Calhoun County, AL – Friday basketball: Ohatchee’s Crook has a huge double-double in matinee win over Alexandria, Spring Garden’s Austin goes for a quadruple-double, and more
GIRLS GAMES
Hazel Green 67, Oxford 28
Jacksonville Christian 60, ASCTE 20
Ohatchee 62, Alexandria 43
Pleasant Valley 65, Ashville 51
Sand Rock 62, Collinsville 15
Westbrook 60, Glencoe 55
Winterboro 62, Faith Christian 29
Spring Garden 86, Coosa Christian 2
White Plains 54, Cleburne County 32
Woodland 56, Wadley 39
By Al Muskewitz
Jorda Crook had another breathtaking box score line Friday afternoon, but there was another number that didn’t appear in her actual stats that had everyone holding their breath.
Crook’s line from Ohatchee’s 62-43 victory over Alexandria read like this:
38-26-5-3-6
The translation is 38 points, 26 rebounds, five steals and three blocked shots. In this instance, the ‘6’ represents the six anxious minutes (two on the game clock) she was off the floor in the fourth quarter after taking a hard fall under the basket.
When a team has a franchise-type player like Crook through whom everything it does funnels through and they go down for any unnatural reason, it raises all kinds of concerns.
Crook hit the deck with 5:02 left in the game trying to rebound one of her shots and laid in the lane a few moments while a silence fell over the gym. it initially looked like she hurt her left ankle, but it turned out to be only a cramp.
She got to her feet and was helped off the floor. She returned to game with 2:51 left on the clock and wound up blocking a shot about a minute later.
“I caught a cramp,” she said before retreating to the dressing room. “I was scared for a second. Injury always crosses your mind, you don’t want that to happen, but I was fine. I’m still cramping a little, but it’s OK.”
Ohatchee coach Bryant Ginn is a self-described glass half-full kind of guy so he was pretty confident his star forward would be OK, but it still didn’t stop some harrowing thoughts from racing through his mind.
“All those worst-case scenarios roll through your brain,” he said, “but Jorda is so agile and flexible, the way you want athletes to be,.
“Last year she rolled her ankle a couple different times coming down on people’s foot and I originally thought that’s what happened, but I wasn’t 100 percent sure.”
The short time she was out of the game was noticeable. Although the Lady Indians were comfortably ahead when Crook came out, the Lady Cubs scored eight straight points in her absence forcing Ginn to call time to slow that roll.
“I’ve been getting on to them about that a little bit,” Ginn said. “When you get a rebound you don’t have to look for her, y’all can take care of it. I told them you’ve got to quit looking for her.
“We were getting shots, we didn’t make the shots we would’ve made or could’ve and she’d have gotten offensive rebounds, but I thought we did OK. We turned it over one or two times, but it wasn’t too bad.”
Crook was her usual dominant self from the jump and had 21 points and 18 rebounds at halftime. She would have had 40 for the second straight game if she was a little sharper at the free throw line.
In her last four games – all Ohatchee wins – she has gone for 43, 35, 42 and 38 points. She has outscored two of the last three opponents the Lady Indians have played. She had 205 points in the first six games of the season.
OHATCHEE 62, ALEXANDRIA 43
OHATCHEE (4-2) – Jorda Crook 13-27 12-20 38, Alyssa Davis 5-6 0-0 10, Whitney McFry 4-6 0-3 9, Lindsey Zurchin 1-4 0-0 3, Tabi Davidson 1-4 0-0 2, Priesly Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Kiana Garber 0-1 0-0 0, Greenlee Ormon 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-48 12-23 62.
ALEXANDRIA (3-3) – Kailey Dickerson 3-9 3-4 12, Jordyn Walker 4-16 0-0 10, Cassidy Hartsfield 3-6 0-0 7, Charlee Parris 2-6 1-2 5, Makayla Brewster 2-4 0-0 5, Jill Cockrell 1-10 0-0 2, Kirsten Heathcock 1-2 0-2 2, Sumira Duncan 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 16-58 4-8 43.
Ohatchee 18 18 20 6 – 62
Alexandria 9 7 13 14 – 43
3-point goals: Ohatchee 2-9 (Crook 0-2, McFry 1-3, Zurchin 1-4); Alexandria 7-33 (Dickerson 3-7, Walker 2-8, Hartsfield 1-4, Parris 0-2, Brewster 1-2, Cockrell 0-8, Duncan 0-2). Rebounds: Ohatchee 44 (Crook 26). Alexandria 26 (Hartsfield 7). Total fouls: Ohatchee 11, Alexandria 16. Officials: Childs, Oden, Avery.
SPRING GARDEN 86, COOSA CHRISTIAN 2: The Lady Panthers came oh-so-close to pitching a basketball shutout, giving up two points midway through the third quarter.
Just as impressive was Ace Austin delivering a rare quadruple-double: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, 10 steals. She also had five blocked shots and only two turnovers.
Only four players in the history of the NBA have ever done it (Nate Thurmond, Alvin Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson). Only Robertson’s quad-dub in 1986 had the four components of Austin’s.
Five Division I women’s players have posted quadruple-doubles, most recently Grambling’s Shakyla Hill in 2018.
Pisgah’s Molly Heard had one on the state’s high school scene last year when she went for 29 points, 12 rebounds, 10 blocks and 10 assists against Scottsboro.
Libby Brown led all scorers with 22 points and Chloe Rule had 16.
Spring Garden 26 12 35 13 – 86
Coosa Christian 0 0 2 0 – 2
WHITE PLAINS 54, CLEBURNE COUNTY 32
WHITE PLAINS – Cooper Martin 2 1-2 5, Isabella Higgins 4 0-0 8, Abbie Dickeson 0 0-1 0, Anna Fouche 0 0-0 0, Hallie Williams 4 0-0 9, Addison Bradley 4 4-6 12, Chloee Cromer 0 0-0 0, Braeton Moran 2 1-4 7, Kylee Provencio 0 0-0 0, Cassidy Arnold 6 0-2 13. Totals 22 6-15 54.
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Faith Brown 7 8-10 24, Makenzie Frames 0 0-0 0, Hannah Turley 3 0-1 6, Nevaeh Williams 0 1-2 1, Kiera Henderson 0 0-0 0, Cori Austin 0 1-2 1, Baylie Jones 0 0-0 0, Alivia Boyd 0 0-0 0, Kourtnie Alred 0 0-0 0, Daylea Brewster 0 0-0 0, Kaydence Brown 0 0-0 0.
White Plains 17 11 22 4 – 54
Cleburne Co. 9 6 8 9 – 32
3-point goals: White Plains 4 (Williams, Moran 2, Arnold); Cleburne Co. 2 (F. Brown 2). Fouled out: Brown. Total fouls: White Plains 15, Cleburne Co. 15. Officials: Pratt, Bearden, Hoffman.
Notes: White Plains coach Matt Ford on the victory: “The girls played well tonight; they executed better than we did last night. Hallie Williams, our only senior, played the way we need her to and we know she can. I’m proud of the way the girls competed tonight.”
PLEASANT VALLEY 65, ASHVILLE 51
ASHVILLE – Gracie Pinkard 6 0-2 13, Lesleigh Rogers 3 0-5 6, Verity Hutchinson 0 0-0 0, Lydia Northam 6 2-3 14, Molly Northam 2 0-0 5, Rachel St. John 2 0-0 5, Mollie Phillips 4 0-0 8, Summer Swindall 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 2-10 51.
PLEASANT VALLEY – Macey Roper 8 4-12 20, Rebekah Gannaway 8 5-7 23, Kianna Hester 1 3-4 5, Laney Robinson 4 1-5 11, Lilly Robinson 1 0-0 2, Haylie Lee 1 2-2 4, Bailey Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 15-30 65.
Ashville 6 20 14 11 – 51
Pleasant Valley 15 17 21 13 – 65
3-point goals: Ashville 3 (Pinkard, M. Northam, St. John); Pleasant Valley 4 (Gannaway 2, La. Robinson 2). Total fouls: Ashville 19, Pleasant Valley 11. Officials: Kelley, Mallicoat, Jarrett.
Notes: PV’s Rebekah Gannaway, coming back after missing two-thirds of last season with an injury, scored a career-high 23 points and also had 11 rebounds and seven steals. Coach Colton Morris on the victory: “We played an all-around good game to be our second game of the season.”
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 60, ASCTE 20
ASCTE – Cameron Wright 0 0-0 0, Tinye Kelly 5 0-0 15, Kristianna Berger 0 3-4 3, Charity Brown 0 0-2 0, Indiya Jackson 1 0-0 2, Arilynn Jamrog 0 0-2 0, Julianna Schleassel 0 0-0 0. Totals 6 3-8 20.
JCA (4-2) – Katie Beth Hudson 3 0-0 6, Addy Lee 2 0-0 6, Rebekah Carter 2 0-0 4, Erin Prater 4 0-0 9, Kara Grace 4 1-2 9, Carlie Chesson 1 0-0 3, Kirsten Walker 6 0-0 13, Riley Sanders 1 0-2 2, Peyton Walker 3 2-4 8. Totals 26 3-8 60.
ASCTE 0 6 6 8 – 20
JCA 15 16 10 19 – 60
3-point goals: ASCTE 5 (Kelly 5); JCA 5 (Lee 2, Prater, Chesson, K. Walker). Rebounds: JCA 46 (Carter 10, Hudson 9, Grace 8). Technical fouls: Schleassel. Total fouls: ASCTE 7, JCA 6. Officials: Burroughs, Merritt, Hanson.
Notes: Kirsten Walker scored seven of her team-high 13 points in the first quarter while the Lady Thunder held their visitors scoreless to take control of the game. Rebekah Carter grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
BOYS GAMES
Alexandria 60, Ohatchee 37
Anniston 65, Guntersville 58
Ashville 75, Pleasant Valley 46
Cedar Bluff 55, Gaylesville 48
Donoho 72, Wellborn 42
Faith Christian 65, Winterboro 53
Hazel Green 49, Oxford 46
Jacksonville Christian 69, ASCTE 36
Ragland 56, West End 46
Sand Rock 73, Collinsville 55
Spring Garden 79, Coosa Christian 36
Talladega 56, Sylacauga 47
White Plains 63, Cleburne County 29
Woodland 52, Wadley 48
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Will Ginn may not have been a head coach very long, but he knows what he likes.
Say what you want about style points and winning ugly, there’s only one thing that matters to the new Alexandria basketball coach.
“I just like to win,” he said.
There was a lot to digest from the Valley Cubs’ 60-37 victory over Ohatchee, Ginn’s third game as their head coach.
They bounced back from a poor showing the night before, they hit nine 3-pointers in the game – as many as they had their first two games combined – and got balanced scoring from throughout the lineup.
There were some other things that weren’t as rosy, but It all added up to their second win of the season, and that made the new head coach happy.
“We played hard,” he said. “I thought last night we got intimidated, we got beat before the game even started, but Moody was a good team.
“Tonight, it was kind of a bounce back night. We played hard, but we’ve got to do better at the fundamental part. We’ve got a long way to go, but like I told them, as long as they’ll keep working, we’ll be OK.”
The Valley Cubs (2-1) put four scorers in double figures, led by T.K. Downie’s 12. Drake Davis and Cleat Forrest each scored 11 and Evan Snow had 10. Kory Cargal added nine points.
“We try to get points however we can get them,” Ginn said.
On this day they came from long range. They spread their nine 3s among five players. Drake Davis, who opened the game with a 3, hit three of them. Evan Snow and Cleat Forrest both had two.
“We shoot the ball pretty good, but they played some zone, too, so that gave us some more open looks than we usually get,” Ginn said. “I like making 3s. I don’t mind our shooters shooting 3s. they know who’s supposed to be shooting them and who’s not.”
The Valley Cubs took control of this one early, jumping out to a 19-2 lead in the first quarter. Ohatchee’s Kelbe Crook led all scorers with 18 points.
ALEXANDRIA 60, OHATCHEE 37
OHATCHEE (1-2) – Eli Teem 0 0-1 0, Jake Roberts 0 0-0 0, Jesse Baswell 2 0-0 4, Tripp Pesnell 0 0-0 0, Galen Lower 0 0-0 0, Alston Carrol 0 0-0 0, Colby Hester 2 0-0 4, Jake Roberson 1 0-0 2, Ethan Blackburn 1 0-0 2, Brent Jennings 0 2-2 2, Luke Vinson 2 1-3 5, Kelbe Crook 7 3-4 18. Totals 15 6-10 37.
ALEXANDRIA (2-1) – Drake Davis 4 0-1 11, Evan Snow 3 2-2 10, Antonio Ross 1 2-3 4, T.K. Downie 4 3-5 12, Jaylen Henderson 1 1-2 3, Matthew McElroy 0 0-0 0, Kory Cargal 3 2-3 9, Cleat Forrest 4 1-1 11, Van Cottrill 0 0-0 0, Caleb Folsom 0 0-1 0. Totals 20 11-18 60.
Ohatchee 4 14 11 8 – 37
Alexandria 19 13 15 13 – 60
3-point goals: Ohatchee 1 (Crook); Alexandria 9 (Davis 3, Snow 2, Downie, Cargal, Forrest 2). Total fouls: Ohatchee 14, Alexandria 13. Officials: Childs, Oden, Avery.
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 69, ASCTE 36
ASCTE – Ludley 2 0-0 5, Jamarion Willie 6 0-0 13, Javen Bies-Dupree 0 0-0 0, Wilson 1 1-2 3, Nigel McBride 2 0-0 5, Ashton Akridge 0 0-0 0, Logan Bryars 0 1-2 1, Wilson 2 3-3 7, Nicholas Persaud 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 5-7 36.
JCA (5-1) – Emannuel Kidd 0 1-2 1, Ethan Fair 10 2-2 26, Travis Barnhill 1 0-0 3, Tyler Doggrell 0 0-0 0, Braxton Brown 3 3-5 11, Noah Lee 1 2-2 5, Justin Crocker 0 0-0 0, Jordan Garner 1 3-4 5, Asher McNeal 0 0-0 0, Cam Moses 6 0-0 15, Elijah Martin 0 0-0 0, Cooper Bates 1 1-3 3, Hunter Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 12-18 69.
ASCTE 10 8 7 11 – 36
JCA 25 11 26 7 – 69
3-point goals: ASCTE 3 (Ludley, Willie, McBride); JCA 11 (Fair 4, Barnhill, Brown 2, Lee, Moses 3). Rebounds: JCA 36 (Fair 12, Doggrell 7). Technical fouls: Wilson. Total fouls: ASCTE 16, JCA 9. Officials: Burroughs, Hanson, Merritt.
Notes: Ethan Fair had a double-double and the Thunder hit 11 3-pointers in the game to win for the fifth time in six starts. Fair led all scorers with 26 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Fair, Cam Moses (15 points) and Braxton Brown (11) combined for nine 3s. Tyler Doggrell went scoreless, but contributed seven rebounds and six assists.
WHITE PLAINS 63, CLEBURNE COUNTY 29
WHITE PLAINS – Dylan Barksdale 1 1-2 3, Paul Laube 4 4-7 12, Z.J. Rosario 2 0-0 4, Silas Hines 3 1-2 8, Josh Wheeler 2 0-0 4, Coleman Ray 1 0-3 3, Cam Almon 3 0-1 8, Daniel Williams 1 2-2 4, Collin Spivey 0 0-0 0, Luke Bussey 3 2-2 8, Carter Johnson 4 1-1 9. Totals 24 11-17 63.
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Jacob Cavender 1 1-2 4, Dawson Haynes 1 0-0 3, Jackson Miller 0 3-4 3, Rico Huguley 1 1-2 4, James Cotton 1 0-0 2, Nate Adams 2 1-2 5, Jake Littleton 0 0-2 0, Grey Freeman 3 2-6 8. Totals 9 8-18 29.
White Plains 16 13 15 19 – 63
Cleburne Co. 9 9 8 3 – 29
3-point goals: White Plains 4 (Hines, Ray, Almon 2); Cleburne Co. 3 (Cavender, Haynes, Huguley). Fouled out: Adams. Total fouls: White Plains 19, Cleburne Co. 22.
DONOHO 72, WELLBORN 42
DONOHO (4-1) – Jordan Cameron 10-1-21, Isiah Smith 1-0-2, Rich Goad 3-0-9, Drew Williamson 11-2-25, Sean Keel 1-0-2, Cash Worley 2-0-4, Sam Johnson 2-0-4, Will Hayes 1-0-2, Jack Wallace 1-0-3. Totals 32-3-72.
WELLBORN – Conner Woodard 0-0-0, Avery Odom 4-2-12, Carlos Hubbard 0-0-0, Lewis 1-1-3, Ethan Tidwell 5-6-16, Jackson Long 3-0-8, Danford 0-1-1, Trey Downs 1-0-2. Totals 14-10-42
Donoho 8 23 19 22 – 72
Wellborn 9 13 6 14 – 42
3-point goals: Donoho 5 (Goad 3, Williamson, Wallace); Wellborn 4 (Odom 2, Long 2). Total fouls: Donoho 16, Wellborn 10. Officials: Calkins, Batey, Hinkle.
FAITH CHRISTIAN 65, WINTERBORO 53
FAITH CHRISTIAN – Thomas Curry 10-23 4-6 25, Yoshua Arevalo 5-14 5-7 16, Eli Robinson 5-8 0-0 10, Conner Richerzhagen 1-6 4-5 7, Tyler Bell 1-3 2-4 4, Joseph Carroll 1-2 1-2 3, Parker Robertson 0-3 0-1 0. Totals 23-59 16-25 65.
WINTERBORO – Monterious Williams 6 0-0 13, Brandon Hunter 4 4-7 12, Kaleb Merritt 3 1-5 8, Jamareo Clegg 1 1-5 3, Kaden Jones 2 3-4 8, Matthew McKenzie 1 0-0 2, Kylen Campbell 0 0-1 0, Kamareon Curry 3 1-5 7. Totals 20-43 10-27 53.
Faith 21 12 16 16 – 65
Winterboro 11 9 17 16 – 53
3-point goals: Faith 3-16 (Curlee 1-6, Arevalo 1-2, Richerzhagen 1-3, Bell 0-1, Robertson 0-3); Winterboro 3-10 (Williams, Merritt, Jones). Fouled out: Bell, Arevalo. Total fouls: Faith 20, Winterboro 20. Officials: McClendon, Jackson, McKinney.
