The Greenville Academy Lady Tornados used senior night as a motivator and blew away the visiting Jackson Academy Eagles, 63-38 behind Ginger May's 17 point performance.

&uot;That was probably our best ballgame offensively all year,&uot; said Nados head coach John Andress. &uot;We've never scored 60 (points) before. We just shot the ball a whole lot better. On the season we're shooting 37 percent and we shot 40 percent against Jackson, that's what made the difference.&uot;

The Tornados controlled the tempo of the game throughout and especially the boards with leading rebounder Amy Winters controlling the glass for Greenville. Her control of the boards allowed the Tornados to take a six point lead after the first quarter which they extended to 16 points by halftime.

&uot;Almost everybody on the team scored,&uot; said Andress, who played all of the players on his bench by the time the game concluded. &uot;With it being senior night everybody was real excited about playing and that helped.&uot;

Other scorers for Greenville included Alicia Waller with 14 points, Tabitha Gafford with 12 points and Farren Butts and Ashley Whittington each with six points.

Nado boys lose to Jackson

Too little too late was the story Tuesday as the Greenville Academy Tornados were held to six points in the first quarter by Jackson Academy on their way to a 69-51 loss on senior night.

The Tornados (3-12) trailed by 19 points at the half, but pulled within striking distance in the third quarter.

&uot;We hustled and got back in the game,&uot; said Nados head coach Gary Wayne Bowen. &uot;We just didn't handle the press well early.&uot;

The Eagles from Jackson pressed Greenville early, forcing them into turnovers that led to easy baskets. The Tornados were able to break the press, but the damage had already been done.

&uot;We did a little better job handling the ball and got them out of it, but that first quarter is what killed us,&uot; Bowen said. &uot;I was proud of the way we played and the effort we put out. We didn't quit.&uot;

Although the &uot;Nados have been struggling this year, Bowen said his team's opportunity to learn from their mistakes will benefit them next year.

&uot;We've got five our six coming back next year so we're looking at this year as a learning experience,&uot; he said.

Thomas Strickland led the way for the Tornados against Jackson with 14 points with Kyle Salter posting 12 points and Josh Burt adding nine points. Other scorers included Justin Beeson with seven points, Justin Murphy with three points and David Moore, Adam Moore and Randy Faulk, each with two points.