Eagles in the hunt after wins over Jacks, Devils

Rusk’s Derrick Sanders heads up the court after stealing the ball from Huntington’s Jordan Young during last Friday’s game. The Eagles picked up a hard-fought 45-43 victory over the Red Devils. Rusk is tied with Jasper for third place in the district and will take on the Bulldogs Friday night in Jasper. PHOTOS: LYNN LITTLEJOHN With two wins this past week and the right outcomes in two games involving Jasper, the Rusk Eagles found themselves in the midst of a fight for third in boys District 18-3A basketball.

The Bulldogs barely got out of their game last Tuesday with Carthage, winning 66-63 in overtime. Jasper then lost to second place Hudson last Friday night.

With the door open, the Eagles broke through with two wins to find themselves in a tie for third going into this week.

Eagles smack Jacks

The second round of boys’ district play started last Tuesday with the Eagles traveling to Diboll. The Lumberjacks won round one in overtime at Eagle Coliseum, a game that Rusk Head Coach Tracy Kincade said the Eagles “just gave away.”

l Rusk’s Teoshue Badgett dribbles around Huntington’s Claire Nerren during last Friday’s varsity girls’ game. The Lady Eagles had the lead and were down one at halftime, but fell to the Devilettes, 50-25. The Eagles and Lady Eagles took on Center last night and will play at home next Tuesday against Carthage, the final game of the season for the girls. In Diboll, the Eagles decided to take over from the start, taking control with a 25-4 first quarter and outscoring the Lumberjacks in the first half, 48-10, on their way to an easy 91-42 victory.

“We jumped out and never looked back,” Coach Kincade said. “We’re playing lights out on defense and that’s what we’ve got to do.”

Michael Katon led the way for Rusk with 28 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and five assists. Kalen Skinner added 18 points, five steals and four assists. Damario Richards notched 14 points and four steals and Delshawn Session added 10 points and three rebounds.

“Katon, Session, Skinner and Richards all played really well offensively,” Coach Kincade said.

Katon, Session, Taj Cleaver, Brandon Downs and Ray Harris combined for 33 rebounds on the night. Katon, Skinner, Derrick Sanders and John David Beard combined for 16 assists.

The win put the Eagle boys one game out of third place, a situation that would be resolved for better or worse against Huntington last Friday.

Diboll’s Lady Jacks defeated the Rusk Lady Eagles, 64- 44.

2nd half dooms Rusk against

Devilettes

The Rusk Lady Eagles have found that the second half has been their kryptonite all season long.

The Lady Eagles held the lead over district-leading Hudson in their first matchup, led in the middle of the third quarter against second-place Central last week and have been close with every team in the district – in the first half.

However, the second half has usually doomed the Lady Eagles. Hudson went on a 54- 10 run to close the game in their first matchup. Central went on a 33-3 run in the last quarter and a half to close out last week’s game.

The same was true, unfortunately, in their game last week against Huntington. The Lady Eagles found themselves ahead by one at the end of the first quarter and down one at halftime.

From there, the Devilettes outscored Rusk 29-5 in the second half to pick up a 50-25 win over the Lady Eagles.

Teoshue Badgett led Rusk with 18 points on the night. Kiara Skinner added five and Kendrieka Hart scored two.

Morgan Arnold led the way for the Devilettes with 13 points. Morgan Brown added 10 and Madisyn Williams notched seven.

Big men stand tall; Eagles get

past Devils

Varsity boys’ games between Rusk and Huntington over the last three years have been close. Regardless of the venue, the Eagles and Red Devils hold each other to low scores and exciting finishes.

Earlier this season in Huntington, the Eagles picked up a 45-33 win over the Red Devils. Last Friday, the Devils were looking for revenge at “The Nest.”

Behind big men Tyler Dhone and Kameron McClendon, the Red Devils jumped out to a 15-6 first quarter lead and held Rusk at bay in the first half, heading into the locker room with a 23-21 lead.

The Eagles clawed their way back thanks to their own big man, Cleaver, taking a two-point lead in the third quarter.

That would be all of the cushion Rusk needed as the two teams locked down on defense in the final frame, combining for only eight points.

In the end, the Eagles would pick up the victory, 45-43.

“I like games like this,” Coach Kincade said. “I like where we have to execute down the stretch and use our expertise to win. Don’t get me wrong; I’d rather have the blowout, but I like knowing we have to get up and play hard to win.”

Cleaver led Rusk with 13 points. Katon and Sanders each added seven and Skinner, Beard and Session all notched six.

“We didn’t make many shots this game,” Coach Kincade said, “but Taj played well on offense. They tried to take Katon away from us in the first half, so we adjusted at halftime.

“I told the guys going into the fourth that we had a two point lead, so we needed to stay strong and execute down the stretch.”

Dhone led Huntington with 17 points. McClendon added 15 for the Red Devils.

“They really executed and spaced their guards well and we had to adjust,” Coach Kincade said. “We had to make adjustments, but 23 (McClendon) and 24 (Dhone) played well.”

Despite scoring only four in the final frame, Coach Kincade said that he was happy with his team’s defense. In district play, only Hudson (57-54) and Diboll (first meeting, 73-62 in overtime) have scored more than 46 points against the Eagles.

“We allowed four points (in the fourth) and held them to 43 points,” he said. “We held Central to 33, Center to 42, Jasper to 46 and Carthage to 40.

“If we can keep playing defense like this and score on the offensive end, we can win. I’m encouraged going into the final part of district play.”

The Eagles and Lady Eagles took on Center last night.

Rusk will travel to Jasper Friday night and will return to Eagle Coliseum next Tuesday to take on Carthage, the final game of the season for the girls.

Around the county

The Jacksonville Fightin’ Indians kept their hold on first place in District 14-4A with two wins last week over Lindale and Whitehouse.

The Tribe defeated Lindale, 58-48, last Tuesday night. Justin Davis scored 17, Ryan Black notched 14 and Tradarreon Moreland added 13. Luke Wyatt led Lindale with 18 points.

The Indians defeated Whitehouse last Friday night, 50-43. Moreland led Jacksonville with 16 points and Black added 10. Jonathan Aldridge scored 19 to lead the Wildcats.

The Jacksonville Fightin’ Maidens dropped their first district game in over a year when they fell to Lindale last Tuesday, 33-25.

The Lady Eagles were paced by an 11-1 run in the second quarter and held the Maidens at bay.

Amber Hawkins led Jacksonville with 10 points. Brittany King added five.

Jenna Terry led Lindale with seven points. Sarah Cargill and Di’Mond Edmond each scored six.

The Maidens bounced back with a 54-38 win over Whitehouse that keeps them in first place, a game ahead of Lindale.

Hawkins led the Maidens with 20 points. Tanika Lucas- Clay added nine and Chancii Scott and Sametria Baker each scored eight. Chasity Stewart led Whitehouse with 10.

The Alto Yellowjacket varsity boys played one game last week, dropping a 64-60 decision to Dallardsville Big Sandy.