January 26, 2022
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
uesday boys roundup: Jacksonville has enough to turn back Alexandria; Saks denied at the buzzer, Ohatchee wins in 2 OT and more
TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Anniston 63, Cleburne County 25
Childersburg 62, Saks 60
Hokes Bluff 70, Pleasant Valley 51
Jacksonville 85, Alexandria 75
Lanett 86, Ranburne 40
Ohatchee 57, Wellborn 51 (2 OT)
Oxford 64, Talladega 52
Piedmont 59, Sand Rock 49
Weaver 60, Jacksonville Christian 49
JACKSONVILLE — With the sting of losing in the Calhoun County Tournament championship game four days ago still fresh on their minds, Jacksonville coach Shane Morrow was really concerned about the state of his team going into the rematch of its semifinal game Tuesday night.
The Golden Eagles did have a bit of a hangover from that two-point loss to Oxford that denied them their first county tournament title in 27 years, in a tournament as No. 1 seed they were projected to win. It was manifested in two not-so-good days of practice.
But they had enough in their next game back — Tuesday night — to beat Alexandria for the third time this season and second time in five days, 85-75.
“We played well in spurts again,” Morrow said. “I’ll be honest with you — we were a little down emotionally after Friday and I was worried about that. But I thought they responded well.
“I don’t think it was the best we ever played, but they played good enough against a good Alexandria team.”
Don’t let the close margin fool you. The Golden Eagles had a pair of 20-point leads in each half when they were at their sharpest. But Alexandria cut them back to 5 (at halftime and ultimately 10 before running out of time.
The rallies were encouraging to Valley Cubs coach Jason Johnson, but he lamented some of his team’s other shortcomings.
“I liked our competitiveness on that part, but we just couldn’t get over the hump,” he said. “We just didn’t make some wise decisions. We’re not playing too good defense right now; we’ve got to work on that before the area tournament.”
It was another game Jacksonville was without Cade Phillips. He has been out since suffering an ankle injury against Anniston on Jan. 14. He told East Alabama Sports Today Tuesday night he was looking to be out another two weeks, which would put him out of Thursday’s big matchup with Plainview at Jacksonville State.
With Phillips on the mend, it has given other players on the roster a chance to flex their offensive skills. Freshman Devin Barksdale led four Jacksonville scorers in double figures with 19 points. John Broom had 18 and twins Caden and Cam Johnson had 14 apiece. Caden Johnson also had eight rebounds and five steals.
“Devin, he played well at times,” Morrow said. “He’s always been able to handle the ball and score, but you’ve got to get him better on the defensive end. He’s just a ninth-grader, but he doesn’t play like a ninth-grader. He plays well above his years.
“I think we grew up some during the County Tournament having to play without him (Phillips); we toughened up a little bit. I think the Alexandria game in the semifinal took a lot out of us because they were so physical and they did it to us again, but I think in the long run it’s going to help us out.”
Alexandria’s Collin Taylor led all scorers with 27 points. He was 5-for-10 from the 3-point line and has nine in his last two games since setting out to let teams “know that I’m here.” Julian Wright had 13 points and Kory Cargal grabbed 11 rebounds.
The Valley Cubs have lost two road games against quality opponents in as many nights and have a third road game Thursday at Anniston in what amounts to the consolation game of the Calhoun County Tournament. Both teams lost in the tournament semifinals.
Jacksonville 85, Alexandria 75
ALEXANDRIA – Collin Taylor 9-15 4-4 27, Julian Wright 6-9 1-4 13, Kory Cargal 4-6 1-2 9, Javais McGhee 4-11 0-3 9, Evan Snow 3-4 0-0 8, D’Anthony Walton 3-9 1-2 7, Braxton Tucker 1-4 0-0 2, Damon Parr 0-0 0-0 0, Javarious Williams 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-59 7-15 75.
JACKSONVILLE – Devin Barksdale 7-12 2-2 19, John Broom 8-11 1-2 18, Caden Johnson 6-12 2-2 14, Camren Johnson 5-9 3-3 14, Quin Long 3-6 1-2 8, JaLeik Long 2-7 0-2 6, Hayden Robinson 1-3 0-0 3, Julian Hill 1-4 1-2 3, Ethan Duke 0-0 0-0 0, Jacoby Zackery 0-0 0-0 0, JaeTaj Morris 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 33-67 10-15 85.
Alexandria 14 21 20 20 – 75
Jacksonville 24 16 29 16 – 85
3-point goals: Alexandria 8-22 (Taylor 5-10, McGhee 1-3, Snow 2-3, Walton 0-4, Tucker 0-1, Williams 0-1); Jacksonville 9-29 (Barksdale 3-7, Broom 1-2, Cd. Johnson 0-3, Cm. Johnson 1-3, Q. Long 1-2, J. Long 2-5, Robinson 1-2, Hill 0-3, Morris 0-2). Rebounds: Alexandria 38 (Cargal 11, Taylor 7, Wright 6); Jacksonville 34 (Cd. Johnson 8). Fouled out: Duke. Total fouls: Alexandria 12, Jacksonville 16. Officials: Morriss, Douthitt, Richardson.
CHILDERSBURG 62, SAKS 60: The Tigers claimed the top seed in Class 3A Area 9 and denied Saks the chance for a coin flip when Isaac Marbury hit a shot while falling out of bounds in front of the Childersburg bench at the buzzer.
Saks would have entered into a coin flip with the Tigers to determine the top seed and host school for the area tournament had it won, Now, Childersburg will play either Saks or Wellborn for the championship of the three-team area tournament.
“We played great defense and they hit a fade-away from out of bounds and nothing but the bottom of the cup; that’s the way it goes sometimes,” Saks JV coach Blake Muncher said. “It’s a tough way to lose. The boys are heartbroken a little bit. The good thing is we’ve got Jacksonville for a little redemption. We play four times this week, so you can’t be too mad because here comes another one.
“I would now like to think they were going to get the flip anyway.”
The Wildcats were in catch-up mode throughout the game. They were down seven early and made it a four-point game at halftime. They were down nine midway through the fourth quarter, 57-48, and fought back to tie it at 58 on Sean Parnell’s 3-pointer with 1:44 to play and again at 60 on Malik Carlisle’s layup at 1:12.
The teams flipped three turnovers in the final 35 seconds to set the stage for the final play. The Wildcats lost the ball on a double dribble with 5.4 seconds left. Marbury took the inbounds pass and drove down the right side of the floor. With time running out and Shon Elston in his face, he turned and threw a shot at the goal while falling backwards.
It went through just before the horn sounded touching off a dogpile of blue at the end of the Childersburg bench.
Muncher had the team for the second game in a row with head coach Jonathan Miller at home with wife Lauren following the birth of their second son, Wynn, Monday night, right about the time they were tipping off to play Pleasant Valley. Miller watched Tuesday night’s game remotely and texted his assistant instructions at halftime.
“I wanted to win this one for him,” Muncher said. “I don’t really feel like me or the boys let him down or anything. We fought back and shrunk the lead and got there at 60. Those last three possession, man. We had those two turnovers and they had one and then that crazy circus shot goes in. That’s the way it goes. You’ve got to take advantage of opportunities.”
Parnell led all scorers with 24 points. He had 15 in the second half, nine in the fourth quarter. Kordes Swain muscled his way down the lane for 17 points for Childersburg. Marbury finished with 11.
Childersburg 62, Saks 60
CHILDERSBURG – Isaac Marbury 4 1-2 11, Sharod Robertson 2 0-0 4, Jordan Mann 1 0-0 3, Ja’Kaleb Stone 4 0-0 10, J.T. Stone 3 1-2 7, Jakorrion Johnson 2 1-2 5, Elijah Sims 0 0-0 0, Caleb Swain 2 1-2 5, Kordes Swain 7 3-3 17. Totals 25 7-11 62.
SAKS – Braelan Robinson 0 0-2 0, Shon Elston 3 3-4 9, Sean Parnell 8 6-9 24, Jalen McCants 4 1-2 9, Christian Smith 0 0-0 0, Malik Carlisle 2 0-0 4, Rickey Garrett 1 0-0 2, Anthony Bothwell 2 0-0 5, Gavin Doss 3 0-0 7. Totals 23 10-17 60.
Childersburg 16 12 14 20 – 62
Saks 11 13 16 20 – 60
3-point goals: Childersburg 5 (Marbury 2, Mann, Stone 2); Saks 4 (Parnell 2, Bothwell, Doss). Fouled out: McCants. Total fouls: Childersburg 14, Saks 11. Officials: Oden, Poss, Whiteside.
OHATCHEE 57, WELLBORN 51 (2 OTs): Messiah saves, but the Indians score in double overtime.
Kelbe Crook scored seven of his team-high 18 points in overtime and the Indians held Wellborn scoreless in the second overtime to win the longest game in coach Bryant Ginn’s tenure.
Wellborn’s Messiah Moore sent the game into the second extra period with a miracle 3 at the buzzer. The junior hit six 3-pointers in the game and finished with a game-high 23 points.
Ohatchee 57, Wellborn 51
WELLBORN – Messiah Moore 8 1-2 23, Xavier Parker 1 0-0 2, Kameron Jackson 6 0-3 12, John Searcy 1 0-0 2, Liam Avery 1 0-0 2, Trey Downs 2 2-2 6, Avery Odom 2 0-2 4, Jeremiah Scarbrough 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 3-9 51.
OHATCHEE – Jake Roberts 3 2-2 8, Jesse Baswell 3 0-2 7, Carson Tittle 3 2-4 9, Colby Hester 3 0-2 6, Jake Roberson 3 0-4 9, Nathan Dover 0 0-1 0, Kelbe Crook 6 6-10 18. Totals 21 10-25 57.
Wellborn 7 18 9 10 7 0 – 51
Ohatchee 17 3 18 6 7 6 – 57
3-point goals: Wellborn 6 (Moore 6); Ohatchee 5 (Baswell, Tittle, Roberson 3). Fouled out: Odom. Total fouls: Wellborn 22, Ohatchee 12.
PIEDMONT 59, SAND ROCK 49: Alex Odam scored 14 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs pulled away from a game that was tied at 40 after three quarter.
Piedmont 59, Sand Rock 49
PIEDMONT – Alex Odam 15 2-2 36, Omarion Foster 2 1-4 5, Gavin Lawler 0 0-0 0, Cassius Fairs 0 0-0 0, Cole Wilson 1 0-0 2, Ish Bethel 2 0-0 4, Chance Murphy 1 0-0 2, Coleman Reid 5 0-1 10. Totals 26 3-7 59.
SAND ROCK – Jacob Cornejo 1 0-0 2, Jacob St. Clair 7 0-0 18, Logan Crider 0 0-0 0, Ben Dale 1 2-2 4, Brian Giles 1 0-0 3, Slade St. Clair 0 0-0 0, Bryan East 1 0-0 3, Michael Justice 3 0-0 7, Bradley Jackson 0 0-2 0, Gunner Cox 4 0-0 9, Ace Ashley 1 0-0 3. Totals 19 2-4 49.
Piedmont 12 16 12 19 – 59
Sand Rock 14 17 9 9 – 49
3-point goals: Piedmont 4 (Odam 4); Sand Rock 9 (10St. Clair 4, Giles, East, Justice, Cox, Ashley). Fouled out: Fairs. Total fouls: Piedmont 10, Sand Rock 13. Officials: Deffran, Phillips, Glass.
OXFORD 62, TALLADEGA 52: The Yellow Jackets had no trouble shifting gears from their record-tying fourth straight Calhoun County Tournament championship, jumping out to a 21-10 first-quarter lead in their first game back.
Rylan Houck had eight of his game-high 26 points in the first quarter and closed it out with 11 of the team’s 13 in the fourth. Kyler Wright also scored in double figures for the Jackets (10).
Oxford 64, Talladega 52
OXFORD – Jaylen Alexander 1 0-0 2, Zurrell Garrett 2 0-1 4, Rylan Houck 10 6-7 26, Kyler Wright 4 0-0 10, Aaron McFarland 1 0-0 3, J.D. Jones 3 0-0 7, Mike McGraw 1 0-0 2, Jayden Lewis 2 0-0 4, Ashton Mitchell 2 2-3 6. Totals 26 8-11 64.
TALLADEGA – Durquavion Truss 3 1-2 8, Jaquintez Garrett 1 2-5 4, Rlandis Jones 6 2-2 18, Lecory Wallace 1 0-0 2, Kylan Curry 0 0-2 0, Kendric Wilson 0 0-0 0, Jaylyn Lawson 3 1-1 7, Traveon Traylor 3 0-0 6, Amari Webb 3 0-0 7, Ollie McMillian 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 6-12 52.
Oxford 21 16 14 13 – 64
Talladega 10 14 21 7 – 52
3-point goals: Oxford 4 (Wright 2, McFarland, Jones); Talladega 6 (Truss, Jones 4, Webb). Total fouls: Oxford 18, Talladega 15.
WEAVER 60, JCA 49: Tristan Brown hit three 3-pointers and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to lead the Bearcats. Kohl Perry scored 10 of his 12 for Weaver in the first half and Dawson Brooks came off the bench to score 10. Brodie Clay and Ethan Fair led JCA with 15 and 14, respectively.
Weaver 60, Jacksonville Christian 49
WEAVER – Tristan Brown 8 4-4 23, Jeffrey Miles 3 0-0 6, Kohl Perry 5 2-2 10, Elijah Smith 1 0-0 3, Dawson Brooks 4 2-2 10, Buck McGregor 1 0-0 2, Armane Burton 1 2-3 5, Kaden Gooden 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 10-11 60.
JCA – Emanuel Kidd 2 0-0 6, Ethan Fair 5 2-3 14, Tyler Doggrell 1 0-0 2, Braxton Brown 3 0-0 7, Cam Moses 2 0-0 5, Brodie Clay 6 3-3 15. Totals 19 5-6 49.
Weaver 17 18 12 13 – 60
JCA 16 5 21 7 – 49
3-point goals: Weaver 4 (Brown 3, Smith); JCA 6 (Kidd 2, Fair 2, Brown, Moses). Total fouls: Weaver 10, JCA 14. [**read more]
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