By: Shayla Terry

Back from a near three-week break, the Luverne Tigers fell short to the Central Hayneville Lions on Tuesday night.

The game was the first of area play for both the Tigers and the Lions, and no team secured a win. Central’s record is 6-3. Luverne hadn’t competed since Dec. 17.

B-team was the closest to winning their game, falling short in the last minute of the fourth quarter, 42-39.

“We had too many turnovers,” Head Coach Ro Harris said. “They were crucial turnovers at that.”

Freshman Raja Moneyham put up 12 points for the Tigers, and ushered the B-team to their near victory.

In the coming weeks, Harris says they will be working continuously on turnovers.

“They’re just too costly not to fix the problem,” he said.

The Lady Tigers battled with the Lady Lions until the end, but their efforts were short. They lost 50-35.

“We’re working on learning how to come together as a team,” Head Coach Rasheeda May said.

“Once we do that, it will all come together.”

The Lady Tigers lost their starting point guard a few weeks ago, and now May is utilizing her junior and freshman guards.

Sophomore Cassidy Johnson added 10 points for the Tigers. Senior Alexius Means defensively keep competitors at bay.

“This game, and our next area game is going to show us what we really need,” May said.

The varsity Tigers took a hard hit by the Lions, losing 70-33.

“They were a very good team,” Head Coach Richard Dorsey said.

“They made it to regionals last year, and they have almost all of their players back. We were just a little bit outmatched at the time.”

The Tigers started strong in the first half, but the Lion lead pulled further away from them through third quarter play.

“I thought Jalanta Franklin played really hard, and was attacking the basketball real good,” Dorsey said.

“We played well, and it’s only 10 on varsity now. So, it’s going to take a full effort every time.”

Friday, the Tigers will compete in their second area game against the Goshen Eagles in Goshen.