There was no doubt who was the better team on the floor Friday night as the Tigers cruised to a huge victory over Pine Tree. The win also helped the Tigers move up to #10 in Class 5A according to the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches and shifts the Tigers within one win of clinching their second consecutive district championship.

The Pirates were able to keep things close through the first quarter as the Tigers led by a slim margin of 12-9. But the Tiger defense began to restrict the breathing room and the Tigers pushed the lead to 32-19 at the half. The pressure continued in the third as Mount Pleasant increased the lead to 57-39 after a 14-2 Tiger run midway through the quarter. The last quarter saw the Tigers blow the game open outscoring Pine Tree 26-7 to close out the game.

Zaveion Chism-Okoh led the way with a game-high 27 points, his highest point total in any district game. Payton Chism and Miller McCrumby joined him in double figures with 13 points each. McCrumby pulled down a team-high 7 rebounds and Chism added 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Xzavier Brown chipped in 7 points while Will Hills added 6 points. Also scoring was Elijah Morris 5 points, Devin Williams 4 points, Brock Cooper 2 points, Jakybrein Hines 2 points, Eliyah Tagg 2 points, and James Jimerson 2 points.

The Tigers (21-0, 10-0) will face off with district rival Sulphur Springs (16-8, 8-2) on Tuesday night and with a win will cut down the nets for the district championship. In their last meeting, the Tigers held off the Wildcats with a wild, overtime buzzer beater. It was also be Mount Pleasant’s Senior Night, so be sure to purchase your online tickets as soon as possible.

By Drew Barkley
Photos by John Whitten