Calhoun County, AL – Clutch 3-point shot lifts Handley over Talladega in 4A, Area 8; Anniston downs Munford to set up area-final showdown
CLASS 4A AREA 8 TOURNAMENT
At Anniston
Boys Games
Handley 59, Talladega 58
Anniston 77, Munford 37
Friday’s Game
Championship, Handley vs. Anniston, 7 p.m.
By Brant Locklier
Handley and Anniston advanced to Friday’s Class 4A, Area 8 finals at Anniston. Handley hung on to beat Talladega 59-58 on Tuesday, while Anniston rolled past Munford 77-37. It will be the third meeting between Anniston and Handley this season. The teams split the regular-season series with a pair of three-point wins.
HANDLEY 59 TALLADEGA 58: Tamarious Treadwell calmly sank a three-point basket with 33 seconds left to help second-seeded Handley survive a comeback attempt from No. 3 Talladega. Handley survived two furious attempts at the basket by Talladega in the last few seconds. The win pushed Handley in the area finals Friday night against Anniston and into the sub-regional round of the playoffs. “It is so hard to beat a good team three times in one year,” Handley head coach Larry Strain said. ”They are a very good team. ‘Bean,’ as we call Tamarious, had not played the last couple of games due to injury but did not know what he would be able to do tonight.
“He just has ice water in his veins. His face never changed on that winning three. He just iced it.” Midway through the second quarter, Handley figured out the scrappy Talladega defense and began to attack the basket inside, which led to a 13-point run. The Tigers opened up a 37-25 halftime lead and appeared to be on their way to an easy win. Jay Hanes led that spurt and ended up with 13 first-half points. Cannon Kyles pounded the boards for six first half rebounds.
The Tigers also picked up their half-court defense and created numerous fastbreak points. Talladega had opened up a 15-11 first quarter lead by creating turnovers and keeping Handley away from the basket on plays that forced bad shots. Talladega buried three 3-point baskets, two by Najeh Swain, in the opening quarter, but was shut down in the second quarter Somebody forgot to tell Talladega it was dead. The Tigers came out in the second half on fire and quickly scored eight straight points, and the lead was 37-33.
Handley was trying zones and man-to-man defenses, and nothing seemed to shut down the Talladega offense. Jaquintez Garrett drilled a pair of threes to start the second half. Talladega tied the game at 41-41, but Handley pulled back ahead by six by the end of the quarter. Talladega was down 54-51 with three minutes left in the game on Dontavious Cochran’s long three plus a steal and basket by Rlandis Jones. All of a sudden, Talladega led 56-54. [read more…]
Allen gets hot
ANNISTON 77 MUNFORD 37: Isiah Allen buried five of his six 3-point buckets in the third quarter to help Anniston blow past Munford. He ended up with 18 points. “I just felt good tonight,” Allen said. “I have not been making my shots in the last few games, so it was good to get my shot back tonight.” That has got to make Anniston coach Torry Brown happy at playoff time.
The Bulldogs used a stifling defense to create turnovers and had Munford off balance all night. It was the Bulldogs’ third win over Munford this season. Anniston enjoyed a 13-point lead after one quarter, led by 19 at the half and pulled out to a 27-point lead after three quarters. Allen’s 15 points was more than Munford scored in the third quarter. “It was a good game for us,” Brown said. “We got to play a lot of players, and we played well.”
