Gene Phelps/Daily Journal
Senior Dylan Turner paced Calhoun City with 17 points against Nettleton - photos by Adam Gore.
Nettleton’s guard-laced lineup can shoot the ball very well from the perimeter.
Calhoun City became aware of that fact Tuesday night.
The Tigers, led by 3-point bombers Blake Birks and Chaz Thompson, broke open a close game early in the fourth period to capture a 74-58 victory.
Thompson connected on five of his six 3-pointers in the second half to bust up the Wildcats’ zone scheme. Birks, who scored a game-high 22 points, hit two of his five 3s down the stretch to help Nettleton (15-1) widen the scoring gap.
“We’re fortunate to have four guys we can surround the 3-point line with,” Nettleton coach Grant Gardner said. “Two of them shot well tonight. We’re tough to zone up on.”
Thompson, who added 21 points, hit his five second-half 3s during a 5-minute span to help the Tigers turn a 1-point deficit midway in the third quarter into a 9-point advantage early in the fourth.
“(Thompson) hit some big shots for them,” Calhoun City coach Daren Coffey said. “Nettleton shoots the ball extremely well.”
Calhoun City (9-7) was paced by Dylan Turner, who kept the Wildcats close with his 17-point effort.
Coffey’s team has now dropped five of its last six games.
“We’ve played some good competition,” the coach noted. “Once we get into our flow I think we’ll be OK down the road.”
Nettleton was playing its fourth game in five days. One of those was a tournament loss to 5A Columbus and the wins were against 5A Southaven and Itawamba AHS.
The Tigers return to action Thursday when they host Shannon in the opening round of the Lee County Tournament.
“We’re playing really well right now,” Gardner said. “We’ve got to continue to get better every day to have a shot. There
are a lot of good teams in our division.”
(G) Nettleton 56, Calhoun City 46
Katie Underwood scored six of her team-high 16 points in the fourth quarter to help the Lady Tigers (9-7) break up a close game.
Calhoun City (5-9) had cut Nettleton’s lead to 46-43 before a 10-3 Tigers run closed the deal.
“Their press gave us some problems, but our whole thing was not to play at their pace,” Nettleton coach Dana Rhea said.
Eboni Williams led Calhoun City and all scorers with 21 points.
More high school reports:
John Wilbert: Tupelo tops Aberdeen
Gene Phelps: It’s official: Grand Slam to Jackson
David Wheeler: Lady Indians use torrid shooting to top Oxford
Clarion Ledger Top Performers: State Edition
