Manila held off Armorel 61-51 in nonconference basketball action Tuesday night at Lion Gym. The Tigers grabbed a 14-8 lead after the opening quarter before the Lions clawed their way back to take a 22-19 halftime edge. Manila stretched its advantage to 41-36 entering the final frame.
Senior point guard Matthew May sank 7-8 foul shots in the fourth quarter to preserve the victory. May canned 10-11 free throws on the night and finished with a game high 22 points to lead the Lions. Joel Burrow scored 12 while Brock Birmingham chipped in 10. Conner Belew scored six, Bradey Woodall contributed five, Jeremiah May netted four while Dalton Hitchcock added two points. The Lions drilled 22-26 charity tosses and knocked down five three pointers.
Monroe Carr paced the Tigers with 19 points while Logan Blankenship tallied 14.
In junior high action, Manila rolled over Armorel 44-21 behind Daley Belew's 16 points.
Manila returns to the hardcourt Tuesday night with a road trip to Westside before playing host to Riverside Friday night at Lion Gym.
Lady Lions
In girls action, Gosnell defeated the Lady Lions 47-31 Thursday night at Gosnell. The Lady Pirates led 10-8 after the first quarter, 28-13 at the half and 43-20 after three periods.
Hannah McQueen led Manila with nine points, Jordyn Tyler scored six, Hannah Teague and Presley Pierce chipped in four points apiece while Madison Bibbs tallied three. Sydney Adcock and Hannah May added two points each while Courtney Merritt chipped in one point.
In junior high action, Gosnell slipped past Manila 30-24. Bailey Hampton topped Manila with 14 points. Anna Grace Adams tallied six while Kaitlyn Weather and Jasmine Lozano added two points each.
The Lady Lions return to action Monday night with a road trip to Westside before traveling to Lake City to face Riverside on Thursday.