Super scorer
- Updated: December 30, 2014
Girls roundup: Faith’s Stephens has another big game, but Lions fall; Ohatchee, J’ville in respective finals
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By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
HEFLIN – Madison Stephens is a little conflicted these days. The peppy junior guard is the Faith Christian girls’ main scoring threat and one of the best scorers in the county.
It’s a role she both enjoys and flourishes in. But at the same time she worries.
She doesn’t want people to think of her as one-dimensional, yet she has concerns about letting people down on days she doesn’t quite have it and, as was the case in Monday’s 56-44 loss to Vincent, the Lions don’t get help from the supporting cast.
What a thin line to walk.
“I like being the leader, I like to take charge of things, I enjoy doing it and I’m glad I am capable of doing it,” she said, “but when my shot’s not falling — like today — it’s difficult because it’s like I’m letting everybody else down.”
Stephens held up her end Monday, going for a late-arriving 26 in the Cleburne County Holiday Invitational. But as the scoreboard suggests, the Lions didn’t get much from anyplace else. It didn’t help, of course, they were missing three regulars for a variety of reasons.
Stephens is averaging 19.5 a game this season and earlier this year went over the 1,000-point plateau in a career that began as a seventh-grader. But a lot of times, if she doesn’t score, neither do the Lions (4-11). She has had 17 points or more 11 times this year, including each of the last four games, but they have lost all four.
Faith coach Bradley Dawson said Stephens is just as happy not scoring much and winning than scoring 30 and taking a loss – and that has happened this year. She went for a career-high 35 in a loss to Ragland that started their current four-game losing streak.
“It’s nice knowing you have somebody to count on to score, but it’s also a bad thing in a way because we depend on her too much and we don’t take enough responsibility ourselves,” Dawson said. “We put too much trust in Madison – not saying she doesn’t deserve it.
“We expect her to score everything for us and lead us and we just don’t have enough people who are stepping up and taking the lead when (she’s off her game). She can’t score every point, she can’t shoot every shot. We have to have help and right now … we’re not stepping up. We’re not filling our roles.”
The Lions kept waiting for help for their scorer Monday. Stephens scored only a 3-pointer in the first quarter, eight points in the first half and then scored all six of her team’s points in the third quarter as it fell behind 17.
Stephens started asserting herself in the fourth quarter. She scored 12 in the quarter when the Lions got as close as nine.
“A lot of times Coach tells me to be selfish because I struggle with that,” she said. “I don’t want to be the ball hog. I want to do my job, and my job is to score, but I don’t want to be the ball hog or the showoff. I just want to do my job, and a lot of times I think I don’t assume that role enough to what Coach wants me to because I want to make the team work together, us all get better, not just me. I just want to win as a team.”
Ohatchee 49, Ranburne 27
HEFLIN – The Indians advanced to the championship game of the Cleburne County Holiday Invitational behind 17 points from Morgan Lee and 20 rebounds from Joria Steger.
Steger had eight points to go with her boardwork, while Madison Hanks added 13 points and six rebounds. Jessie Ralston led Ranburne with 12 points.
The Indians will play either Cleburne County or Pleasant Valley in the title game Wednesday.
Jacksonville 71, Sand Rock 56
Jacksonville 51, J.O. Johnson 39
GRANT – The fourth-ranked Golden Eagles gained a spot in the Lady Patriot Classic opposite No. 5-5A Madison County behind 29 points from Angel Kidd and 17 from Sierra Stone.
The Golden Eagles’ two high scorers combined to shoot 17 of 28 from the field. They both grabbed eight rebounds.
Earlier in the tournament they beat J.O. Johnson behind Stone’s 13 points and 17 rebounds. Kidd had 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Madison County gained the final by beating Helena (58-27) and host DAR (51-34).
Oxford 42, Alexandria 38
GLENCOE – Winter Taylor rediscovered her offense and helped her team win the fourth quarter to win the game.
Taylor, who had only two points (free throws) in the Yellow Jackets’ win over White Plains Saturday, scored 16 points. Alexus Davis added 10 points, while Ebony Kelly had five points, eight rebounds and four steals.
The Yellow Jackets jumped out to a 9-2 first-quarter lead, but the game was tied going into the fourth.
Glencoe 58, White Plains 34
GLENCOE – Maddie Osborne and Karleigh Billingsley combined for 15 of their team’s 17 first-round points as the Yellow Jackets opened a big lead on White Plains.
Billingsley hit four baskets in the first quarter and finished with 18 points to lead all scorers. Osborne had 17 points, 12 in the first half. The Yellow Jackets led 17-4 after the first quarter.
Shelby Wood led White Plains with 10 points.
Spring Garden 56, Pepperell 31
TALLAPOOSA, Ga. – Tykeah Rogers scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds as the fourth-ranked Lady Panthers (16-2) advanced to the championship game of the Haralson County Hilburn-Patterson Tournament. Darian Gaines had 12 points for Spring Garden and Savannah Dempsey added 11.
The Lady Panthers will play host Haralson County at 6 p.m. for the title.
OTHER GAMES
Cedar Bluff 67, Wellborn 19
Jacksonville Christian 50, Donoho 18
GIRLS BOX SCORES
Vincent 56, Faith Christian 44
VINCENT (6-9) – Jasmine Banks 11 9-10 31, Anaya Norwood 0 0-1 0, Makia Carthon 0 0-0 0, Jamia White 2 0-2 4, Ambren Middleton 8 5-18 21, Tishia Hamilton 0 0-0 0, Leslie Middleton 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 14-31 56.
FAITH CHRISTIAN (5-10) – Logan Boyd 3 0-0 8, Sarah Kate McVeigh 1 2-10 4, Madison Stephens 8 7-12 26, Montana Huie 0 1-4 1, Elizabeth McCullough 2 0-1 5, Olivia McDaniel 0 0-0 0, Regan Crosby 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 10-27 44.
Vincent 17 10 14 15 — 56
Faith Christian 9 9 6 20 — 44
3-point goals: Faith Christian 6 (Boyd 2, Stephens 3, McCullough). Total fouls: Vincent 23, Faith Christian 20. Fouled out: Boyd, Norwood, White.
Jacksonville 71, Sand Rock 56
JACKSONVILLE — Angel Kidd 11-21 5-13 29, Sierra Stone 6-7 5-5 17, Dasia Kirksey 3-9 2-4 8, Darrien Martin 2-6 2-2 7, Destiny Easley 2-4 0-2 4, Quenteeria Mooney 1-2 0-0 3, Malieah Patterson 1-1 0-0 2, Nicole Goodson 0-1 1-2 1, Ataliya Morgan 0-5 0-2 0. Totals 26-56 15-30 71.
SAND ROCK — Emily Langley 5-14 4-6 16, Madison McCullough 3-7 8-12 14, Morgan Bone 3-3 2-3 8, Sabryn Chandler 3-7 0-0 6, Courtney Rowe 1-11 4-6 6, Mary Frances Brown 2-3 0-0 4, Maggie Lyn Lumsden 0-2 2-2 2, Katelyn Hanson 0-2 0-0 0, Ashley Norris 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 17-49 20-29 56.
Jacksonville 15 17 18 21 — 71
Sand Rock 11 15 16 14 — 56
3-point goals: Jacksonville 4-15 (Kidd 2-4, Kirksey 0-1, Martin 1-3, Easley 0-1, Mooney 1-2, Morgan 0-4); Sand Rock 2-14 (Langley 2-7, Rowe 0-5, Hanson 0-2). Rebounds: Jacksonville 46 (Kirksey 9, Stone 8, Kidd 8); Sand Rock 25 (McCullough 5, Bone 5, Chandler 5). Total fouls: Jacksonville 19, Sand Rock 20. Fouled out: Easley.
Glencoe 58, White Plains 34
WHITE PLAINS — Rian Chandler 1 0-0 2, Carly Wood 0 4-7 4, Hannah Barno 1 0-0 2, Korie Burgess 0 0-2 0,
Chasity Nelson 0 1-2 1, Amber Greenwood 1 5-6 7, Grey Young 1 2-2 4, Shelby Wood 5 0-1 10, Landry Bussey 0 0-0 0, Mary Clare Young 0 0-0 0, Halaya Harmon 1 1-1 3, Jocelyn Harris 0 1-2 1. Totals 10 14-23 34.
GLENCOE — Maddie Osborne 5 5-5 17, Breia Little 0 1-2 1, Kaylie Davis 0 0-0 0, Madison Lau 2 2-6 6, Mykal Edwards 4 0-0 9, Karleigh Billingsley 6 6-6 18, Korly Royal 3 0-0 5, Jessica Kathie 2 0-2 4, Lainey Wood 0 0-2 0. Totals 20 14-22 58.
White Plains 4 16 6 8 — 34
Glencoe 17 16 11 14 — 58
3-point goals: Glencoe 4 (Osborne 2, Edwards, Royal). Total fouls: White Plains 19, Glencoe 25. Fouled out: Osborne, Kathie.
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