Yazoo County head coach Christine Demus knew heading into last Friday night’s district contest against Ruleville that the Lady Panthers were going to have a problem with Lady Tigers’ guard Jacorriah Bracey. Bracey, a junior guard, is one of the top basketball players in the state and that fact was undeniable as she scored a game-high 24 points to lead Ruleville to a 58-45 victory.
Yazoo County drops to 9-6 overall after the loss and 1-1 in district action.
“We knew coming in that we were going to have to contain her. She’s a very special talent,” said Demus. “We did a good job for the most part, but it’s hard to contain a player with her ability. We stuck to our gameplan and it was working, but she was able to get going in the fourth quarter and that was the difference in the game.”
The two teams played to a 13-13 tie after one quarter and after a 14-10 second quarter, Ruleville inched ahead by four, 27-23, at the half. The Lady Panthers went to a box-and-one defense in the third quarter with Shamyia Douglas and Akeriuna Frierson sharing the bulk of the one-on-one defensive duties on Bracey. The pair did a good job keeping the ball out of Bracey’s hands, which frustrated her and her teammates while allowing the Lady Panthers to keep the game close. After outscoring the Lady Tigers 10-7 in the frame, Yazoo County trailed 34-33 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
With her team in desperate need of her, Bracey was able to find enough opportunities down the stretch to lead the Lady Tigers to a 24-12 fourth quarter advantage and the eventual victory.
“We knew it would be a tough game because we were playing one of the top guards in the state. I feel that we did a great job defensively, but there were some rough spots offensively. We had a horrible shooting night,” said Demus.
Frierson led the Lady Panthers in scoring with 14 points, followed by Jordan Scott with 11, Destiny Epps with nine, Keanna Norwood with seven and Shakeria Robinson with four.
With a 1-1 conference record and an important game against district foe Humphreys County this Saturday, Demus and the Lady Panthers will have two things inspiring them during the contest. The Lady Panthers will be playing the game in remembrance of Kejoncee Burks, a former Yazoo County student who tragically lost her life in an automobile accident in 2017.
“We will be playing Saturday’s game for Kejoncee. We love her and we miss her,” said Demus. “It is my belief that experience and heart will be the determining factors as we head into district play. As long as we stay together as a team and continue to work hard, we’re going to be just fine.”
The Lady Panthers return to action Saturday at home against Humphreys County, travel to J.Z. George on January 15 and host Charleston on January 18.
