Mikwese Claybourne scored 17 points, Nick McHenry added 15 and Za’Darius Smith chipped in 13 as Greenville improved to 8-4 with a 63-55 win over Straughn on Tuesday night.

The Tigers led 35-25 at halftime.

“The guys played pretty well tonight,” said GHS head coach Bryant Marlow. “I thought our defense was a little better after halftime. But we’re going to have to get better, fundamentally.”

The Tigers head to Camden on Friday to play Wilcox-Central in a key area match-up. Greenville is already 1-0 in area play, having beaten Monroe County earlier in the season.

Wins are a premium in Class 5A, Area 4, where the Tigers are one of only three teams. The Tigers host Wilcox-Central on Jan. 15 and Monroe on Jan. 22.

Marlow said because of the small area, the area title usually comes down to one of the AHSAA’s many tiebreaker situations. The area champion hosts the tournament.

Straughn 30, GHS 39 (B-Team)

Anthony McMeans scored 15 and Antwon Banks added nine to lead GHS’s B-Team to a 39-30 win over Straughn.