Red Level’s boys and girls got off to good starts in area play Monday night as they went on to sweep McKenzie at home.

The girls utilized good passing, a solid post game and held on late to edge MHS 32-29, while the boys recovered from a slow start and won 46-33.

With these victories, the girls improve to 4-10 overall, and 1-0 in Class 1A, Area 3. The boys are 6-11, and 1-0.

Red Level girls 32, McKenzie girls 29

Red Level’s Shelby Holley put together a double double 14 points and 17 rebounds in the win.

McKenzie didn’t have an answer for Holley, who made good moves down in the paint when she needed to.

Kayla Hinson also had a good game for RLS as she went on to score 10 of her 12 points in the second half alone.

RLS found itself trailing 12-2 after the first period, and came back in the second on a 9-3 run to trail 15-11 at halftime.

Holley got the scoring going in the second period on a put back, and Jasmine Robinson later added a jumper to cut the game to 12-11.

McKenzie, who couldn’t convert on chances around the bucket on fast breaks, managed to squeeze in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to go up by four at the break.

Still trailing in the third period, RLS put the game to one at 17-16 with 5:01 on the clock when Hannah Colvin found Holley in the paint, who then converted an old-fashioned 3-point play.

Robinson later found Holley again down low and RLS took a 18-17 lead. Holley helped her team get the lead back at 20-19 with 4:18 left, and then made a key block to keep her team’s lead.

Hinson made an easy layup on a nice pick and roll play set up by Holley, and RLS went up 22-19.

RLS kept its lead throughout the fourth period, despite McKenzie making a late game of it.

“I’m proud of the girls,” RLS coach Allen Catrett said. “They dug themsleves in a hole early, and were down at halftime and came back.”

D. Womack led MHS with 16 points.

Red Level boys 46, McKenzie boys 33

It took 4 minutes, and 46 seconds for either team to get any points on the board in the first period.

Red Level’s Chavis Crittenden made a 3-pointer with 3:14 left in the first period for an early 3-0 lead. Spencer Stallworth followed that up with a drive up the paint and RLS led 5-0.

RLS went on to lead 10-4 after the first period.

Stallworth pushed the game to 13-6 later in the second period by converting on a 3-point play, and the Tigers led 20-10 at halftime.

Things were close for both teams in the third period, but Red Level kept its lead for the duration as it entered the fourth with a 29-17 advantage.

MHS started pressing late in the fourth, but RLS’s lead was too much for the visiting Tigers.

Stallworth led RLS with 15 points. Jeffrey Purdue had nine points. Crittenden contributed with 10 points, and William Crawford had nine each in points and rebounds.