December 15, 2021
East Alabama Sports Today
Boys roundup: White Plains finds a way to win down the stretch; Anniston gets back on winning track, Piedmont, PV score area wins, and more
TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Anniston 70, Munford 48
Cherokee County 90, Ashville 57
Glencoe 59, Hokes Bluff 43
Jacksonville Christian 77, ASCTE 63
Piedmont 62, Weaver 49
Pleasant Valley 56, Ohatchee 47
Ragland 74, Donoho 61
Westbrook Christian 74, Gaston 45
White Plains 39, Pell City 35
After enduring the sting of another close loss Monday night, White Plains coach Chris Randall said he needed to do a better job bringing his team to the finish line.
He got them there Tuesday night. After losing four one-possession games, the Wildcats found a way to win, holding off Pell City 39-35.
“(Assistant golf coach) Matt Rogers has a saying when somebody makes a big putt or a big birdie or something like that, ‘man we needed that like a dead man needs a box,’” Randall said. “That’s the way all of us felt. It was more of a relief. We needed that one, that’s for sure.
“We’ve lost four one-possession games and we’d been finding ways to lose. I’m glad it was close and we had to find a way to win.”
It wasn’t a piece of art, but it served its purpose.
“I tell the guys all the time we’re not painting, it doesn’t have to be pretty, we’re counting,” Randall said.
Their winning formula Tuesday night was a mix of good defense, holding Pell City’s posts to seven points, and staying patient with the ball that often rewarded them with a big basket.
The Wildcats ran into some foul trouble early and Braden Knight came in and gave them what Randall called “some huge minutes” in the first half defensively “that you can’t put a price tag on.”
White Plains led 18-12 at halftime and then hit one of the biggest buckets of the game on their first possession of the second half. They ran off more than 90 seconds of game clock because they couldn’t get a clean look against the Panthers’ own stout defense, but when they did Josh Wheeler buried a 3 that Randall said “felt like 6.”
Daniel Williams hit two free throws late to keep the Wildcats ahead and they stayed there with some defensive stops down the stretch.
Wheeler hit four 3-pointers in the game and led all scorers with 14 points. Walker Osteen had 10 and Williams had six. [**read more]
ANNISTON 70, MUNFORD 48: Antonio Kite returned to the Anniston lineup and the Bulldogs returned to their winning ways, seizing control with a 23-6 second quarter.
Kite missed the Bulldogs’ last two games – losses to Handley and Huffman – while in Tuscaloosa on an official visit prior to his signing with the Tide Wednesday and celebrating it at 2:30 p.m. before the Bulldogs take on Cleburne County in another area game. He scored six points.
Javen Croft also returned to the Bulldogs and he scored 10 points. Tadyn Jones also got 12 and Troy Hall scored a team-high 12. Martez Reed had seven and Kamron Sandler, a former Munford player, had six in Anniston’s second-quarter run.
Munford’s Jaquan Anderson led all scorers with 27 points. Connor Morgan had 15. The Lions had only one field goal in that fateful second quarter. They missed several opportunities around the rim and were only 4 for 12 from the free throw line in the quarter.
Kite wasn’t the only player on the floor expecting to sign a Division I football scholarship Wednesday. Munford’s Kyler Gibson will celebrate his signing with Troy at noon. [**read more]
PIEDMONT 62, WEAVER 49: The Bulldogs broke open a close game by outscoring Weaver 22-8 in the third quarter.
With Omarion Foster preparing for the weekend’s North-South football all-star game, the Bulldogs needed someone to step up to provide complementary scoring for Alex Odam. They found it in several places.
Gavin Lawler hit three 3s and had 11 points. Cole Wilson hit a pair and had eight and freshman Ish Bethel added nine. Odam was the Bulldogs’ leading scorer with 20.
Weaver’s Armane Burton led all scorers with 21 points. He had eight in the first quarter, 11 in the first half, as the Bearcats grabbed a 31-30 halftime lead. Tristan Brown had seven in the first quarter and finished with 11. Kohl Perry scored seven, all in the second quarter. [**read more]
RAGLAND 74, DONOHO 61: The Purple Devils used four double-figure scorers to offset 20-point games from Donoho’s Drew Williamson and Rich Goad and earn an area win.
Ragland’s big four – Javaris Turner (16), Jordan Turner (19), Braxton Layton (11) and D.J. Turner (14) – combined to nearly score as many points as Donoho did as a team. The Falcons’ Williamson led all scorers with 25 points. Goad had 20. [**read more]
**When you click read more you will be taken to the EA Sports Today website. Please make sure to come back to read more Calhoun County News.
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