Eagles bitten by 2 packs of Bulldogs
BY LELAND ACKER

Demarcus Skinner shoots a lay-up during a recent game with the Hudson Hornets. Skinner, a senior, scored four points against Central Friday. The Eagles concluded their season against Hudson Tuesday.

The Rusk Eagles suffered another heartbreaker during Friday's game against the Central Bulldogs. Despite jumping out to a 20-9 lead in the first quarter, Rusk wound up losing 58-56 in overtime.

The loss marks the 13th consecutive district loss for the Eagles, two of which have been in overtime situations.

"It's tough," said Head Coach Tracy Kincade. "It was a tough match. It's a tough district."

The Eagles shot 11 of 17 free throws and sank five three-pointers on the evening. Their defense forced several first quarter turnovers by Central.

"We played well," Coach Kincade said. "We didn't execute well down the stretch. We're still playing hard and getting after it."

Central came into the game with a 7-5 district record, and needed a win to stay in a fiveteam playoff race with less than a week in the regular season. The Bulldog offense woke up after being outscored by Rusk in the first quarter.

Central roared back by outscoring the Eagles 17-9 in the second quarter, then 22-21 in the second half to tie the score at 50-50.

J.J. Session and Michael Katon both led the scoring effort with 13 points each. Session shot three for four from the free throw line while Katon shot two for four. Katon also added three three-pointers to the game.

Horrace Lewis scored 11 points and shot five for six from the free throw line. John David Beard made two threepointers to add six points to the score book.

Other scorers were: Demarcus Skinner (4), Chance Cleaver (3), Quinn Anthony (2) and Terrance Turner (2).

The win advanced Central to an 8-5 district record, which created a three-way tie for third place with Hudson and Center. With one set of games left to be played in the regular season, one team (Crockett) had sealed a playoff spot, while four (Carthage, Central, Center and Hudson) fought for the other two.

The Eagles' record dropped to 8-19, 0-13 heading into the season finale Tuesday.

The Eagle JV team held off a Central fourth quarter rally to beat the Bulldogs 54-51. The Bulldogs outscored the Eagles 23-11 in the fourth quarter, but late clutch shots by the Eagles sealed the win.

Cornelius Lewis led scoring with 12 points, while Kalen Skinner added nine points and one three-pointer. Other scorers were: DelShawn Session (9), Carroll (9), Tony Teague (6, two three-pointers), Chase Anderson (4), Lonnie Gipson (4) and Matthew Davis (1).

The Rusk Lady Eagles dropped their season finale against the Carthage Lady Bulldogs Feb. 5 by a score of 62-34. Rusk hung close for the first quarter before the Lady Bulldogs took control of the game.

Le'Asha O'Neal and Jas- mine Harris led scoring with 13 points each, followed by Cambry Blakemore (5) and Lisa Frauenberger (2).

The loss dropped the Lady Eagles to a season record of 8-19, 2-12 in district.

The Lady Eagle JV beat Carthage 35-29, with Jelissa Session leading the scoring with 14 points. Brittany Johnson followed with eight points.

Other scorers for Rusk were: Kierra Skinner (4), Christa Adams (3), Winona McGowan (3) and Grace Castillo (2).

The Lady Eagle JV finishes the season with a 4-10 district record.