Stanhope Elmore had a quick turnaround following a loss to G.W. Carver last Monday.
The next night, Mustangs had their home opener with Tallassee, which was coming off a three-game losing streak.
Despite a strong start defensively, Stanhope found itself up by only three at halftime and had to hold on for dear life. The Mustangs did just enough, but there’s still plenty of work to do.
Brooke Burkette, who scored 22 points for Stanhope, sealed the victory with a couple of steals and layups late in the fourth of a 56-46 win over Tallassee last Tuesday. Jayden Thomas added 19 points for the Mustangs (2-2), who played their next two games on the road.
The Mustangs prevailed despite a tough night from the free-throw line, hitting just 14 of their 26 attempts.
Stanhope Elmore forced 23 turnovers, but Mustans coach Kelvin Stokes had to switch defenses to slow down Tallassee’s two best scorers in the second half.
“It was a strange game,” Stokes said. “I wanted us to set the tone, and I thought we did that early on. (Tallassee) made shots and really made it difficult for us. We wanted to take the ball out of their best players’ hands. We really missed a lot of opportunities and we’ve got to rebound better.”
The Tigers (1-7) used long-range shooting to get back into the game and took advantage of several unforced errors late in the game to cut Stanhope’s lead to 50-46 with two minutes left.
Tallassee finished the game with three consecutive turnovers and missed four of their eight free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter.
Sinclair Cole led the Tigers with 19 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and pitched in seven rebounds. Jy McKinnon scored 11 points and Lindan Oliver contributed eight.
Tallassee coach Harold Harris said he hopes last Tuesday’s effort will help lift his players moving forward. All but two of the Tigers’ losses have been by 10 points or fewer.
“We have girls that can shoot,” Harris said. “They shoot well in practice then get out into the game and they don’t want to shoot. We’ve got to go back to practice and I’ve got to find their confidence. We played hard and gave ourselves a shot.”