After a playoff-opening victory over the Hazlehurst Indians, the Yazoo County Panthers hit the road for a Class 3A quarterfinal battle with the Kemper County Wildcats. For four quarters, the two evenly matched battled back and forth but in the end, the Panthers’ season came to an end with an 81-64 loss.
The two teams nearly played to a tie to start things off as the Wildcats led 16-15 after one quarter. Kemper County began to slowly pull away from the Panthers early in the second frame and led for the remainder of the contest.
The Wildcats outscored the Panthers in every quarter (21-14 in the second, 17-15 in the third and 27-20 in the fourth) and while the Panthers narrowed the lead to as little as seven points several times, each time they went on a run, the Wildcats were able to answer with a rally of their own.
Ultimately, the Wildcats were able to cruise away with the 17-point win ending the Panthers’ season at 13-15.
While the conclusion to the year wasn’t what he wanted, Yazoo County head coach Torrey Dale was pleased with how his team responded to adversities of the 2020-2021 season.
“I’m proud of my team and the players’ dedication through the pandemic and ice storm. Through injuries and quarantines they showed up and gave it their all and we were blessed to keep the playoff streak going with a Sweet 16 appearance,” said Dale.
Yazoo County benefited from another herculean effort from senior guard Kejuan Frierson, who led the Panthers with 27 points. LaKevion Dixon joined Frierson in double figures with 14 points followed by Matthew Swan with eight, Donavin Green with seven, Manari Paige with five and Franco Whisenton, Jr. with three.
The departure of seniors Frierson, Dixon, Paige, Whisenton, Jr., and Jayden Moorehead (who was out with an injury) will hurt, but not as much as one would think. Dale fully expects his returning players to pick up right where his senior group left off.
Said Dale, “My seniors gave me everything they had and I expect to see several of them playing on the next level in the fall. I’m fortunate to be returning a very experienced group. We return eight guys who gained valuable playing experience this year, so we look to continue to be competitive in 3A.”
