January 8, 2022
By Shannon Fagan
Special to East Alabama Sports Today
Jacksonville lights it up from 3-point range, rout Cherokee County; Faith, JCA, PV, Oxford, White Plains all win among county teams
FRIDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Clay Central 36, Sylacauga 33
Faith Christian 66, Winterboro 54
Handley 66, Munford 43
Jacksonville 87, Cherokee County 57
Jacksonville Christian 54, Wellborn 38
Pleasant Valley 57, Ohatchee 48
Oxford 50, Pell City 38
Ragland 69, Coosa Christian 59
White Plains 72, Cleburne County 28
CENTRE — First-year Jacksonville basketball coach Shane Morrow said his team is learning when and when not to shoot a 3-pointer.
On Friday night at Class 4A Area 10 rival Cherokee County, the Golden Eagles took a lot of good shots outside the arc – and made more than half of them.
Jacksonville sank 14 of 26 of its 3-point attempts and sank the Warriors, 87-57.
Eight Jacksonville players took a 3-pointer in the game and seven of them made at least one. The Golden Eagles (11-4, 4-0) drained five treys in the first quarter to set the tempo and build a 21-13 advantage. Three more before halftime gave them a 45-30 edge.
“When we came in, I wanted to establish the up-tempo, get the ball out,” Morrow said. “That’s what modern basketball is going to. You see it everyday on TV. The kids enjoy it, and we work at it. We shoot a ton during PE and practice. I hate to say we live and die by it. We were 14-of-26, so that’s not bad.
“Like I said, they work at it. Give the kids credit. It’s not like this is coming just out of the blue. We just got hot. They put the work in, and I’m glad it’s paying off for them.”
Julian Hill led the Golden Eagles in the 3-point shooting contest. He hit 5-of-9 shots from beyond the arc and finished with 17 points.
“He played well,” Morrow said. “He’s capable of doing that at any moment. Everybody’s got a role on this team and that’s his role, shooting. He can drive and do all those other things, but he’s come a long way on the defensive end. I know he hit a bunch of 3s tonight, but I’m probably
more proud of the effort he’s started putting in on the defensive end.
“He’s taken several charges this year. He’s playing help side. He’s playing with a lot of energy, always wanting to guard one of their better players. He’s always been able to shoot, but (defensively) has been a big turnaround.”
Jacksonville’s John Broom topped all scorers with 23 points. He hit three 3-pointers and also had eight rebounds, five steals, four assists and a block. Cade Phillips finished with 13 points, 10 boards and four blocks. Caden Johnson, Devin Barksdale and Camren Johnson rang for 9, 8 and 7 points, respectively.
Cherokee County coach Caleb Hays said his game plan centered on neutralizing the Golden Eagles’ size advantage. He just didn’t anticipate them shooting almost 54 percent from the arc.
“The last time we played them, 73 of their (93) points came from inside the paint and the free-throw line,” he said. “We were obviously worried about their size, trying to take that out, trying to force them to the perimeter and close out. They shoot the ball and get to the rim, and they
finish well.
“They’re probably the most talented team I’ve seen top to bottom. They’re really, really good. You have to play unbelievable to beat that team. That’s a very, very talented team. When they shoot the ball like that, it makes it very difficult to coach.”
The coaches in Calhoun County recognized that depth and installed the Golden Eagles as the No. 1 seed in next week’s Calhoun County Tournament.
But Jacksonville didn’t have all the outside sharpshooters on this night.
Jack Amos led the Warriors (8-8, 1-2) with 17 points, including five treys of his own. Malachi Horton had 11 points. Landon Caldwell connected on three treys for nine points.
“I thought we needed to finish better to stay in the game early,” Hays said. “I thought we had a lot of opportunities, some open shots we needed to hit, some things we could’ve finished. We changed our shot, but a lot of that was because of what their defensive presence is.
“They do a good job of not fouling you, but deflecting your shots and making you change the way you shoot. If you do just go into them, they’re a good shot-blocking team. They’re just extremely talented.”
Shannon Fagan is sports director of WEIS radio in Centre. [**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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