Whitson's Tigers top Little Milligan

By Wes Holtsclaw
STAR CORRESPONDENT

   Derek Whitson was like Michael Jackson Thursday night at Little Milligan School. He told the Buffaloes to "Beat It" as the Tipton Hill Tigers topped the Little Milligan Buffaloes 44-34 in a middle school basketball game.
   "We had a good game tonight," said Whitson, who led the Tigers with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. "We wanted to get a win here and luckily everything was open."
   Tipton Hill started the game with an advantage over the Buffaloes, playing hard defensive ball. Little Milligan got things going offensiveely with a 3-pointer from Jamie Payne.
   But powerball from Whitson and Miles Smith put the ball in the Tigers' court, scoring 10 points to take an early first-quarter lead.
   Little Milligan turned things around in the second quarter with a nice comeback from Payne and Austin Harper, pulling within four of the Tigers.
   Daniel Harper rejected several Tiger defensive tries and looked to shut them down.
   However, the Tigers came right back stretching a lead that the Buffaloes wouldn't touch, as the second half was all Whitson and the Tigers, who gained the 10-point victory.
   "We were glad to come over and play here," said Tipton Hill coach Kevin Tipton. "They are good sports. We both played hard, and I believe they will be an improving team this season."
   Said Little Milligan coach Mike Odom: "They are a good team. We didn't know much about them or how to get ready against them. We have a bunch of young players and are looking to improve each week."
   8th Grade Girls
   Little Milligan 29
   Tipton Hill 20
   In an earlier girls matchup, Pam Montgomery's 10 points led the Lady Buffaloes to a 29-20 victory over the Lady Tigers. It was the first win for the Lady Buffaloes this year.
   "I'm glad to get the first one under our belt," said Lady Buffs coach David Cable. "We played very poorly tonight. The talent and athleticism is there, we just have to learn how to use it."
   Little Milligan went on top early in the game with big plays inside to Jessica Price and Megan Holtsclaw. However the Lady Tigers did fairly well against the Lady Buff defense.
   But the Lady Buffaloes were just too much in the end, pulling out the big victory.
   Tipton Hill's Leah Barnett led all scorers with 12.