By: Shayla Terry

On Tuesday night the Luverne Tigers swept the Highland Home Flying Squadron, with all three teams securing wins.

Luverne travelled to Highland Home for their first game of the season. The junior varsity boys set the tone for the night with a rocketing score of 47-8.

“Things went pretty well for the first game,” junior varsity coach Ro Harris said.

“We got the jitter bugs out. Maybe Thursday things will be alright, and after that we’ll know exactly what we have to work on.”

Yet the team’s defense was on point, allowing the Squadron very little room for advancement.

“We rebounded well,” Harris said.

“We’re a young team with a lot of eighth graders, and they progress very well.”

Freshman Keyshawn Ezell lead the team with 10 points of the night. His efforts were assisted by five other players who boasted five points each.

With the junior varsity team setting the marker high, the Lady Tigers followed their lead, winning 57-22.

The varsity girls have already had some playing experience after participating in a tournament during Thanksgiving break.

“This was the first official game of the season,” Head Coach Rasheeda May said.

“I think we did okay. We were a little nervous to start out, but I think we finished fairly well.”

Junior Jayla June put up 13 points of the Lady Tigers, while sophomore Ty’Keria Means lead the girls’ defensive efforts.

“We have a lot of areas to grow in,” May said.

“The most important area is to play as a team and I think we’re getting there game by game.”

Finishing off the victorious night, the varsity boys defeated the Squadron varsity 51-33.

“The game went well,” Head Coach Richard Dorsey said.

“We were a little rusty. It took them a while to get used to the speed, and what is required.”

Early on, the Squadron put up a good battle. The games stayed within close numbers for much of the first half.

“We had good energy, and played without selfishness,” Dorsey said.

“It was good team ball. They competed well, and I’m happy about that win or lose.”

Dorsey said he would look to his senior line up to make plays, and the players delivered. Senior La’Darion Harrell scored 12 points for the Tigers, while fellow senior Rondarius Steele added nine points. Sophomore Dionte (Tay) Brantley also aided the Tigers with nine points, and senior Eric Upshaw finished the night with seven points.

Thursday night, the Tigers will travel to New Brockton to compete against the Gamecocks. The Tigers will compete again on Friday night at home against Greenville High School. Junior Varsity will kick off both games with play at 4:30 p.m.