By Kevin Eckleberry

kevin.eckleberry@lagrangenews.com

That’s three in a row for the Troup Tigers.

Behind Jarrious Jefferson’s 22 points, Troup beat Callaway 65-56 on Friday to improve to 4-3 while extending its winning streak to three games.

The Cavaliers made a game of it after falling behind 17-4 following the first quarter, but the night belonged to the Tigers.

Jefferson, who is enjoying a big senior season, made a pair of 3-pointers on the way to his 22-point night.

Troup’s King Mwikuta added 10 points, Tristan Ware scored eight points, and Montez Crowe had seven points.

While it was a winning night for the Tigers, head

coach Blake Craft felt the team got into some bad habits after surging to a big lead.

“We get up 18, and we lose our composure. We start to start going by ourselves,” Craft said. “Once we get up, it can’t be I’m going to get mine now. That’s frustrating.”

For the winless Cavaliers (0-3), the game was part of the learning curve for a team with some inexperienced players.

One of those inexperienced players, freshman Demetrius Coleman, had a breakout game with 15 points, and he made a pair of 3-pointers.

Senior Courtney Williams, one of the team’s veterans, added 11 points, and freshman Ja’vontay Boddie and Lazzerick Prather had seven points apiece.

“We’re young. We’ve got two starters coming back,” Callaway head coach Terry Hayes said. “I’m not making excuses, but it is what it is. The more practice time we get, the better we’ll be.”

The Tigers started quickly, surging to a 17-4 lead eight minutes into the game.

Six different Troup players scored in the first quarter, including Jefferson, who had five points.

The Cavaliers picked up the pace in the second quarter, and Coleman’s 3-pointer with moments remaining in the half cut the Tigers’ lead to 33-21.

The Tigers appeared to have things in control in the third quarter as they raced to a 20-point lead, and they were ahead 54-39 heading to the final period.

The Cavaliers hung tough in the fourth quarter and outscored the Tigers 17-11, but they were unable to get any closer than nine points.