Choctaws, Lady Choctaws shine in season opener

After countless months of anticipation in Dyer County, the basketball season has finally arrived.

The Dyer County squads opened up their 2009-10 regular seasons on Tuesday, when the Newbern squads traveled to Ripley for a set of matchups against former district foes.

The Lady Choctaws were primed and ready to go on Tuesday night, dominating the Lady Tigers in every phase of the game, which resulted in a 65-46 win.

"The girls played ok tonight, but I know we can play a lot better," said Dyer County head coach Derek McCord. "We started knocking shots down in the second quarter, and our defense played great."

The reloaded Choctaws also had an impressive showing on opening night, defeating the senior-heavy Tigers 73-62 behind 21 points from Dyer County standout sophomore Fred Yarbrough.

The Lady Choctaws had a slow start in their matchup with Ripley, not converting their first field goal until four minutes into the first quarter, but a strong finish to the frame allowed Dyer County to take a 13-7 lead going into the second period.

"Ripley is a very athletic team that gets up the floor well," said McCord. "We didn't shoot it very well, and I think there is a lot of room for improvement, but that's the way it's suppose to be this time of the year."

Dyer County outscored the Lady Tigers 22-7 in the second quarter, highlighted by 14 points in the frame by Brittney Cranford, which gave the Lady Choctaws a comfortable 38-20 lead going into the halftime break.

The Lady Choctaws continued to play well in the third quarter, but a 15-0 run to start the second half allowed McCord to set his starters for the rest of the game.

Every member of the Lady Choctaws received playing time in the second half, thanks to the outstanding play from the Dyer County starters.

The way the matchup started with Ripley for the Choctaws, seemed like it was going to be a back-and-forth night, but the fast and furious squad pulled away in the second half and picked up a one-sided victory.

The matchup was knotted at 12-12 going into the second quarter of play, but the Choctaws outscored the Tigers 18-7 in the second frame, which gave Dyer County a 30-19 lead going into the second half.

The unselfish style of play by Dyer County led to 10 of the 15 players scoring in the game, but the fast and furious defense gave the Tigers trouble all night.

"I thought we played pretty unselfish tonight, which gave us a chance to get all of our players in there," said McCord. "Players know when you put on a uniform at Dyer County, you will get to play."

The Tigers were able to cut the Choctaws lead to single digits late in the fourth quarter when McCord removed his starters from the floor, but as soon as the proven head coach sent the main five back on the court, the lead quickly jumped back to double digits.

"It's a good win for us, we are 1-0," said McCord. "Ripley is a very good team, and they should beat a lot of teams in double-A, but I think we wore them down in the second half."

Freshman Robert Hubbs made his first varsity appearance one to remember, scoring 13 points, recording four steals and three rebounds in just over eight minutes of action on Tuesday, while only committing one turnover.

"Robert really showed tonight that he can play at this level," said McCord. "We are excited about his future."

Both Dyer County squads will return to action on Friday night when the Newbern squads welcome Houston High School for their home openers beginning at 6 p.m. with the Lady Choctaws.