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74th Calhoun County Tournament

74th county tournament

Calhoun County, AL – Top seeded Oxford boys, girls roll to Tuesday’s championship games. Alexandria’s boys, Jacksonville’s girls await them.

74th Calhoun County basketball tournament

BOYS’ PAIRINGS
FRIDAY, Jan. 17
No. 12 Saks 52, No. 13 Faith Christian 48
No. 11 Jacksonville Christian 73, No. 14 Wellborn 60
SATURDAY, Jan. 18
No. 6 Weaver 87, JCA 52
No. 5 Jacksonville 78, Saks 60
MONDAY, Jan. 20
No. 7 White Plains 60, No. 10 Pleasant Valley 47
No. 8 Ohatchee 67, No. 9 Donoho 51
No. 3 Anniston 57, Weaver 38
No. 4 Piedmont 52, Jacksonville 50
SATURDAY, Jan. 25
No. 2 Alexandria 53, White Plains 38
No. 1 Oxford 89, Ohatchee 39
MONDAY, Jan. 27
Semifinals
Alexandria 60, Anniston 56
Oxford 73, Piedmont 40
TUESDAY, Jan. 28
Championship
Alexandria vs. Oxford, 8 p.m.

GIRLS’ PAIRINGS
FRIDAY, Jan. 17

No. 6 Ohatchee 39, No. 11 Pleasant Valley 29
No. 12 Faith Christian 39, No. 13 Wellborn 33
SATURDAY, Jan. 18
No. 5 Alexandria 57, Faith 17
MONDAY, Jan. 19
No. 7 Piedmont 54, No. 10 Jacksonville Christian 37
No. 9 Weaver 46, No. 8 White Plains 39
No. 3 Anniston 45, Ohatchee 34
Alexandria 61, No. 4 Saks 50
SATURDAY, Jan. 25
No. 2 Jacksonville 54, Piedmont 24
No. 1 Oxford 75, Weaver 10
MONDAY, Jan. 27
Semifinals

Jacksonville 53, Anniston 27
Oxford 67, Alexandria 37
TUESDAY, Jan. 28
Championship
Jacksonville vs. Oxford, 6 p.m.

Girls’ games

Jacksonville’s Jayci Taylor attacks the basket against Anniston during Monday’s semifinals of the 74th Calhoun County Tournament in Pete Mathews Coliseum. (Photo by Brad Campbell/sport-shutter.com)

JACKSONVILLE 53, ANNISTON 27: Neveah Nicholson led the way with 22 points, and Jacksonville (20-6) held Anniston to seven second-half points while clinching the Golden Eagles’ first appearance in the Calhoun County title game since 2015.

Seeking their first county title since 2012, Jacksonville will play the Oxford-Alexandria winner Monday at 6 p.m.

Anniston (17-6) will miss the county final for the first time since 2016.

The Golden Eagles reached the county final under third-year head coach Corey Mize.

“It’s a big deal for our program,” Mize said. “For our junior high to get to the county championship and win it, and now for us to be in it, I think our program is in a really good place right now.”

Jacksonville also got nine points from Jayci Taylor, and Alexis Phillips added eight.

The Golden Eagles gained separation with a 13-0 run that started in the first quarter and carried into the second, giving them a 24-11 lead. It was 34-20 at halftime, and Jacksonville held Anniston to two second-half points until 1:30 left in the fourth quarter.

“Our press is wearing,” Mize said. “We know it’s a second-half press, so if we can just keep up the pressure and keep the game close, we know our press can kick in, in the second half.”

Liberty Lewis hit two 3-pointers and led Anniston with 10 points.

Jacksonville moves forward with a chance to bridge to its 2012 Class 4A state title team, the last Jacksonville team to win the county tournament.

“We put in all of the hard work and dedication to get here,” Nicholson said. “We’re going to finish. We want more, and we’re going to try to get it.”

Oxford’s Ava Thomas fires a 3-pointer against Alexandria during Monday’s semifinals for the 74th Calhoun County Tournament in Pete Mathews Coliseum. (Photo by Brad Campbell/sport-shutter.com)

OXFORD 67, ALEXANDRIA 37: Ava Thomas led three Oxford players in double figures with 19 points, and the top seeded Yellow Jackets earned their fifth consecutive crack at the county finals.

Oxford (17-8) seeks its fourth consecutive county title and will face No. 2 seed Jacksonville.

“They’re extremely athletic, extremely quick, and they shoot it really well,” Oxford coach Melissa Bennett said. “We’ve got to be really locked in on our game plan to make sure that we don’t give them easy looks.”

Oxford also got 17 points from Bri Wilson and 14 from Shay Montgomery against fifth seed Alexandria (12-15).

Allyssa Hunt led the Valley Cubs with 13 points, including two 3-pointers. Charlee Parris added eight points,.

Oxford will face Jacksonville for the second time this season. The Yellow Jackets beat the Golden Eagles 68-47 on Nov. 11.

“I think they have gotten a lot better,” Thomas said. “We definitely don’t need to look them down. We just need to play to our potential.”

Boys’ games

Alexandria’s Quendavion McDowell powers his way to the basket against Anniston during Monday’s semifinals of the 74th Calhoun County Tournament in Pete Mathews Coliseum. (Photo by Brad Campbell/sport-shutter.com)

ALEXANDRIA 60, ANNISTON 56: Quendavion McDowell scored 24 points, dominating as Alexandria got out to lead, and the Valley Cubs hit nine of 10 free throws in the final two minutes to hold off an Anniston comeback.

Third-ranked Alexandria (23-3), the tournament’s No. 2 seed, earned the right to play the Oxford-Piedmont winner in Tuesday’s 8 p.m. final.

The Valley Cubs also ended Anniston’s 14-game winning streak and won the rubber match between the two teams. Alexandria won 56-52 at Anniston earlier this season, and Anniston (17-4) won 49-46 at Alexandria.

Alexandria will play in the final for the first time since falling to Sacred Heart in 2015.

“It’s a big thing,” McDowell said. “Our coach was telling us about it and stuff. He told us before we got here, let’s go try to win this thing, so this game was a big win.

“We came in intense, and we were ready. The next game, I think we’re going to come in even more intense, trying to win this thing.”

Alexandria will have to go without senior guard Chris Aquirre, who suffered what appeared to be a broken arm late in the first quarter. He moved to challenge Anniston’s Tariq Judkins’ attempt at a fastbreak layup, and the two made contact.

Aquirre ran off the court immediately, his lower right arm visibly hanging, and into the trainer’s corner.

“I hate it,” Alexandria coach Will Ginn said. “He made a heck of a play on the ball and just, in sports, it’s one of those things. It’s a freak thing, and I just hate it for him.

“He’s going to be OK, but you just hate to see that happen to a kid that’s worked so hard.”

Alexandria also got 13 points from J.J. Beason and eight apiece from Cole Wheeler and Jaylen Henderson.

Dylan Goodson paced Anniston with 15 points. Kyree Lewis added 12 and Caleb Ackles 11.

McDowell dominated the first two-and-a-half quarters, scoring all but two of his 24 points in that span. He scored eight quick points in the third quarter, helping Alexandria build a 38-34 lead.

Anniston went on a run after that and ended up out scoring Alexandria 22-16 in the third. The Bulldogs hit their high-water mark when Lewis his a long 3-pointer to cut Alexandria’s lead to 53-52 at the two-minute mark.

That’s Alexandria strung together free throws, hitting eight in a row before Beason hit the second of two. Beason scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter, hitting six of seven free throws.

Alexandria also got two free throws apiece from Henderson, Cleat Forrest and McDowell down the stretch. Forrest’s free throws came at 28.7 seconds,, after he stepped in front of a Dakyus Baker pass out to the perimeter.

“The last time we played these guys, I just felt like we weren’t the aggressor, and we kind of got bullied,” Ginn said. “I talked to these guys about that, and I feel like they really answered the bell.

“The second half, it was almost like we weren’t not aggressive or physical, we just were too passive. They just decided to try too bully us, and we started playing passive with the lead. Then they got some confidence and started making some shots, and they made some tough shots.”

Oxford’s Marcus Perry Jr. goes to the basket against Piedmont during Monday’s semifinals in the 74th Calhoun County Tournament in Pete Mathews Coliseum. (Photo by Brad Campbell/sport-shutter.com)

OXFORD 73, PIEDMONT 40: How eager is top seed Oxford to reclaim supremacy in Calhoun County boys’ basketball?

“Very eager,” Oxford guard Marcus Perry Jr. said. “We’ve got to get getbacks.”

Perry scored a game-high 20 points, and the Class 6A third-ranked Yellow Jackets (19-6) earned the chance to play in their ninth consecutive county final. They will play No. 2 seed Alexandria on Tuesday at 8 p.m.

Oxford has won 23 county titles, including six in the last eight years, but the Yellow Jackets lost to Jacksonville in last year’s final. That broke Oxford’s string of five consecutive county titles.

“Alexandria is pretty good,” Oxford coach Joel Van Meter said. “They’re 22 or 23-3. I know Will and Todd (Ginn) really well. They’re going to come in here, and they’re going to be as tough as they can be. I promise you.

“It’ll be as hard of a game as we’ve played this year.”

Perry led three Oxford players in double figures against Piedmont, hitting two 3-pointers along the way. Jaylen Alexander added 16 points, including two 3-pointers, and Chris Latson scored 14 points.

Jaylin Taylor hit three 3-pointers to account for his nine points.

Rollie Pinto led Piedmont (15-6) with 12 points, including two 3-pointers.

“Piedmont’s got a really good team,” Van Meter said. “I’ve watched them beat Glencoe twice, and we played Glencoe. They’re athletic. Ish Bethel is a high flyer. He blocked some shots that, I think, surprised our guys. Rollie Pinto can make some shots.

“I thought we did a good job defensively in the half court and the full court, but it was more half court, and we were able to get out in transition and run. When we can get out in transition and run, I think we’re pretty good.”

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