Magnolia freshman Derrian Ford poured in 30 points and classmate Colby Garland added 16 as the Panthers took over sole possession atop the 4A Region 8 Conference standings Tuesday night.
“That young man (Ford) is special. He’s tough to keep from getting to the basket, and he doesn’t miss many when he gets there,” said Magnolia head coach Dyun Long.
The Panthers (11-3, 4-0) sit alone on top of the league standings after pounding Camden Fairview 69-50 at Panther Arena. The Cardinals and Panthers entered the game with no losses in league action.
“Not only did Ford have a great game, but Colby went with him and made some big shots. Overall, it was an all-around team effort because several other guys did their jobs,” said Long. “The freshmen led us tonight, but the next time it may be someone else.”
The Panthers get a couple of days off before returning to their home court on Friday, where they will host the Hamburg Lions.
Long wouldn’t speculate on what if he, as an opposing coach, would do to try and slow down Ford.
“I’m glad I’m not in that position and don’t want to even think about it,” he said.
The coach noted that Markeveon Strickland and Kadyn Roach played solid games, as well as Braylen Beasley coming off the bench to provide 11 points.
Roach and Strickland had four apiece.
Ford scored the Panthers’ first seven points and Garland added two as the Panthers raced out to a 9-0 lead during the first two minutes.
Fairview’s Jalen Moore put the Cardinals on the board at the six-minute mark and the Cardinals closed the gap to 16-12 with two minutes left in the opening quarter.
Strickland had two buckets in the final minutes and the Panthers led 21-15 after the first break.
A conventional three-point play by Ford helped the Panthers go up by 10, 32-22, midway through the second period. The Cardinals didn’t go away and trailed 32-28 at half-time.
“We got a little slack there. We got up on them early and kind of lost our intensity. We got it back in the second half,” said Long, who added that Fairview shot the ball well in the first two quarters.
Ford started the scoring in the third period, but the Cardinals had the lead down to two, 38-36, with 4:35 on the clock.
Magnolia used an 11-2 run the rest of the way and led 49-38 at the buzzer.
The Panthers pulled away during the final eight minutes, building a 20-point lead following a 3-pointer and conventional three-point play by Garland.
Following a timeout in the third period when the lead was only two, Long said he challenge the Panthers to get their focus back.
“Let’s start doing the things we do well. Let’s be patient on the offensive end and get back solid on defense,” he stated.
Long said the Panthers began to work the ball from the inside out and shots started falling.
As for Hamburg on Friday, Long said the focus will mainly be on his Panthers.
“We’re getting better day by day. It’s been a fun ride so far, so let’s hope we can keep it going,” mentioned Long.
The coach said he don’t know what to expect from the Lions, but added the Panthers will have a game plan before hitting the court on Friday.
Lady Cardinals 55, Lady Panthers 46
Magnolia (8-7, 2-2) had some opportunities, but couldn’t overcome league-leading Camden Fairview.
“We suffered a loss to a tough Star City team and I challenged the kids before playing the No. 1 team in our conference,” Lady Panthers’ head coach Donnell Ford said after the 55-46 loss to the Lady Cardinals (15-3, 4-0).
“I wanted my team to give its best effort and I thought it did. We had some chances, but fell short,” he stated
Jayla Jackson, who had 21 points for the Lady Cardinals, started the scoring with a 3-pointer.
She had five on the night, including one each at the buzzer of the second and third quarters.
Magnolia trailed 6-0 early, before Keshuntia Brantley hit a 3-pointer. She finished with 15 and Ashanti Humbert added 12.
The Lady Panthers trailed 21-17 at the half and 38-27 after three periods.
Camden Fairview built a 13-point lead midway through the final period, before Magnolia cut the lead to seven.