By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director

PASS CHRISTIAN — The Bay High girls bounced back from their first league loss of the year to get back on the winning track Wednesday night.

The Lady Tigers pounded long-running rival Pass Christian 43-26 in Region -4A action to move to 15-7 overall and 3-1 in the region race.

Bay High had dropped its first league game of the year in a close 31-28 overtime decision on the road to Moss Point late last week.

“It’s always good to get a win in a rivalry game. It’s probably the best atmosphere and largest crowd we have playing in front of all year,” Bay High head coach Kelton Thompson said. “I’m not sure we handled that the best at times. We did some things well in a lot of phases but still just have to be more consistent of taking care of Bay High. It’s getting to the time of the year that all it takes is one bad game, or even one bad half or quarter will end your season.”

Lady Tiger Lakeitha Sampson was determined to get her team back in the win column as she scored five points in the opening period against the Lady Pirates including a 3-pointer as Bay High jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead en route to leading 11-5 at the end of the first period. Emmalee Coote also had four points in the period for the visitors.

Londyn Dedeaux had a 3-pointer for the Lady Pirates in the opening frame and Mia Claire Lacy added one in the second stanza, but Bay High still steadily stretched its lead as the period unfolded thanks to a triple by Lakyn Favre and four more points by Coote and the Lady Tigers went into halftime with its first double digit lead at 22-11.

Pass Christian enjoyed its best offensive period of the game in the third quarter, as Dedeaux hit a 3-pointer and had five points and Kyleigh Haynes added a trey of her own but the Lady Tigers responded with four points apiece from Sampson, Coote and Asiah Thompson and when all was said and done Bay High headed into the final period up 34-21.

Serenity Singleton and Coote made sure that the Lady Tigers kept the Lady Pirates at bay down the stretch as each scored four points apiece in the fourth quarter to close out the win.

Coote tallied a game-high 16 points to lead Bay High on the score sheet, while Sampson chipped in 13 points to the winning effort and Singleton added eight points.

Dedeaux had eight points to top Pass Christian.