It was still a loss, but Maplesville’s girls basketball team made strides in its 47-30 defeat to Dallas County on Monday.

Maplesville lost 49-14 the first time the teams met, on Dec. 11.

“We handled their press better,” coach Eric Bailey said. “We passed the ball on the inside and attacked the goal better.”

The host Red Devils (9-6) held an early 10-8 lead and were within three points of the Hornets near the end of the first half, at 24-21.

But DCHS (16-5) built a 30-21 halftime advantage, and Maplesville could never threaten.

Maplesville held the visitors to eight points in the fourth period but couldn’t score a point of their own.

Dallas County’s Jessica Spears scored six of her team’s points in the frame. She led all scorers with 17 points.

Zuri Nix led Maplesville with 11 points, and Ebony Childers scored nine.

Nix and Childers were also their team’s leading rebounders with six and nine, respectively.

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DCHS press too much for Maplesville boys

Maplesville’s boys basketball team couldn’t handle Dallas County’s aggressive defense and fell, 80-36.

The Hornets (17-5) used a full-court pressure defense almost exclusively in the first half and built a 46-21 lead at intermission.

Part of the DCHS plan was taking advantage of its deeper bench. The visitors stayed fresh by substituting players in waves—without losing any of the athleticism on the floor.

The Red Devils (5-11), meanwhile, were gasping for air.

“They’ve just got too many basketball players,” Bailey said.

Maplesville’s Brian Bailey led all scorers with 21 points, but no other Devil had more than five.

All 12 players on the Dallas County roster scored. Frank Crews paced the attack with 15 points.

Anthony Johnson pulled down five rebounds for MHS, and Brian Bailey had four.