Tigers open season with wins at Nadine Carpenter Classic

LEFLORE — The Central High School basketball teams opened their 2023-24 basketball season by winning their opening-round games in the Nadine Carpenter Classic on Monday night at Leflore High School’s Nadine Carpenter Memorial Gymnasium.

The Tigers clawed the host Leflore Savages 74-25 to put them into Friday night’s 8:30 p.m. championship semifinals against the McCurtain Bulldogs, who routed the Haileyville Warriors 6837 earlier on Monday. The Central-McCurtain winner will play for the tournament championship at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, while the loser will play for third place at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.

Things also went well for the Lady Tigers as they tamed the Howe Lady Lions junior varsity — which took the place of Bokoshe, which does not have enough girls for a team currently — by a score of 68-21. The Lady Tigers will play the winner of Tuesday night’s Wister-Leflore game in the championship semifinals at 4 p.m. Friday. The winner will play for the title at 6 p.m. Saturday, while the loser will battle it out for third place at 3 p.m. Saturday.

In the Central boys’ win, the Tigers (1-0) jumped out to a 15-8 lead after a quarter, then put away the game with a 20-4 second period for a 35-12 halftime lead, which swelled to 58-25 entering the fourth quarter.

For the game, Joseph Lee led Central with 10 points, followed by Devon Baggs, Noah Buzzard and Paitton Merrill with nine points each, Cade Tucker, Nathan Vann and Coy Blackburn with six points each, Jace Mendenhall and Connor Walters each with five points, Braxin Goodson with four points, Hardy Buzzard with three points and Jake Woods with two points.

In the Central girls’ win, the Lady Tigers (1-0) clawed their way to a 19-2 lead after a period, which became a 34-6 halftime advantage and a 5614 lead after three quarters.

For the game, Ayrland Jiles and Cambree Bair each scored a game-high 10 points to lead Central, followed by Haley Cheek with eight points, Alyvia Warner, Cheyenne Busch and Alyssa Harris with six points each, Koda Robbins, Hadlie Woods and Paris Campbell each with four points, Brianna Taylor with three points, Gracie Thompson, Keeley Poindexter and Autumn Cernicek with two points each and Ryleigh Pierce with a free throw.