Amanda Elzy made a late charge at Greenwood, but Bulldog standout guard Falando Jones made sure his team held on for 65-59 victory Tuesday night at the Leflore County Civic Center.
GHS (3-2) led by 10 with 3:25 to play following a pair of free throws from Jones, but the Panthers used a 12-2 run over the next two minutes to tie the game. Elzy guard Eric Davidson hit four straight free throws before teammate Denarius Hammond drained a 3-pointer to tie the game at 59-all.
But the Bulldogs responded immediately when Jones drove the baseline and pulled up for a short jump shot to put GHS ahead for good, 61-59, with 50 seconds left. Colton Thomas helped ice the game from there with three free throws.
Jones, a 6-foot-3 guard, scored 15 of his game-high 26 points in the second half, including eight points in the final period.
“Falando recognized the mismatch and was able to muscle-up down low for some key baskets. He sparked us when we needed it most,” said first-year Bulldog coach James Cole. “I am happy with the win, because people have told me since the first day I came here that you can't lose to Elzy.”
Elzy coach Howard Brown was proud of his young team's effort and equally impressed with Jones.
“Jones, boy, he is tough. We kind of let him get away from us there in the second half,” said Brown, whose team falls to 1-2. “We are starting two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior, though. We're going to get better. We just need to play more games so we can find the right combination.”
The Panthers led just one time, 6-5, early in the first period on a layup by Detric Lahman. GHS led 13-10 at the end of the first period.
The Bulldogs took a 17-10 lead early in the second on a one-handed slam dunk by guard Jeffery Simmons that brought the packed house to its feet.
Greenwood pushed its lead to 10 with 1:55 left in the first half on a layup by William Morris, but Elzy cut that deficit in half before the break.
Greenwood's biggest lead of the third period was six - after Jones scored five straight points, with the final two coming on a nifty reverse layup.
But Elzy pulled within one, 43-42, a minute later after a 3-point play by Davidson.
For GHS, Frank Rush had eight points and 10 rebounds. Simmons also had eight points. Jones had eight rebounds, two assists and two steals to go with his 26 points.
Davidson paced Elzy with 17 points. Hammond chipped in with 10, and Marcus Jackson added eight.
Elzy plays at North Panola next Tuesday, while Greenwood hosts Yazoo County next Tuesday.
In the girls game, GHS won 51-35 to improve to 2-3.
The Lady Panthers (1-2) trailed 36-22 at the end of the first period.
Carolyn McCorkle paced GHS with a game-high 17 points, and Kambreia Summerville added 14.
Brittany Carter chipped in with eight.
Yeisha Bolden led Elzy with 10 points. Unjalique McKinnin had nine and Cedricka Cooper six.
