The Montgomery County boys basketball team used “small ball” to claim the championship trophy at the Winona Tournament this past weekend. Decoreyon Small totaled 89 points in victories over J.Z. George, Eupora and Winona.
“We played really hard on defense and made enough shots on offense,” said coach Frank Miller. “Our outside shooters came through and we had great guard play.”
The Hornets began the tournament with 63-41 win over J.Z. George as Small scored 33 points and Datterious Williams added 14.
Small had 35 points against Eupora and needed them all as the Hornets had to hold on at the end for a 64-62 victory. Williams added 14. This game decided the tournament championship.
Montgomery County led 56-46 with two and a half minutes left, but Eupora chipped away at the lead and had a chance to tie or win the game at the end. Trailing 64-62, Eupora had possession in the final seconds but a two-point shot bounced off the rim. Small made 7 of 8 from the line in the final 1:22 to keep the Hornets ahead.
Small finished the tournament with 21 points in a 61-41 win over Winona. Katacion Winfrey added 13.
“We're 9-3 right now and I surely didn't expect that,” Miller said.
The Hornets' next two games are on the road, at Noxapater Friday and Water Valley Tuesday.
Lady Hornets
The Montgomery County girls basketball team won the championship of the Winona tournament with three victories. The Lady Hornets defeated J.Z. George 52-32, Eupora 40-34 and Winona 31-27 in the game that decided the championship to improve their record to 8-3.
The Lady Hornets jumped out to an 18-3 first quarter lead against J.Z. George and won easily. Montgomery County had four players in double figures, Tatyana Womack with 19 points, Arkeveah Gayden with 13, Tatyana Kenney with 11 and Bianca Lane with 10. Gayden was the leading rebounder with six and Womack had six steals.
“We executed on both sides of the ball,” said coach Jeremy Robinson. “We ran our offense well and we ran our defense well, forcing some turnovers.”
Montgomery County outscored Eupora 12-5 down the stretch for the win. Kenney made two free throws with 6½ minutes left to put the Lady Hornets ahead to stay 30-29, the 10th lead change of the game. Kenney added five more points in the final minutes to finish with a game high 19. “She stepped up big for us,” Robinson said.
Lane grabbed 11 rebounds and had a strong game on defense, according to Robinson.
Montgomery County outscored Winona 12-7 in the fourth quarter for the win. Lane led the Lady Hornets with 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting.
“It was a defensive battle,” Robinson said. “To come back and take the lead in the fourth quarter is a big confidence booster for us.”
Prior to the tournament, Montgomery County defeated Ethel 54-50 behind 20 points each by Lane and Kenney.
