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Pleasant Home and Straughn each posted a decisive victory in a varsity basketball doubleheader between the county rivals on Friday, Jan. 19.

Lady Tigers 51
Lady Eagles 14

Straughn put together a strong showing on both sides of the ball for a 51-14 win over Pleasant Home in the varsity girls’ contest.

Ora Hall opened the scoring with a three and a jumper. Allyx Williamson went off the glass for a 7-0 lead with 4:19 left in the opening period. Briley Douglas put Pleasant Home on the board with a one-for-two showing at the line. A. Williamson and Hall combined for four free throws before Maddie Williamson took the score to 13-1 with a minute remaining. A. Williamson then added a layup, and Bryleigh McBride buried a three as Straughn led 18-1 after one.

Lyla Watson started the second period with a bucket, while Aubrey Pittman answered with four straight points for a 22-3 margin. Caroline Sansom then found the hoop for the Lady Eagles. Hailey Ward followed with a free throw and turnaround jumper at the 3:05 mark. Rylee Sanders added a foul shot, and Sansom had a drive to the basket for two. Hall scored a fast break layup off a steal and stretched the Lady Tigers’ lead to 25-10 at halftime.

The Williamson sisters each had four points in the third period. Annlee Wise, Alcee Radford, and Blakeley Smith all contributed a three, while Hall also made a field goal. Straughn held Pleasant Home scoreless and built a 44-10 lead with eight minutes to go.

With a running clock in effect, Lily Adams led off the final period with a basket before Tori Canant scored consecutive buckets. Sansom added another field goal for the Lady Eagles, and Wise closed the scoring with three points for the Lady Tigers who won their seventh straight game.

Hall paced Straughn (16-6) with 11 points, and A. Williamson also posted double figures with 10. M. Williamson and Wise had six points each as Pittman and Canant tallied four apiece.

Sansom led Pleasant Home (6-12) with six points, while Ward scored three. Adams and Watson had two.

“I was very pleased at how we came out playing from the start. Our momentum was there early, and we moved the ball on offense very well. It’s always a good day when your entire team touches the court and has the opportunity to execute their playing time and get better. Overall, it was a good win for us as we head into the last few games of our regular season. Good luck to the Lady Eagles as they finish up the rest of their season,” said SHS Head Coach Calen Lowery.

Eagles 57
Tigers 37

The Eagles broke away from a tight first half and posted 10 three-pointers en route to a 57-37 win against the Tigers in the varsity boys’ game.

John Luke Colvin led off with a quick bucket as Dillan Purifoy followed with a triple. Joseph Driver trimmed the gap to 5-3 off a three with 3:49 to go in the first period and tied the score. Layne Grantham buried a jumper for a 7-5 lead until Brody Bryan drew Pleasant Home even. Kaden Wiggins had a free throw and gave Straughn an 8-7 lead after one.

Grantham pushed the margin to three with a basket in the second period as Wiggins went two-for-two at the line for a 12-7 advantage. Purifoy converted a three-point play with 5:18 remaining in the first half. Wiggins earned an offensive rebound and bucket before Vance Kelley made a free throw. Bryan cut the Eagles’ deficit to one with a field goal as Jackson Hawkins went one-of-two at the line and forced a 14-14 tie. Wiggins broke the deadlock with a three at the 1:45 mark, and Purifoy followed with a nifty drive to the hoop. Straughn maintained a 17-16 lead at the break.

The Eagles took control with an offensive surge after halftime. Purifoy had two threes and scored nine points during the 12-point run for a 28-17 lead with 4:10 left in the third period. Wiggins then knocked down a pair of trifectas, and Colvin also scored from beyond the arc. Taylor Sikes blitzed the net for a three as the Tigers fought back to 31-26 with 1:31 to go. Colvin added another deep triple, and Cameron Adams had a free throw. Purifoy finished with a flourish and posted the last six points of the frame for a 40-27 lead after three.

Colvin began the fourth with five points as Hawkins went off the glass for a 47-27 cushion. Driver and Wiggins then notched consecutive threes, but Purifoy and Hawkins followed suit with 2:22 to go in the game. Hawkins converted another free throw as Colvin gave Pleasant Home a 57-33 lead. Grantham and Sikes each had a bucket down the stretch for Straughn.

Purifoy was the top scorer for the Eagles (15-7) with 26 points. Colvin notched 14, while Bryan and Hawkins contributed eight and seven points, respectively.

Wiggins led the Tigers (7-12) with 17 points. Driver tallied eight as Grantham garnered six, and Sikes finished with five points.

“Straughn is very well-coached and gives us a great challenge to play against their offense. Both teams were evenly matched in the first half, but we made stops and were able to get some turnovers in the second half. The biggest takeaway for me was maintaining our cushion with their pressure. We have been in this situation before with a young team, and that’s a big step in our maturation process. I’m very pleased with our effort, and it was a great crowd, great atmosphere, and great night for high school basketball in south Alabama,” said PHS Head Coach Ken Bledsoe.

Pleasant Home will return to area action on Monday, Jan. 22, at Georgiana. Straughn will host Red Level on Thursday, Jan. 25.