Alexandria, AL – With Brown sending intensity in from the sideline, Anniston boys turn defense into offense and draw even with Alexandria
By Joe Medley
Anniston had a sixth man in its turnabout basketball victory at Alexandria on Monday, and he wore slacks and a pullover to go with his sneakers. Veteran coach Torry Brown spent the fourth quarter up, one foot on the court and one foot off, exhorting his Bulldogs through every step of defense. Defense became offense for Anniston, which gained separation in the fourth quarter and avenged a home loss to Alexandria earlier this season, 59-50, in Larry R. Ginn Gymnasium. “We needed this game, just for our confidence,” Brown said as he wiped sweat from the side of his face. “We needed it.”
Anniston came off of a 44-41 loss at Handley in Friday’s Class 4A, Area 8 action. The Bulldogs also suffered recent losses to White Plains in regular-season play and Piedmont in the Calhoun County tournament. In the big picture, Anniston still prevailed in a tiebreaker to hold the area’s top seed and earn the right to play host to next week’s area tournament. This week is about regaining confidence and momentum going into postseason.
Anniston lost to Alexandria 61-60 in overtime on Jan. 2 at home. Monday gave the Bulldogs a script flip on Alexandria’s floor. They did it with Brown’s voice outpacing even that of “No. 1 Anniston fan” in the fourth quarter. “It motivated me,” Anniston forward Javen Croft said. “To see my coach playing on the sideline with me makes me play even harder. “Then to see my teammates, like Jayden Lewis, attacking the rim, kept my energy up.”
Lewis led the Bulldogs with 21 points, with several driving buckets coming in transition. The offense came from defense. Coaches get floor statistics from watching film, but Croft, Hezekiah Harris and Delroy Francis started breaks with several blocks. “It was a big factor,” Croft said. “We limited their threes, and they started scoring in the paint. We came back in at halftime and talked about it and stepped up.”
