Region 8A tourney opens in Middleton
The Region 8A Tournament got underway on Friday, Feb. 26, in Middleton with the Lady Tigers facing off against the W.E.B. DuBois Lady Lions, with Middleton earning an easy 72-43 win.
Middleton jumped out to an early lead and finished the first quarter with a 10 point lead which they improved to 18 points by half time and 39 points by the end of the third quarter. The Lady Lions managed to outscore Middleton 13-3 in the final quarter but it was nowhere near enough, and Middleton walked away with an easy 29 point 72-43 win.
Dakedra Mason led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds. Cherelle Jones added 16 points and 15 rebounds, Chelsea Perry had 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Sequoya Warren added 10 points.
“The girls played well,” said Middleton Head Coach James Burkley. “They did a good job on the defensive boards and held W.E.B. DuBois to just 43 points.”
The ladies record is now 28-0 and their win streak has improved to 62 games.
All four District 15A girls teams won their Region 8A quarter final match-ups on Friday night, meaning the rest of the girls tournament will be at Middleton. The regional semifinals were held on Monday, Feb. 29, and the finals are set for Wednesday, March 2 at 7 p.m..
The Middleton boys also won their opening round game of the Region 8A Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 27 at home with an 81-65 win over Carver.
The boys got off to a good start and led by 11 points after the first quarter. Carver was able to make up some lost ground in the second quarter and cut Middleton’s lead to eight points at the break. The Tigers really turned up the heat in the third quarter and increased their lead to 25 points going into the final stanza. Carver made a run in the closing minutes, but it was not enough, as Middleton walked away with a 16 point 81-65 win.
“We jumped out early and got our confidence up,” Burkley said. “Our defense was sharp in the first and third quarters, but we got a little relaxed in the fourth and Carver was able to make a run on us.”
Tylandrius Parks led the way with 21 points and 16 rebounds. Montrez Jones also had 21 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Jacque Gibson added 12 points.
Middleton’s record is now 22-5.
The Tigers were set to face Mitchell at Memphis Northside on Tuesday. March 1, in the District 8A semifinals. The finals will be Thursday, March 3 at 7 p.m.