MANSFIELD — Last weekend’s 41-point drubbing at the hands of nationally-ranked Duncanville was just a distant nightmare for the Waxahachie Runnin’ Indians on Tuesday night as they resumed their chase for the next-highest rung on the District 11-6A ladder.
Freshman Parker Jefferson led the way with 18 points as the Runnin' Indians broke open a close game in the second half and returned to the winning path with a 65-50 road victory over Mansfield High.
Joseph Lankford added 13 points and Andreas Lane finished with a dozen for the Indians. Other scorers were Kambren Drummer with nine points, V’Zarion Roberson with six, Jordan Davis with four and Prince Banks making a return to the floor with three.
The first half was close as WHS clung to a 27-25 halftime lead, but in the second half the Indians used a 20-13 third quarter to build a cushion and enjoyed as much as an 18-point lead in the closing minutes before settling for the final result.
The Tribe dominated the boards by a 35-18 advantage, and finished 50 percent shooting from the floor, including 42 percent from 3-point range.
The Runnin’ Indians (19-11, 7-5) were scheduled to play their home finale at Mike Turner Gymnasium on Friday against cellar-dwelling Waco High with a chance to clinch a playoff berth with a victory.
They are currently tied with DeSoto for second in the district and will close out the regular season at DeSoto next Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. in a game with huge seeding implications.
In girls’ action, the Waxahachie Lady Indians kept it close for a half, but the Mansfield Lady Tigers took a 48-37 win.
The Lady Indians (8-18, 2-11) were scheduled to play out the string Friday night at DeSoto in a contest that had been scheduled for Jan. 21. Waxahachie ISD agreed to postpone the game in order to allow DeSoto to play in the ESPN Showcase in Minnesota that weekend.
RUNNIN’ INDIANS CLOSING IN ON RETURN TO HOOPS PLAYOFFS
