 37-24 lead, but the Tornadoes clawed their way back into the game. A fast break layup by senior Beni Raanes capped a 7-0 run that closed the margin to six, 37-31.
But every time the Tornadoes got close, the Bobcats made the plays to extend their margin. Sumrall led 43-35 after three quarters, and weathered Purvis’ final push in the fourth quarter.
Sophomore Brett Ladner swished a 3-pointer from the right wing, drew a foul and completed the four-point play with the free throw. Then Gipson drove the lane to pull Purvis within 51-46.
“It was a five-point game with about three minutes to go, but they just made more plays than we did down the stretch,” said Lofton.
“We had a ton of graduation losses from last year, and we’ve got a lot of new faces this year, and they’ve done a good job for us. I though we battled tonight, but we just didn’t make enough shots.”
But the Tornadoes had nine straight dry possessions, only getting two shots in the process, and Washington punctuated the final surge with a fast break layup off a steal. Washington had 17 points to lead Sumrall, and Markus added 13 points.
“Well, I’m a pass-first player in general,” said Hatten. “I like to get my guys going and that’s how I get going. If my teammates are scoring and we’re winning, that’s what motivates me. I feed off that energy.”
Gipson finished with 11 points, and junior Tashaun Gray also had 11 points for the Tornadoes. Sumrall will travel to Pearl River Central on Monday, then Forrest County AHS on Friday. Purvis is at home Tuesday against FCAHS.
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