Even though the Laurel Golden Tornadoes scored an imposing 68 points on Thursday, the Hattiesburg Tigers still came out on top. Hattiesburg took their game against Laurel 77-68. Given Hattiesburg's advantage in MaxPreps' Mississippi basketball rankings (they are ranked 18th, while Laurel is ranked 195th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Hattiesburg had a senior duo take command as Stephen McCullon Jr. scored 22 points along with 3 steals and Logan Burns dropped a double-double on 17 points and 10 rebounds. That makes it two consecutive games in which McCullon Jr. has scored at least 25% of Hattiesburg's points. Another player making a difference was Tristen Keys, who scored 15 points.
The win makes it two in a row for Hattiesburg and bumps their season record up to 7-1. As for Laurel, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost four of their last five matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 2-7 record this season.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Hattiesburg won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Jefferson Davis County at 7:30 p.m. on December 8th. Laurel won't have much time to rest: their next game is against Taylorsville at 7:30 p.m. on December 8th.
