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Southland's Senior Night spoiled by CRA Falcons
CARDWELL – The Southland C-9 Rebels entered the team's Thursday night contest facing the Crowley Ridge Academy Falcons from Paragould, Ark., on Senior Night in Cardwell. The Rebels started the night with a record of 3-14 with CRA a respectable 16-15 record.
In the first quarter, in a span of less than three minutes, both teams were firing long range salvos at each other, each team shooting back-to-back to back 3-pointers tying the score at 12 apiece. The hot shooting continued for each team through the end of the first quarter with Southland leading 18-14. The Rebels finished the quarter with five 3-pointers and one bucket made with a foul to follow with the free throw made for the old fashioned three pointer. CRA countered with four 3-pointers and one two point play leading to the 18-14 score.
Southland's struggle with turnovers began with 5:17 left to go in the half. From that point to the 4:48 mark, the Rebels had five possessions in a row ending in a turnover with CRA scoring two points on each time down the floor, turning a 21-19 lead for the Rebels into a 29-21 deficit.
The score at the half saw the hosts trailing 30-29. The scoring for Southland was unusual in that 27 of the team's first half points were by 3-pointers, six from long range and three 3 pointers the old fashioned way. The other two points were the front end only made from foul shots from the charity stripe. Southland had no two point baskets made in the first half.
The turnovers that plagued the Rebels in the first half (13) began again immediately in the third quarter with CRA scoring the first nine points of the second half, due to TO's stretching the lead to 39-29, the biggest lead of the game. Trace Gibson for Southland cut the deficit to five (37-42) with 4:25 to go in the third, but that was a close as the Rebels would come again trailing after three 51-42.
At the 5:00 minute mark in the fourth quarter, CRA scored a crippling 3-pointer to increase the lead 59-47, with the final ending at 70-62.
Southland coach Tyre Washington – despite the loss and now losing eight in a row – after the game was pleased was what he had seen, because of the scheme of the game they had just played. He said would have them prepared for their next opponent which is to be Cooter in the first round of the Tri-County Conference tournament beginning Tuesday.