December 1, 2021
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Jacksonville holds off late Alexandria rally to win neighborhood game; Faith, Anniston win; Oxford, White Plains, PV fall
TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Anniston 84, Lincoln 71
Cherokee County 63, White Plains 47
Faith Christian 76, Coosa Christian 57
Glencoe 61, Pleasant Valley 53
Jacksonville 71, Alexandria 62
Hoover 55, Oxford 43
Sardis 46, Hokes Bluff 45
Cade Phillips had played in a neighborhood rivalry where he went to school before, but it certainly was never anything like this.
The junior post experienced his first Jacksonville-Alexandria battle in Larry Ginn Gym Tuesday night and it was as intense as coach Shane Morrow told the players it would be.
The Golden Eagles might have had their way with a Valley Cubs team playing its first game of the year early, but in this game, in this gym, nothing is as safe as it seems. By the end of the night, they had a real battle on their hands.
What once was an 18-point lead was down with six twice in the final minute before Jacksonville put it away 71-62.
“I’ve played in a lot of intense games in my life, so this was just another game, really,” Phillips said. “You could feel the hostility in the crowd … the student sections are going back and forth at each other, but that’s the only real difference. It’s still the same court, same rim, same ball.
“You feel them bearing down, but if you stay within your head and play your game you really should be able to handle that pressure.”
Phillips played his game and came close to a triple-double with 17 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocked shots — and still felt he could have, should have, done more.. Teammate John Broom had 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and four steals, and Caden Johnson had nine points, 10 boards and three assists.
A 13-0 run in the first quarter and an 11-0 run in the second helped the Golden Eagles open a 37-19 halftime lead that Phillips agreed “should have been safe.”
But much like in their early-season loss to Spain Park, the Golden Eagles had trouble in the second half against Alexandria’s zone. They did score more points in the half this time, but they had to work for them. [**read more]
Hoover 55, Oxford 43
HOOVER – Oxford and Hoover went after it shot for shot for three quarters, before the Bucs pulled away with a big fourth quarter. Hoover outscored the Jackets 21-9 in the final eight minutes.
Oxford got to the rim in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t get any and-ones. They were 6-for-6 from the line in the quarter, but Kyler Wright’s 3-pointer as their only field goal.
Rylan Houck and J.D. Jones had the hot hand early for Oxford and helped it build a 17-11 first-quarter lead. Houck finished with 11 points and Jones had 10. [**read more]
Faith Christian 76, Coosa Christian 57
GADSDEN – Ethan Richerzhagen hit 10 of 16 shots from the floor, 4-of-6 from 3-point range and scored 29 points as the Lions opened their area schedule with a victory. He also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Thomas Curlee (16) and Jacques Prater (10) also scored in double figures for the Lions. [**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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