EL DORADO, Ark. — Ruston High’s girls got a 61-45 win Friday night at El Dorado, while the boys’ basketball season debut fell short as both teams played on the road Wildcats just bested out the Bearcats 69-66.
For the girls, junior Kearra Wilson led the scoring with 19 points, while senior Akeirah Jones added 13. Senior Journi Douglas poured in 11 points in the Ruston (4-1) victory.
“The girls came out playing with great intensity and strong defensive effort,” Ruston High Head Coach LaShanda Cooper said. “This was our first time playing out of state with a shot clock, but with our style of play it was never a factor. We focused on pushing the pace offensively and applying pressure defensively to force them into tough decisions. We knew their defense would give us open looks, so we emphasized being ready to shoot with confidence, and we did a great job knocking down shots from the outside. I’m really proud of how each girl is stepping up and playing with confidence and trust.”
On the boys’ side, the Bearcats fell in a back-and-forth struggle despite huge efforts from both sophomore guard Darren Ford and junior guard Jasen Morgan.
“Our kids played hard but came up short down the stretch,” Ruston High Head Coach Marcus Jackson said. “El Dorado played really well. Their coach told me he had eight seniors — they made the plays in the last two minutes to come out with the victory. My hat is off to them.”
The Bearcat offense struggled early and only scored six first quarter points and trailed 13-6 headed into the second quarter. Morgan then put in 17 points by himself in the second quarter to help cut into the El Dorado lead 35-33 headed into the halftime locker room.
Eighteen third quarter points helped keep the Wildcats up 53-49 going into the fourth quarter, and despite staying close, El Dorado was able to hold on and close out the game 69-66.
Ford turned in a 26-point effort in his regular season debut for the Bearcats, while Morgan totaled 23 points. Senior Mason Dulaney finished the game with seven points, but Jackson said he had to play limited minutes due to foul trouble.
The Lady Bearcats will be back in action Tuesday, Dec. 9, at 6 p.m. on the road at Neville. The boys’ will host the Remington Butler tournament over the upcoming weekend.
