The Hattiesburg Forerunners defeated the Muddy River Counselors Tuesday night in Hattiesburg.
The Forerunners were able to hold off the Counselors in the 16u game with both teams dealing with the limitations of the six quarter rule, which means that a player cannot play in more than six quarters in a night of varsity and junior varsity basketball. There was more court time to go around for the Counselors, and young players like Kyle Townsend, Drennan Garza, and Michael Hughes had to step up for big minutes.
In the varsity game, the experience disparity was glaring. After trailing 7-4 halfway through the first quarter, the Forerunners took control of the game when Chris Purnell had to sit down after picking up his fourth foul in the first quarter. The Counselors lacked an interior presence and the Forerunners took over.
Hattiesburg went on a slow and steady 21-0 run that ran deep into the second quarter. The experienced Forerunners team maintained the cushion and cruised to a 60-40 win over the Muddy River Counselors.
The Hattiesburg Forerunners (2-1)[2-1] will head to Carthage on Thursday night and take on the Scott County Flames. The Muddy River Counselors (1-3)[1-2] will head to Magee to take on the Mt. Zion Lions on Dec. 8.
