SHANNON – Shannon Red Raiders head coach Cedric Brim would like to take the second half his team played on Friday night and plug it in for the rest of the current season.

Overcoming a halftime deficit, the Raiders used a strong third quarter to dispatch the Amory Panthers 74-64 in a Division 1-4A matchup.

“After talking to the team at the half, the team responded," Brim chuckled about how he phrased the basics of his halftime speech.

“Hopefully, we’ll continue to play like we did in the second half tonight, and we’ll win some ball games.”

Amory (9-2, 2-2) had a solid first half for their first game

since before Christmas. A 9-0 run in the second quarter was

capped by a Devin McIntosh tip-in for a 28-23 lead, which

the Panthers maintained for a 32-27 halftime advantage.

RAIDERS RESPOND

Then Shannon (12-4, 3-1) heeded Brim’s halftime remarks.

Lakee Westbrook hit a pair of baskets as Shannon scored the first four field goals of the third quarter to take a 36-32 lead. Capping the crucial third period for Shannon was freshman

Rocquis Coleman, whose shot at the buzzer gave the home team a 49-40 margin.

“They came out with more intensity in the third quarter, and it went from there," Amory head coach Rob Browning said.

“My kids are competitive, and they’ll not take this loss lightly.”

Amory could never significantly dent the Shannon lead in the fourth quarter, with seven straight free throws and a Zavier Jones 3-pointer key in clinching the win in the final one minute-plus.

Westbrook tallied 20 points to lead four Shannon players in double figures, with Dario Robinson hitting 17 to pace four Amory players in double figures.

(G) SHANNON 72, AMORY 24: The Lady Raiders (8-2, 3-1) exploded

out of the gate, outscoring Amory 23-9 in the first quarter, and never looked back.

Alexandrea Metcalf paced the Shannon offense with 23, and Ashley Thompson scored 12 for Amory.