It’s what you’ve been waiting for
- Updated: January 24, 2015
Jacksonville, Anniston — the two best girls teams — will meet for county title for the fifth year in a row
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE — Never let it be said the Calhoun County Basketball Tournament doesn’t give the people what they want.
The much-anticipated matchup for the girls title, predicted long before the seeding meeting was brought to order, came to fruition Friday when top-seeded Jacksonville and No. 2 Anniston both won easily in the semifinals at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
The Golden Eagles took care of Oxford 64-33 and the Lady Bulldogs dumped Pleasant Valley 61-34.
The finalists, clearly the two best teams in the field, will be meeting for the tournament title for the fifth year in a row tonight at 6:30 p.m. Anniston has won three of the previous four.
The teams had played regularly for years as area rivals and the seniors on both teams know of no other title game opponent, but they have not met previously this season making today’s clash of these titans even more anticipated.
“We talked about playing Anniston first game because we just knew they were going to get to the finals,” Jacksonville point guard Angel Kidd said. “It’s kind of predictable for the girls because it’s the same every year, so, yeah, we pretty much talk about it all the time.”
It really doesn’t get much better than this. Both teams are ranked in the statewide poll – Jacksonville is No. 3 in Class 4A, Anniston No. 7 in 5A – and both are on the verge of 20 victories. Anniston won its three tournament games by an average of 27 points; Jacksonville won both of theirs by more than 30.
“I thought they deserved the No. 1 seed; they’re the more experienced team,” Anniston coach Eddie Bullock said. “But we’ve got a plan for them.
“We’ve got good athletes; he (Jacksonville coach Ryan Chambless) is a schemer. With two minds like that it’s like we’re playing a game ourselves. It’ll keep you alert. You have to stay sharp.”
The teams have made more than 35 appearances in the tournament final between them since playing in the first final in 1979. Anniston has been in it 20 times previously and won it an all-time best 15. Jacksonville has played for it all 14 times and won five times; its nine runner-up finishes are the most all-time.
This will be the eighth time they’ve played each other for the crown, the sixth time since 2003. Anniston has won five of them. But the No. 1 seed in the tournament has won the title 14 times, the No. 2 seed 10.
“I think it’s a good rivalry; it’s becoming a really good one,” Chambless said. “It would be an even better rivalry if we could win a few more of them instead of coming on that other side of it. It’s an enjoyable competitive girls game to see. I anticipate it being another battle.”
But first they had to get through Friday to make it a match.
Jacksonville (19-3) used defense and rebounding to overcome some poor shooting to beat Oxford. The Golden Eagles shot 36 percent from the field in the game, but outscored Oxford 28-0 off the 35 turnovers they forced and scored 28 second-chance points off their 29 offensive rebounds.
Virginia Poe and Angel Kidd scored 15 each for Jacksonville. Sierra Stone had 17 rebounds. Stone, Dasia Kirksey (eight) and Poe (seven) combined to collect more boards than Oxford had as a team.
“Our offense was slow to start but our defense kept us in it and it was pretty consistent all game,” Chambless said.
Anniston (19-5), meanwhile, got off to a slow start in its game. Upstart PV slowed the pace early and held its own with the quick and defensive-minded Bulldogs in the first quarter, trailing just 10-6. But then Anniston turned up its man defense and opened up a 31-point second quarter to lead 41-12 at the break.
Raven Cooley had all 11 of her points in the quarter and Miajah Bullock had nine. Bullock finished with 19. Tiffany Williams had 13 for Pleasant Valley.
So it all comes down to this.
“We’ve been waiting for this all year,” Poe said. “It’s going to be a good matchup if we both play to the best of our abilities.”
CALHOUN COUNTY TOURNAMENT GIRLS SEMIFINALS BOX SCORES
Jacksonville 64, Oxford 33
OXFORD (11-10) — Tremeria Britt 5-9 0-0 12, Jordan Smith 3-3 0-0 6, Ebony Kelley 2-6 2-2 6, Winter Taylor 1-9 4-5 6, Makayla Kidd 1-2 1-2 3, Alexus Davis 0-2 0-0 0, Anna Bolton 0-0 0-0 0, Alex Gomez 0-1 0-0 0, Makayla Lowery 0-1 0-0 0, Grace Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 12-33 7-9 33.
JACKSONVILLE (19-3) — Virginia Poe 5-15 2-4 15, Angel Kidd 6-16 2-2 15, Sierra Stone 4-9 1-6 9, Dasia Kirksey 4-11 0-0 8, Darrien Martin 3-7 0-0 6, Brandi Canady 3-4 0-0 6, Destiny Easley 1-11 0-0 3, Kyra Williams 1-1 0-0 2, Nicole Goodson 0-0 0-0 0, Quenteeria Mooney 0-0 0-0 0, Ataliya Morgan 0-1 0-0 0, Malieah Patterson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-75 5-12 64.
Oxford 10 3 12 8 — 33
Jacksonville 13 11 20 20 — 64
3-point goals: Oxford 2-5 (Britt 2-3, Taylor 0-1, Kidd 0-1). Jacksonville 5-19 (Poe 3-10, Kidd 1-5, Martin 0-1, Easley 1-3). Rebounds: Oxford 29 (Smith 9); Jacksonville 44 (Stone 17, Kirksey 8, Poe 7). Total fouls: Oxford 12, Jacksonville 9. Officials: Winn, Hughes, Wright.
Anniston 61, Pleasant Valley 34
PLEASANT VALLEY (14-12) — Kara Perry 0 5-9 5, Tiffany Williams 4 5-7, McKinley Parris 1 0-0 3, Atleigh Brannon 3 2-4 8, Bailey Turner 1 1-2 3, Kaylee Lawler 0 0-0 0, Mikala Simpson 0 2-4 2, Baily Scott 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 15-24 34.
ANNISTON (19-5) — Miajah Bullock 6 7-9 19, Raven Cooley 4 2-4 11, Carlina Welch 0 0-0 0, Davia Palmer 1 4-4 6, Takia Shears 1 0-0 2, Carsheuna Curry 1 5-6 7, Alice James 1 0-0 3, Kiyana Bullock 3 1-2 7, J’Kyra Clemons 1 0-0 2, Mattie Logan 0 0-0 0, Jemya Bullock 0 2-2 2, Alexis Simmons 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 21-27 61.
Pleasant Valley 6 6 10 12 — 34
Anniston 10 31 13 7 — 61
3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 1 (McKinley Parris); Anniston 2 (Cooley, James). Total fouls: Pleasant Valley 17, Anniston 16. Officials: Killingsworth, Kelley, Davis.
CALHOUN COUNTY GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
(All games at Pete Mathews Coliseum, Jacksonville)
First-round games
No. 8 Jacksonville Christian 47, No. 9 Weaver 43
No. 5 Oxford 64, No. 12 Faith Christian 40
No. 4 Piedmont 50, No. 13 Alexandria 32
No. 3 Ohatchee 61, No. 14 Donoho 20
No. 6 Pleasant Valley 62, No. 11 Sacred Heart 30
No. 10 White Plains 49, No. 7 Wellborn 18
No. 2 Anniston 60, No. 15 Saks 47
Second-round games
No. 1 Jacksonville 74, Jacksonville Christian 37
Oxford 42, Piedmont 33
Pleasant Valley 61, Ohatchee 55
Anniston 69, White Plains 29
Semifinal games
Jacksonville 64, Oxford 33
Anniston 61, Pleasant Valley 34
Championship game
Jacksonville (19-3) vs. Anniston (19-5), Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login