Jacksonville PARD: Scarlet Holds off Black for 26-22 win

Despite being double teamed, Scarlet’s Lacey Buchanon was the leading scorer with 13 points in Scarlet’s 26-22 win over Black in Jacksonville PARD hoops action. Scarlet took 1st place in the 12-and-Under division. Photo: Lori Tippets/Jacksonville News

The 12-and-Under Scarlet team, coached by Preston Buchanon, held off a fourth quarter rally by Mike Rollins Black team to win 26-22. Scarlet also won their next game over White, 33-20, to take first place in the 12-and-Under Division.

The Black team had a hard time all game trying to contain Scarlet’s point guard Lacey Buchanon. A sixth grader, Buchanon is an excellent ball handler and sees the floor well, finding the open player with a bullet like assist, or driving the lane for two. Lacey also is deadly from the outside and led her Scarlet team to victory with 13 points on the night.

Buchanon and fellow teammate Tyler Ross drove the lane in the first quarter for a combined eight points. Black tried to counter by going down underneath to their big man, Jared Green for two and Mitchell Neff scored from the lane for an 8-4 Scarlet first quarter lead.

Scarlet’s Charles Moore started the second quarter off by laying one up and in for two, but Black’s Mason Rollins hit from the outside to keep his team close. Buchanon connected on a nice jump shot from outside and a foul shot by Ross gave the Scarlet team a 13-6 lead with time running out before the half. Mitchell Neff drove underneath for two for the Black team and Mason Rollins hit on a shot from outside to close out the half at 13-10 for Scarlet.

Scarlet took a commanding 22-14 lead in the third quarter as Buchanon hit for five points and Tyler Ross added two more. DJ Hall was all alone underneath the basket on an inbounds play for Scarlet for two additional points.

A tight third quarter defense held the black team to a basket by John Mark Sawyer and a foul shot by David Logsdon and Mason Rollins.

Despite being down by eight points, Black made a run at Scarlet in the fourth quarter. Buchanon started the quarter out with yet another jump shot to give her team a 24-14 edge. Neff connected on two free throws for Black and Sawyer found his way down the lane and laid one off the glass for two more to cut the margin to 24-18 Scarlet.

Buchanon once again drove the length of the floor, stopping in the lane to fire up yet another two points. Black tried to catch up with two foul shots by Bradley Mulkey and a lay-up by Mitchell Neff but the buzzer sounded with Scarlet on top 26-22.

Lacey Buchanon led all scorers with 13 points. Also scoring for Scarlet was DJ Hall with 4, Tyler Ross with 7 and Charles Moore with 2.

For Black, Mitchell Neff led with 8, John Mark Sawyer had 4, Jared Green 2, Mason Rollins 5, Bradley Mulkey 2, and David Logsdon 1.

Lori Tippets is a sports writer for The Jacksonville News.