Games are won and lost on the scoreboard, but sometimes, that doesn’t tell the entire story.
Yazoo County High’s Panthers, for instance, fell to Clinton High School 85-57 in the season-opener on Thursday afternoon.
But they left the game feeling like winners.
The Panthers, who are short a number of players due to the ongoing football season, were outmatched size-wise to the number two team in the state, but played them to a 34-33 game at the half.
According to Yazoo County head coach Phil Turner, a mistake in coaching led to the exaggerated score.
“They came out and put shooters in the corners and hit a shot,” Turner said. “The next trip down, we got an intentional foul. Then they came down and hit another 3-pointer. We went from down eight to down 15 in the blink of an eye. I put us in a man defense, and that was a mistake. I should have gone to a 1-3-1. That’s my fault. I didn’t make the right adjustment. The kids did everything I asked of them.”
The game got out of hand from there, and the Panthers eventually fell 85-57.
But the loss still did wonders for the team’s confidence and Turner’s faith.
“I believe our guys played extremely well,” Turner said. “Clinton is a very good basketball team, and their coach made the right adjustment at the half.It has done wonders for our confidence and for me as a coach. It gives me a new perspective on our team. Our practices have been more upbeat. The kids are talking about it in the hall. This gives us something to grow from.”
Next up for Yazoo County will be a home contest against Riverside.
The opening tip on Thursday is set for approximately 7:30 p.m.
