The Pass Christian girls held Gulfport to single digits in the first three quarters en route to a 46-33 victory tonight in Gulfport. Pass Christian senior Kamiyah Pruitt scored five of the Lady Pirates 13 first-quarter points and ninth grader Cassidy Woods added a three-pointer Pass Christian put a stronghold on the game early and never let up.
“We finally did some things tonight that we have been focusing on specifically in practice and it’s good for the girls to see the results and positives that come from it,” said Pass Christian head coach Caroline Lumpkin.
No one from Gulfport scored double digits, however, the Lady Admirals rallied in the fourth scoring 14 points with five different players contributing – Skyy Bush, Jariah Smith, Presley Mclaughlin, Anna Davis Alexander, and Shamiya Walker.
“After graduating nine seniors and losing 99 percent of our offense, we are very young and inexperienced,” said Gulfport head coach Marcus Price. “This is a big difference in ninth grade/junior varsity and varsity basketball, so we are experiencing growing pains associated with that transition.”
Coach Lumpkin talked about her team’s similar growing pains with a younger roster.
“We are super young, with half of our team being freshmen and only two returning players with varsity minutes last year,” she said. “Being so young, anytime we execute and learn from it, is a good sign and a step in the right direction.”
Pruitt led all scorers with 20, with sophomore Biggs turning in seven. For Gulfport, Mclaughlin had eight, with Davis Alexander chipping in seven.
“I’m really proud of how my girls are playing and trying to do the things we ask,” said coach Price. “We have some talented young players with tons of potential. As long as we continue to compete, play hard and together, and trust the process, we will be fine in the long run.”
Pass Christian, now 4-8, will play Cleveland Central on Saturday at a tournament in Pearl. Gulfport falls to 1-7 and will play at Harrison Central on Friday night.
