Richton basketball teams advance to playoffs
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RHS senior Marquell Smith goes up for a basket in a game against Sacred Heart earlier this year. Smith led the Rebels to a win over Resurrection Monday to lock down a playoff berth.
Photo by Russell Turner – Dispatch Editor
From Staff Reports
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Richton High School still has basketball left to play as both teams will play in the first round of the MHSAA state tournament.
The Lady Rebels were assured of that opportunity after finishing the regular season as the No. 3 seed for the Region 8-1A Tournament. The RHS boys, however, didn’t earn a bye in the first round of the tournament at Lumberton and faced a must-win situation when they faced off with Resurrection on Tuesday. Coach Hugh Thoms’ team rose to the occasion with a 10-point win to advance to Thursday’s second round and guarantee a spot in next week’s state tourney action.
The Rebels led 8-6 after the first period, but outscored Resurrection 15-5 in the second to take control of the game. The two teams were close to even in the second half, allowing Richton to hold on for the 46-36 win.
Seniors Marquell Smith and Dylan Favre led the way for the Rebels. Smith had 10 of his team’s 15 points in the second period and finished with 19. Favre scored the Rebels’ other five points in the second period, added eight more in the third and finished with 16 in the win.
Senior Trey Ferguson and junior Jacob Brunson added three points each. Junior Ty Richard and senior Kylin Bolton rounded out the scoring.
With the win, Thoms and his team will now face off with the regular season champs and tournament hosts Thursday in the nightcap, which is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. tipoff. The Rebels dropped both regular season matchups with Lumberton, but played them hard each time and believe they have a real shot at making it to the title game on Friday.
The Richton girls finished 4-4 in region play and will take on Sacred Heart in Thursday’s early game at 4 p.m. The Lady Rebels struggled against Sacred Heart in the regular season, dropping both matchups by double digits. However, coaches will tell you it is hard to beat a team three times in a row and the RHS girls are counting on that as they push to advance to Friday’s tournament championship game.
Win or lose on Thursday, both RHS teams will return to Lumberton on Friday to compete for the big trophy or to play in the consolation game. Either way, they will travel somewhere next week to start the state tournament. Hopefully, good showings on Thursday and Friday will improve their tournament seedings and their chances.
Perry Cent. seasons come to an end
Across the county, basketball season has come to an end at PCHS.
The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs each dropped their opening round games in the Region 8-2A Tournament at Collins on Monday. The PCHS boys fell to East Marion by an 87-60 margin, while the girls came up short against homestanding Collins. Individual results from those contests were not available at press time.
