Heflin, AL – Central-Clay’s boys repeat as Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic champions, and Vols’ girls bring home the champion’s trophy for the first time
Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic
WEDNESDAY
Girls
Central-Clay 41, Wadley 37
Vincent 40, Ranburne 39
Randolph County 43, Ohatchee 41
Cleburne County 65, Weaver 46
Boys
Central-Clay 71, Ranburne 38
Faith Christian 69, Vincent 60
Randolph County 59, Ohatchee 46
Weaver 63, Cleburne County 51
THURSDAY
Girls
Ranburne 45, Wadley 37
Ohatchee 34, Weaver 26
Central-Clay 45, Vincent 16
Randolph County 39, Cleburne County 34, 2OT
Boys
Vincent 58, Ranburne 30
Cleburne County 59, Ohatchee 40
Central-Clay 67, Faith Christian 65, OT
Weaver 61, Randolph County 34
FRIDAY
Girls
Wadley 40, Weaver 38
Vincent 59, Cleburne County 38
Ohatchee 46, Ranburne 42
Championship: Central-Clay 53, Randolph County 42
Boys
Ohatchee 47, Ranburne 43
Faith Christian 48, Randolph County 39
Vincent 57, Cleburne County 55
Championship: Central-Clay 58, Weaver 52
By Joe Medley
HEFLIN — Josh Giddens’ bench got more full this week, and depth proved decisive in Friday’s Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic final.
Most valuable player Kevin Cherry scored 10 of his 11 points in the second half, and the Vols erased a seven-point halftime deficit to beat Weaver 58-52.
The victory gave Central-Clay’s boys a repeat championship in Heflin. It also gave the Vols a sweep, with the girls having beaten Randolph County earlier Friday.
The boys improved to 11-2, the girls 11-3.
“It felt real good,” Cherry said. “We need to keep on going with the rest of the season, for the area and everything.”
Central-Clay’s boys got deeper this week. Kalvin Simmons returned after having Tommy John surgery, and Cherry came back from a fracture collarbone.
“Kalvin Simmons got a lot of rebounds and a lot of blocked shots and took two charges,” Giddens said. “We really work hard on crowding the lane and taking charges, and Kalvin came in and did that. … He jumps really quick and really high, and it’s good to have him back.
“Kevin Cherry, this is his second or third game back, and he’s a really good basketball player.”
Depth proved decisive as Central-Clay had the best of it over Weaver (8-8) in the second half, winning the half by 13 points.
“They’ve got more guys on the bench that we do,” Weaver coach Beau Winn said. “I thought we played well. We were up 10 at one point in the second quarter. I thought we handled ourselves well.
“Our live-ball turnovers was a big thing for us tonight. We were trying to run so fast, but they could run with us, and I think we pressed just a little bit too hard.”
KeShawn Allen led Weaver with 13 points, and Kaden Gooden added 11 with three 3-pointers. Gooden’s last three, from the left corner, drew Weaver within 53-50 with two minutes to play.
Weaver beat Cleburne County and Randolph County to get to the final.
“It was great,” Winn said. “Like I told the boys when we came in tonight, ‘You all earned it. You all earned the right to be here. We did what we’re supposed to do. It’s time to go take what’s ours, and we did that.
‘We just made a few mistakes, and this is the first time these boys have been in a pressure situation like that.”
FAITH CHRISTIAN 48, RANDOLPH COUNTY 39: Carson Harris led the way with 18 points as Faith finished 2-1 during its stay in Heflin, the lone loss a 67-65 loss to finalist Central-Clay in overtime on Thursday.
Harris hit four of Faith’s 10 3-pointers.
The Lions came away 5-11 and ready for Class 1A, Area 10 play.
“It was a real good week,” Faith coach Cory Hughes said. “It was really good basketball, and we’re making progress. I’m really happy with that, especially this time of year, when we’re about to have a bunch of area games.”
Conner Richerzhagen added to his exploits in Heflin with 12 points Friday, including three 3-pointers, and Colton Reese also hit three 3-pointers on the way to 12 points.
“We have more chemistry, for sure,” Richerzhagen said. “We’ve proven to ourselves that we’ve still got it, and that area and past that’s a possibility.”
OHATCHEE 47, RANBURNE 43: Ohatchee rallied from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to end its Heflin stay on a high note.
“We were able to pick up full court and apply some pressure, and that helped us get back in the game after having trouble scoring the ball early on,” Ohatchee coach Kyle Wilson said. “We did a great job defensively in the fourth, holding them to four, and knocked down from free throws at the end.”
Alston Carroll scored 11 of his eight points in the second half, nine in the third quarter. He hit one 3-pointer on the day.
Colby Hester added 14 points with a 3-pointer, and Galen Lower hit a three en route to eight points.
Ranburne’s Seth McAdams hit three 3-pointers en route to a game-high 19 points.
VINCENT 57, CLEBURNE COUNTY 55: Skyler McCrimon led Vincent with 18 points, including three 3-pointers. Taye Robertson hit three threes while adding 14 points.
Jacob Cavendar paced Cleburne County with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and Grey Freeman added 13.
Girls
CENTRAL-CLAY 53, RANDOLPH COUNTY 42: Central-Clay’s girls have been regulars in the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic. Until Friday, the Vols were regular also-rans.
Call them champions now.
Most valuable player Mia Lindsey scored 10 points, and Central-Clay (11-3) completed a 3-0 run through the 2023 version of the tournament, taking the trophy back to Lineville.
It marked the Vols’ second tourney championship this season. They won the Tri-County Tournament.
“We’re making history,” Lindsey said. “This is the second tournament we’ve won in our school history.”
Ramyah Billingsley led the Vols in scoring Friday with 22 points, including four 3-pointers, but Central-Clay did it with defense. The Vols held their three opponents in Heflin to an average of 28.3 points.
“It feels real good to be able to come in and win a close game and play hard,” Central-Clay coach Tyrell Bishop said. “We’re playing hard and learning to close out hard games. I’m proud of them.”
OHATCHEE 46, RANBURNE 42: Tabi Davidson let frustration get to her in one moment, then found her cool in the biggest moment to help Ohatchee finish 2-1 in Heflin.
The Ohatchee senior settled down after a fourth-quarter technical foul and hit two free throws with 19.2 seconds left to give the Indians the lead for good.
“It was pretty stressful, but I wasn’t really thinking that much, game on the line,” Davidson said. “I was just thinking, ‘It’s a regular free throw. Knock it down.’
“But in the back of my head, I knew I had to make them.”
Ohatchee got a stop after Davidson’s free throws, and Kiana Garber hit two more foul shots with 7.5 seconds left.
Davidson led Ohatchee with 15 points, including a 3-pointer. Lindsey Zurchin hit a three en route to nine points.
They overcame a 15-point performance from Ranburne’s Aubrey Anglin and 12 from Jadie Phillips.
Davidson “show a lot of maturity to handle a difficult situation, flush it, step back in and not letting her emotions affect her,” Ohatchee coach Aaron Jackson said. “I’m really proud of her. I’m proud of everybody, but that was a good thing for her to do.”
VINCENT 59, CLEBURNE COUNTY 38: Fresh off of reaching the 2,000-career-points mark, Faith Brown led Cleburne County with 23 points to reach 2,035 for her career. She hit 13 of 14 free throws.
Makayla Perkins led the way for Vincent, pouring in 25 points, and Kinsley Perkins added 11.
WADLEY, 40, WEAVER 38: A’Mya Brown passed the 1,000-career-point mark as Wadley ended its stay in Heflin with a victory.
Brown finished with 14 points , and Celeste Angel led the Bulldogs with 15 points. Angel hit three 3-pointers.
Aaliyah Marks led Weaver with 16 points, including two 3-pointers.
Cleburne County’s Faith Brown surpasses career milestone, but Randolph County girls advance to face Central-Clay in final. Central-Clay boys survive overtime thriller with Faith Christian to face Weaver in boys’ final.
Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic
WEDNESDAY
Girls
Central-Clay 41, Wadley 37
Vincent 40, Ranburne 39
Randolph County 43, Ohatchee 41
Cleburne County 65, Weaver 46
Boys
Central-Clay 71, Ranburne 38
Faith Christian 69, Vincent 60
Randolph County 59, Ohatchee 46
Weaver 63, Cleburne County 51
THURSDAY
Girls
Ranburne 45, Wadley 37
Ohatchee 34, Weaver 26
Central-Clay 45, Vincent 16
Randolph County 39, Cleburne County 34, 2OT
Boys
Vincent 58, Ranburne 30
Cleburne County 59, Ohatchee 40
Central-Clay 67, Faith Christian 65, OT
Weaver 61, Randolph County 34
FRIDAY
Girls
Wadley vs. Weaver, 9 a.m.
Vincent vs. Cleburne County, noon
Ranburne vs. Ohatchee, 3 p.m.
Championship: Central-Clay vs. Randolph County, 6 p.m.
Boys
Ranburne vs. Ohatchee, 10:30 a.m.
Faith Christian vs. Randolph County, 1:30 p.m.
Vincent vs. Cleburne County, 4:30 p.m.
Championship: Central-Clay vs. Weaver, 7:30 p.m.
HEFLIN — Cleburne County’s Faith Brown faced box-and-one and double-down defense from Randolph County during their girls’ Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic.
She beat it to surpass a career milestone, but Randolph County advanced to the final.
Brown surpassed 2,000 career points en route to a 19-point performance before fouling out in the second overtime, but Brantley Wortham scored all five of her points at the foul line in the second overtime as Randolph County overcame Anna Grace Henderson’s fouling out in the first overtime to win 39-34.
Randolph County (7-7) advanced to Friday’s final against Central-Clay.
“It’s like I said yesterday, the girls find a way,” Randolph County coach Brady Phillips said. “They keep fighting, keep fighting, keep fighting.
“At halftime, it was a real slow game, and I think we missed a lot of points we could’ve put on the board in the first half. Our halftime speech was keep working, keep working.”
Brown’s two coast-to-coast, driving buckets in the final minute of regulation helped Cleburne County force overtime, and Hannah Turley hit the last two of three free throws with 3.2 seconds left in the first overtime to force the second.
Wortham scored all but two of Randolph County’s seven points in the second overtime to help the Tigers overcome Henderson’s fouling out. Wortham also used her dribble to force Brown’s fifth foul in the second overtime and drew a charge on her earlier in the game.
As for Brown, she entered the night needing seven points to reach 2,000. She had six at halftime and went scoreless in the third quarter, but her baseline drive early in the fourth got her over the mark.
Officials stopped the game for a brief recognition.
“I’m really excited,” Brown said. “A lot of this, you’ve just got to say it’s God. That’s what it really is. It’s Him.”
Randolph County’s top performers:
—Anna Grace Henderson: nine points (one 3-pointer).
—Lakaiyah Baker: 13 points.
Cleburne County’s top performers:
—Faith Brown: 19 points (two 3-pointers).
OHATCHEE 34, WEAVER 26: Ohatchee went with a box-and-one defense on high-scoring Weaver guard Aaliyah Marks and held her to two points. Tabi Davidson guarded Marks, and Mollee Barnes took over when Davidson rested.
“That was the plan, to try to limit her touches,” Ohatchee coach Aaron Jackson said. “I’ve seen what she’s been capable of this year, so we tried to limit her touches.
“We did a good job executing that.”
Ohatchee’s top performers:
—Kiana Garber: nine points.
—Lindsey Zurchin: eight points (one 3-pointer).
Weaver’s top performers:
—D.J. Gibbs: 16 points (one 3-pointer).
—McKenley Davis: eight points (two 3-pointers)
CENTRAL-CLAY 45, VINCENT 16: The Vols held Vincent to three points in each of the final three quarters and advanced to Friday’s championship game against the Cleburne County-Randolph County winner.
Central-Clay will make its first appearance in the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic final.
“It’s exciting,” Central-Clay coach Tyrell Bishop said. “I think it’s our third year here, and we usually get beat that first game, the first day, so it’s exciting to be able to play in the championship.”
Central-Clay’s top performers:
—Nariah Brock: 12 points.
—Ramyah Billinsley: 14 points (two 3-pointers).
Vincent’s top performers:
—Jakaylin McGinnis: 12 points.
Boys
WEAVER 61, RANDOLPH COUNTY 34: D.J. Marbury hit two 3-pointers en route to 15 points, and Weaver advanced to face Central-Clay in Friday’s Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic.
“If we have (made the final), it’s been a long time,” Weaver coach Beau Winn said. “I don’t know if we have.
“We’ve worked hard for this. The boys have really done a good job. We kind of marked this on our calendar.”
Weaver went 2-1 in this 2022 Heflin tourney but fell into the elimination bracket on the first day, after a close loss to host Cleburne County.
Weaver’s top performers Thursday.
—D.J, Marbury: 15 points (two 3-pointers).
—Kaden Gooden: 14 points (two 3-pointers).
—KeShawn Allen: 11 points.
Randolph County’s top performers:
—Avion Willis: 17 points (two 3-pointers).
CENTRAL-CLAY 67, FAITH CHRISTIAN 65, OT: Central-Clay’s 67-65, overtime victory over Faith Christian in Thursday’s Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic was so good, each coach sought out a player from the other team to praise after the game.
Cental-Clay’s Josh Giddens came looking for Faith’s Conner Richerzhagen, who had just missed at the buzzer. Giddens found Richerzhagen, who had just led Faith with 22 points, hugged him.
“He’s a really good player,” Giddens said. “What I like about him, some players, when things get tough, and the game gets close, they shy away and don’t want the ball. He wanted the ball every time.
“He made a lot of big shots and made some free throws, and he’s a really good player.”
Faith coach Cory Hughes sought out Central-Clay’s Deshaun Gibbons, the player who guarded Richerzhagen down the stretch in an intense, talkative matchup.
“I told 15 after the game, ‘We wouldn’t be coming at you if we weren’t worried about you,’” Hughes said. “That’s what you want to see. That’s good basketball.”
Central-Clay’s top performers:
—Kevin Cherry: 12 points.
—DeMauri Whetstone: 11 points.
Faith Christian’s top performers:
—Richerzhagen: 22 points (three 3-pointers).
—Carson Harris: 18 points (two 3-pointers).
CLEBURNE COUNTY 59, OHATCHEE 40: Up 33-29 in the third quarter, Cleburne County surged to an insurmountable lead with a 21-5 run.
“We played better down the stretch,” Cleburne County coach Josh Perry said. “We’ve been up and down. We’ve got sickness like everybody else right now, so I hope we’re on the back end of it, and we’re trying to finish the second half as good as we did the first half.”
Cleburne County’s top performers:
—Jacob Cavender: 15 points (five 3-pointers).
—Grey Freeman: 11 points.
—Cavin Bates: nine points.
—James Cotton: nine points.
Ohatchee’s top performers:
—Colby Hester: 10 points.
—Alston Carroll: 10 points.
—Hunter Brown: seven points (one 3-pointers).
Faith Christian boys show signs of rugged early schedule paying off with victory over Vincent to earn shot at Central-Clay
Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic
WEDNESDAY
Girls
Central-Clay 41, Wadley 37
Vincent 40, Ranburne 39
Randolph County 43, Ohatchee 41
Cleburne County 65, Weaver 46
Boys
Central-Clay 71, Ranburne 38
Faith Christian 69, Vincent 60
Randolph County 59, Ohatchee 46
Weaver 63, Cleburne County 51
THURSDAY
Girls
Wadley vs. Ranburne, 9 a.m.
Ohatchee vs. Weaver, noon
Central-Clay vs. Vincent, 3 p.m.
Randolph County vs. Cleburne County, 6 p.m.
Boys
Ranburne vs. Vincent, 10:30 a.m.
Ohatchee vs. Cleburne County, 1:30 p.m.
Central-Clay vs. Faith Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Randolph County vs. Weaver, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls
TBD, 9 a.m.
TBD, noon
TBD, 3 p.m.
TBD, 6 p.m.
Boys
TBD, 10:30 a.m.
TBD, 1:30 p.m.
TBD, 4:30 p.m.
TBD, 7:30 p.m.
HEFLIN — Cory Hughes still has much to figure about his third Faith Christian boys’ team.
Like, how could the Lions commit 24 turnovers yet put up 69 points in a 69-60 victory over Vincent in Wednesday’s Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic action.
One thing Hughes knows, however. A 4-10 record against an early schedule loaded with higher-classified teams belies his team’s potential.
He sees a team that has things his two Northeast Regional teams didn’t.
“I’ve said about this team from the beginning, I think this team has the most upside of any team that I’ve had,” Hughes said. “The problem is, unlike previous teams, we’ve got a few more components than previous teams, and that means more chemistry has to happen.
“So far, I feel like that’s where we’re falling, is not figuring out the right combination of the chemistry.”
It worked well enough for the Class 1A Lions to beat 2A Vincent, a team that’s reached the finals and won the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic.
Faith earned a winners’ bracket game against Class 5A Central-Clay on Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Carson Harris led the way Tuesday with 21 points. Conner Richerzhagen, with older brother and former Lions standout Ethan watching from the bench, added 19.
Fatih never trailed against an athletic foe.
“They made some runs, and we showed that we can right and stop those runs and change the momentum, and that we can play as a team,” Harris said. “We struggled with that early in the season, not playing as a team, as a unit, and I think we played as a team today.”
Harris, a senior, wears his role as one of the team’s scorers comfortably, Hughes said.
Richerzhagen, a freshman, is learning how much big brother he has in him.
“Conner has struggled to find his feet as a 19-point guy,” Hughes said. “If he settles into it, then we’ll be just fine.”
Faith gets another higher classified test Thursday with a chance to make the Heflin Hoops Holiday Classic final.
“This team has a greater upside, more upside, than, possibly, the past two teams,” Hughes said. “We’ve just got to figure it out.
“We showed hints of that today. There were stints where we looked great, but then there we go, being dumb. I don’t know how we have 24 turnovers and score 69 points.”
WEAVER 63, CLEBURNE COUNTY 51: Kaden Gooden and KeShawn Allen scored 23 points apiece, and Weaver used a 28-point fourth quarter to take control against tournament host Cleburne County.
The Bearcats’ big finish came after a slow start to their first game back from break.
“We tried something different this year,” Weaver coach Beau Winn said. “We played those 12 games in two weeks, and then we took Christmas time and didn’t play any. We just practiced the whole time.
“I was a little nervous about how we’d do, coming off of that lull, but I thought we did well.”
Gooden hit four 3-pointers, and Allen hit one. Weaver’s other top performers:
—Gabe King: seven points (one 3-pointer).
—D.J. Marbury: six points.
Cleburne County’s top performers:
—Cade Shubert: 22 points (one 3-pointer).
—Nathan Adams: 11 points (one 3-pointer).
RANDOLPH COUNTY 59, OHATCHEE 46: Randolph County took control in the fourth quarter, separating from a 40-40 tie.
Winston scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter.
“We finally bought into playing a little defense,” Randolph County coach Rico Sims said. “They created a few turnovers, and we gave up quite a few offensive rebounds early, and we started boxing out and eliminated some of those extra shots they were getting.”
Colby Hester and Alston Carroll led Ohatchee with 11 points apiece.
Randolph County’s other top performers:
“We played hard for about three and a half quarters,” Ohatchee coach Kyle Wilson said. “They went on a run there in the fourth. They got stops, and they were able to push it in transition.”
—Huddleston: 12 points.
—Avion Willis: 17 points
Ohatchee’s other top performers:
—Luke Vinson: nine points.
—Hunter Brown: six points (two 3-pointers)
Girls
CLEBURNE COUNTY 65, WEAVER 46: Faith Brown scored a game-high 33 points, leaving her seven points shy of becoming the first Cleburne County basketball player in recorded school history to reach 2,000.
She’s likely to reach the mark Thursday, in the Tigers’ 6 p.m. clash Randolph County.
“I’m very excited,” the senior forward said. “It took a lot to get here, a lot of practice. I’m really excited.”
Brown’s performance Wednesday included a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. She was 4-for-6 on free throws.
“I wish she would’ve hit her free throw tonight,” Cleburne County coach Todd Gable said. “She’d be a little bit closer.
“She started off a little slow tonight, and then she got going. Hopefully, she’ll get it tomorrow. If she plays like she should, she might get it.”
Gable said he plans to stop the game and recognize Brown when she hits the 2,000-point mark.
Cleburne County’s other top performers:
—Hannah Turley: 24 points .
—Macey East: six points (two 3-pointers).
Weaver’s top performers:
—Aaliyah Marks: 26 points (five 3-pointers).
—Erionna Richmond: 13 points (two 3-pointers).
RANDOLPH COUNTY 43, OHATCHEE 41: Anna Grace Henderson’s driving bucket put Randolph County up ahead of an Ohatchee timeout with 7.9 seconds left.
Ohatchee wound up with an in-bounds play with one second left but turned it over on a five-second call.
“The biggest thing was, we just stuck together, doing what we do,” Randolph County coach Brady Phillips said. “We kind of got sloppy there at the end of the third quarter, but they found a way to win.
“That’s what this team is about. It’s a good group of girls, and they just know how to win.”
The Indians went scoreless in the first quarter and trailed 30-20 going into the fourth. The found the mark, with Lindsey Zurchin hitting three 3-pointers and Mollee Barnes hitting two, and rallied, taking the lead when Tabi Davidson found Emily Riddle under the basket for the go-ahead score to make it 41-39.
“We had some young players step up when they had to,” first-year Ohatchee coach Aaron Jackson said. “We were in foul trouble early, but I would’ve liked to have not had to make that run. We came out flat, and that’s on me.
“If we don’t dig that hole, we’re probably in a better situation at the end of the game”
Randolph County’s top performers:
—Henderson: 14 points.
—Lizzie Milam: nine points (one 3-pointer).
Ohatchee’s top performers:
—Zurchin: 11 points (three 3-pointers).
—Barnes: eight points (two 3-pointers).
