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Red Level defended its home court with a pair of varsity wins over county rival Pleasant Home in area basketball games on Friday, Jan. 5.

Head Coach Dominic Williams was proud of his teams for their victories.

“I told them going into the area, everybody is battling for the same thing. The girls struggled with a lot of things in the first half, but we made adjustments and came out in the second half to take care of business like we’re supposed to. Our boys are young, and three of them have been sick with the flu. Pleasant Home is tough, but we dug deep to get ourselves back in the running for the area. We want to bring it back to our house, and if we can get our guys healthy, I think we will make some noise,” Williams said.

Lady Tigers 55
Lady Eagles 32

Red Level never trailed but had to regroup from a slow start and posted 37 points in the second half for a 55-32 win in the varsity girls’ contest.

Alyssa Lee gave the Lady Tigers an early lead with a free throw at the 6:29 mark in the opening period. Mariah Crowell followed with two buckets, and Amaya Williams went one-of-two at the line for a 6-0 lead. Lyla Watson put the Lady Eagles on the board with 1:11 left and left the score 6-1 at the end of the first.

Emma Grace Anderson scored six points in the second and cut the deficit to one with her third basket. Crowell then hit a three-pointer for an 11-7 lead with 5:49 to go in the half. Briley Douglas converted a layup before Crowell scored five straight points including another three for Red Level. Watson and Douglas kept Pleasant Home within striking distance on a pair of buckets. Crowell converted a three-point play and pushed the lead to 18-13 with 1:57 left until the break. Hailey Ward scored four points in the period and brought the halftime score to 18-17.

Williams hit a quick jumper, and Crowell added five more points for a 25-17 cushion with 6:47 left in the third. Pressley Kelley found the hoop for two before Red Level went on a 7-0 run. Ke’Mariah Crittenden had a free throw, while Crowell continued her strong outing with the next four points. Lee stretched the lead to 32-19 with a layup off an assist by Crowell. Kelley and Ward closed the third period with back-to-back buckets for Pleasant Home and took the score to 32-23 after three.

Ward sliced the deficit to eight with a one-of-two showing at the line, but Red Level answered the call with a 12-0 surge. Miracle Wright began the run with a jumper before three-point plays from Crittenden and Crowell. Lee added a free throw, and Williams upped the lead to 44-24 with a long three. Kelley snapped the scoreless drought with a basket following a three by Wright. Siniya Purifoy, Lily Adams, and Sara Catherine Sansom each made a bucket for Pleasant Home in the final minutes, but it was not enough to overcome.

Crowell led the Lady Tigers (4-5, 1-1 1A Area 3) with 29 points, and Williams also earned double digits at 13. Wright tallied five in the win as Crittenden and Lee each scored four points.

Ward paced the Lady Eagles (6-8, 0-2 1A Area 3) with seven points. Anderson and Kelley each collected six in the loss, while Watson followed with five. Douglas, Purifoy, Adams, and Sansom rounded out the effort with two apiece.

Tigers 64
Eagles 53

Red Level overcame a one-point halftime deficit and claimed the doubleheader sweep with a 64-53 win over Pleasant Home in the varsity boys’ matchup.

Javen Poindexter made a pair of free throws for an early two-point lead, but John Luke Colvin responded with a deep three. Jamari Brown followed suit with his own trifecta before Poindexter gave Red Level a 7-3 lead with a dunk. Brody Bryan trimmed the deficit to 9-7 with a basket, while Dillan Purifoy gave Pleasant Home a 13-11 lead at the 3:29 mark. Purifoy increased the margin to 16-13 with another three until Buddy Griffin hit a jumper and made the score 16-15 after one.

Griffin and Poindexter went off the glass as the Tigers took a three-point advantage early in the second. Jackson Hawkins torched the net from downtown and evened the score at 19-19. The two sides hung with each other and kept the action close. Bryan converted a three-point play, and Hawkins scored seven points in the frame as the Eagles grabbed a 31-24 lead. Junior Mayes and Poindexter both put up threes in the final minute and sliced the gap back to 31-30 at halftime.

Poindexter and Hawkins began the third period with baskets. Bryan then went four-of-four at the line and helped Pleasant Home to a 37-32 lead. Poindexter answered back with authority and swung momentum back the other way with a loud three for a 39-37 advantage at the 3:39 point. Bryan tied the score at 39-39 with a layup before another home surge. Brown delivered a nifty move to the hoop, and Poindexter scored 10 as Red Level built a 47-39 lead. Purifoy had six points down the stretch and trimmed the deficit to 49-45 after three.

Brown started the fourth with a free throw and pushed the lead back to five. Hawkins followed with a jumper, and Vance Kelley drew the Eagles even at 50-50 with 5:17 to go. Poindexter then blitzed for 12 points down the stretch and gave the Tigers a double-digit lead they did not relinquish.

Poindexter earned 51 points for Red Level (7-5, 1-1 1A Area 3). Brown had six in the win and was followed by Griffin and Mayes at four and three, respectively.

Purifoy led Pleasant Home (12-6, 1-1 1A Area 3) with 20 points as Bryan chipped in 14. Hawkins notched 11 points in the loss, while Kelley had five, and Colvin grabbed three.

Both teams are back in action on Tuesday, Jan. 9. Pleasant Home travels to Straughn, and Red Level visits McKenzie in area action.