Basketball Recap: Emoni Journey Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Simmons

While Leflore County didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They walked away with a 63-56 win over the Simmons Blue Devils on Tuesday. Given the Tigers' advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked 90th, while the Blue Devils are ranked 263rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Leflore County's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Emoni Journey, who went 9 for 15 on his way to 22 points in addition to eight boards and three steals. The dominant performance gave Journey a new career-high in boards. The team also got some help courtesy of Jeremy Gilbert, who posted 13 points along with eight boards and three blocks.

Leflore County smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

Simmons' defeat came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Clay Stamps Jr, who went 7 of 11 on his way to 16 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Prentavis Madison, who put up 14 points in addition to five boards and five steals.

Leflore County's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 63.0 points per game. As for Simmons, they are on an eight-game losing streak (dating back to last season) that has dropped them down to 0-6.

Leflore County wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next game, a 68-40 victory against Amanda Elzy on the 14th. As for Simmons, they also didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next contest, a 74-57 loss against Riverside on the 13th.