Luverne head coach Richard Dorsey had a good time coaching Friday night’s game against Brantley High School. He and the Tigers left Brantley with a 61-38 win.

“It’s always fun playing against rivals,” he said. “No matter what the score, we know it’s always going to be an intense and very exciting game.”

The teams started the game with intensity and kept fans on their feet to the end.

Darian Jones was Brantley’s top shooter with 19 points. Malik Stough was next in line with nine points.

Brantley head coach Andrew Kilcrease said Friday was not the team’s best performance of the season.

“Luverne might have had something to do with it,” he said. “Luverne’s guards played really well and they shot the ball well.”

Kenterious Womack was leading scorer for the Tigers. He made 15 points. Donta’ Hall had 12 points for the night and Jonta Chambers added 11 to the final score.

Dorsey said the Tigers had been struggling to hit outside shots but came through against the Bulldogs. Chambers, Womack and Demarcus Oliver each made two rainbows in the first half, helping the Tigers start the second half with a 22-point lead.

Dorsey also saw improvement in the team’s defense.

“They played great defense throughout, talked to each other throughout and I’m very proud of them,” he said.

The Tigers will travel to Calhoun Wednesday for the area tournament. The team will play Central at 7 p.m.

The teams split games when they played a few weeks ago. Luverne beat Central at home and lost to them on the road.

The game will be a big one for the Tigers.

“It’s win or go home,” Dorsey said. “But, if they play like they played tonight, they should do well.”