Nevis boys use strong second halves to pick up pair of section victories

     Strong second halves led the Nevis boys basketball team to a pair of Section 5A victories.

     The Tigers outscored Menahga 16-4 down the stretch in a 59-44 win last Thursday night and used a 40-20 run in the second half to spark a 63-47 win over Bertha-Hewitt last Friday night.

     Griffin Chase (13), Gavin Becker (12), Michael Landquist (10) and Courtland Chase (9) led a balanced scoring attack in the win over Menahga. Becker also had eight rebounds, five assists and four steals while Landquist had six rebounds and three assists. Griffin Chase added four rebounds, five assists and three steals. Courtland Chase also had three steals and Brett Byer had three assists for the Tigers, who led 36-27 at the half. Tommy Wormley (5) and Byer (4) also contributed in the scoring column.

     Menahga fell to 2-1 in the section and 4-4 overall.

     “This was a very important section for us and one we especially needed to pick up at home,” said Nevis head coach Scott Kramer. “The game was closer than the final score. Menahga was able to close the score to 43-40 when we got it going down the stretch with a 16-4 run to close it out.”

     Becker’s double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds led the Tigers to the win at Bertha-Hewitt.

     Courtland Chase had 11 points, six assists and four steals while Griffin Chase chipped in 10 points, six assists and five steals. Kevin Hale (9) and Byer (6) combined for 15 points. Hale had five rebounds, Byer had four rebounds and Becker had four assists for the Tigers, who trailed 27-23 at the half.

     The win lifted Nevis to 3-0 in the section and 8-0 overall. The Tigers were rated No. 8 in the latest state Class A poll.

     Bertha-Hewitt fell to 3-2 against section teams and 5-3 overall.

     “We got off to a very slow start against a good Bertha-Hewitt team. Bertha jumped out to an 11-point lead early in the half. We had numerous opportunities around the basket, but just weren’t able to convert anything,” said Kramer. “We did make a nice run to end the half and the second half was all Tigers. It was a huge win for us in section play.”