Photo by: Kollin Washington

By: Auzzy Byrdsell, Staff Writer 

Morehouse defeated Clark at Epps Gymnsasium in a blow out to to avenge their last loss in overtime. The Maroon Tigers, led by interim head coach Harold Clay, shot the lights out going 50% from the field and 40% from three to even the series against the Panthers 78-54 ,extending their winning streak to eight games.

The gym was filled wall to wall; the intensity and noise mimicked that of a championship game. Many students were not allowed entry after Epps reached capacity. 

The Maroon Tigers’ lead extended to as large as 24 points and never dropped below 10 points after the first half. 

Morehouse was extremely efficient from the field, sinking eight, three-pointers in the first half. In addition to forcing 13 turnovers leading to 14 transition points 

Senior forward Kerry Richardson came up huge by following his 16 point performance against Edwards Walters, with 17 points, seven rebounds and one block to set the tone for the Maroon Tigers.

“During this time last year I wasn’t as aggressive,” Richardson said. “I’m just staying aggressive, giving my team what they need to win.”

The Panthers opened the game with an intense full court press granting them a 10-0 run in the first five minutes of play. After a timeout the Maroon Tigers responded with their own 11-0 run. 

“We just had to match [their intensity] from the beginning we knew that coming into the gym ,” sophomore guard Christian Lamar said. “We had to match their intensity and later in the game I knew we would run off with it.” 

Despite suffering a calf cramp in the second half, he finished the game with 10 points and 3 rebounds and played magnificent defense against Justin Longstreet on the Panthers, limiting him to 33% from the field.

The Maroon Tigers were also aggressive inside with 34 points in the paint and winning the rebound battle 39-26. 

This was Morehouse’s eighth consecutive win in the absence of head coach Douglas Whittler. Interim head coach Harold Clay has been even-killed and the Maroon Tiger players spoke highly of his character to make this team play harder and more together.

“Same approach, it’s been the same since day one,” Clay said. “I just try to tell these guys ‘stay consistent’, there’s nothing different we need to do in this game to get you out of order.” 

For the seniors on the team, this was their final rival game wearing Morehouse jerseys.

“I know those dudes; they beat us at our crib– so we had to get them back,” Richardson said. 

The Maroon Tigers now lead the Panthers 4-1 in all sports this school year. They now have momentum to try and strongly close the regular season maintaining third place in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. 

Copy Edited by Miles Johnson