The Choctaw Central Warriors came tearing into Friday's match with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11 points) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with a 75-64 victory over Northeast Lauderdale. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Choctaw Central's win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Clemons Zylier, who scored 19 points. Koie Williams was another key contributor, scoring 16 points.
When it comes to explaining why Northeast Lauderdale lost, one person who can't be blamed is Jeremiah Clark. Despite the final result, he scored 15 points along with five assists and two steals. Clark is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now grabbed two or more in the last eight games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Steven Lightsey, who scored 15 points along with six rebounds.
Choctaw Central is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 17-5 record this season. As for Northeast Lauderdale, their loss dropped their record down to 14-5.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Choctaw Central will challenge Newton County at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Newton County will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Mississippi Rankings (they are ranked 113th, while Choctaw Central is ranked ninth). Northeast Lauderdale won't have much time to rest: their next match is against West Lauderdale at 5:30 p.m. on January 20th. West Lauderdale has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 275 points over their last four matchups.
