Basketball Recap: Lekendric Phillips' Big Game Can't Quite Lead Haywood over Ripley

Haywood suffered their closest defeat since December 5, 2024 on Friday. They fell just short of the Ripley Tigers by a score of 71-68. The Tomcats were not able to repeat the success they had when they faced the Tigers earlier this season, when they won 64-52.

Several Tomcats players turned in solid performances despite ultimately coming up short. Perhaps the best among those players was Lekendric Phillips, who went 10 for 17 on his way to 24 points and eight assists. Phillips' evening made it six games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Jaybyon Snipe was another key player, going 5 of 11 en route to 15 points and four steals.

Haywood now has a losing record at 9-10. As for Ripley, the win was the third in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 10-9.

Haywood wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 67-62 victory against Trinity Christian Academy on the 18th. As for Ripley, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 58-26 win against Milan on the 21st.