Greenville Boys Edge John Tyler, But JT Girls Pull Away from Lufkin Hudson

TYLER --  Dartannon Wilson sank two free throws with 1:25 remaining for Greenville's first lead, and the Lions held on for a 62-60 win over John Tyler on Tuesday at the Lion's Den.

Wilson's second free throw broke a 59-59 tie, then his steal with 26 seconds left sealed the win for Greenville (6-8). Wilson, who came into the contest averaging 29 points per game, finished with a game-high 19 points, six rebounds, and three steals.

Keaunte Humber's 17 points and 14 rebounds led John Tyler (2-9). Hennessey Lampkin added 11 points, two blocks, and two steals.

John Tyler continues to play without without a significant portion of its team that plays football. The football team is preparing for Friday night's Class 4A Division I state semifinal in Midlothian against Denton Guyer.

Humber hit two free throws at the beginning of the fourth to go up 53-49, then Javonte Tramble's blocked shot and fast break layup gave JT a 55-49 lead with 4:39 left.

Wilson drained a three, then started a play with a pass to Jerry Dickeson, who made a nice extra pass to Brady Mulkey under the basket to bring Greenville within one, 57-56, with 2:17 left.

Less than a minute later came Wilson's go-ahead free throws.

"The main thing I told (the players), is if we stay in the game, keep it close, then the pressure would be on (John Tyler)," said Greenville head coach Marcus Smith. "I told them to keep on playing, and keep on working. I have a great, great bunch of kids. They work hard. We may not be the most athletic, like we were last year, but these guys work together as a team."

John Tyler was 11-for-21 from the free throw line in the game, including 5-for-11 in the fourth quarter.

"It was a hard-fought game to the end," said John Tyler head coach Cedeno Clark. "It was a winnable game for us, but it came down to primarily making free throws. Down the stretch, we went to the line, which is what we asked the kids to do, to continue to attack the basket with us being in the double-bonus. We just have to buckle down and continue to get to the free-throw line and knock them down."

JT took a 41-34 third-quarter lead after Patrick Williams' three-pointer off an Humber assist, which followed Humber's coast-to-coast a layup and-1. After Greenville's Chris Bazer hit a three-pointer in the corner, John Tyler's J'Michael Jasper got a rebound and putback at the third-quarter buzzer, giving JT a 49-45 lead at the end of the three.

John Tyler led 30-24 at halftime. At one point in the first, Lampkin scored five consecutive points -- a steal and layup, then another fast break layup that turned into a three-point play, giving JT a 15-13 lead.

Greenville's Dickeson finished with 12 points and six boards, while Mulkey added six points, five rebounds, and three blocks. Jamar Clark came off the bench for eight rebounds, including three offensive.

John Tyler hosts Terrell on Friday.

John Tyler Trio Spur Lady Lions to 68-45 Victory Over Lufkin Hudson

The trio of Tiaka Lee, Quaneshia "Tootie" Johnson, and Tameal Jones combined for 47 points to lead John Tyler to a 68-45 win against Lufkin Hudson at the Lions Den on Tuesday.

Lee had 20 points, Jones added 14, and Johnson chipped in 13 points and four rebounds.

"I thought we stepped up and played good defense," said John Tyler head coach Mike Smith. "Our half-court trap gave them some problems, so we got some fastbreak easy buckets. We really had the hot hand there in the first half. You never know if we're going to be hot, but if we're all hitting at the same time, it could be dangerous."

John Tyler (9-5) relied on the outside shot early, hitting four three-pointers in the first quarter, to jump to a 14-2 lead.

When Johnson nailed a jumper on the wing with 6:37 left in the second, JT went up 21-4.

Lukfin Hudson (4-7) answered with a 6-2 run fueled by a Hannah Grandgeorge layup off a K.K. Parker assist. Parker led Hudson with 17 points. Grandgeorge tallied seven points and five rebounds.

With 2:05 left in the second, a Johnson offensive rebound and putback pushed the Lady Lions' advantage to 29-15, then Jones went the length of the floor for a layup to push it to 35-17 before halftime.

Hudson made only 11 of 23 free-throw attempts.

John Tyler opened the second half with a three by sophomore Amia Wickware, then Johnson got a steal, drove to the hoop, was fouled and sank two free-throws to give the Lady Lions a comfortable 46-25 advantage at the 3:00 mark of the third. JT finished with 12 steals, led by three from Jones, who is a sophomore.

When Jones and Johnson hit consecutive layups to start the fourth, John Tyler led 54-29, and was well on its way to the victory.