Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Nevada Blue Jays Lose In First Round

Nevada's trip to the regional tournament in Bearden was short, yet bitter.

The Bluejays and Lady Jays were both eliminated in the first round of play.

The Jays had one of the toughest opponents to face in the contest as they tangled with Caddo Hills.

The Indians came to the contest with their war paint on and tomahawks sharpened. They dispatched the Jays 68-54, allowing Nevada's boys to get ready for the upcoming baseball season.

Nevada played well in the first period as they took a 19-16 lead at the end of one.

However, Caddo Hills responded in the second quarter and led 32-30 at the break.

From there, the Indians went on the warpath and scalped the Jays. At the end of three, Caddo Hills was up 51-40 and outscored Nevada 18-14 in the final eight minutes.

Tavoris Gulley paced the Jays with 14 points. Reginal Reed was the only other Nevada player to reach the double digit status. He did it with 11 points.

Michael Martin had the hot hand for the Indians as he scorched the nets for 19. Jason Caldwell sent 16 through the iron, while Byron Brown scored 14.

The Jays did what they could at the charity stripe, but didn't make enough trips to make much difference. They connected on five of nine free throws in the contest.

On the other hand, the Indians almost couldn't miss as they hit 22 of 26 attempts.

The Lady Jays came close to playing another game in the tourney, but came up one short against Mineral Springs, 45-44.

The Lady Hornets opened the game with a 13-7 lead, and extended their advantage to 11 points at the half as they led 28-17.

However, the Lady Jays fought back in the third period, outscoring the Lady Hornets 15-6 and cutting the lead to 34-32.

In spite of outscoring Mineral Springs in the final eight minutes, 12-11, the Lady Jays didn't have quite enough momentum to carry them over the final hurdle.

Tomeka Muldrow led the way for the Lady Jays with 14 points. Vanessa Evans followed with 10. Dilesha Easter and Shanika Allen each scored nine.

Melissa Johnson paced the Lady Hornets with 18 points, while DeAndrea Miller added 11.

The Lady Jays, like their male counterparts, were five of nine at the stripe.

The Lady Hornets shot an even 50 percent at the line, as they hit nine of 18.