Third-quarter woes
- Updated: December 28, 2015
Girls roundup: Weaver’s struggles in third quarter continue; Spring Garden rallies, PV sweeps Christmas on the Creekbank, also Oxford, Jacksonville
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
TALLAPOOSA, Ga. – If the Weaver girls basketball team could play all its games without a halftime break, there’s no telling how good its record could be this season.
The third quarter has truly been its Achilles heel this season, and it played a major role in the Lady Bearcats’ undoing again Monday.
They already were behind at the break, but fell farther back in the third on the way to a 76-35 loss to Pepperell in the opening round of the 40th annual Hilburn-Patterson Haralson County Invitational.
In their seven games since opening the season 5-0, whether they were ahead or behind at the break, the Lady Bearcats have been outscored in every third quarter (133-79). They’ve won only one of those games.
“We’ve lost halftime all year,” Weaver coach Gary Atchley said. “That’s on us. We’ve got to get that fixed.
“I don’t know what it is about us going in and sitting in that locker room and talking about what we need to fix. Its almost like we come out here and we watch to make sure what I’ve told them in the locker room is what they’re really doing while they’re running by.”
The Lady Bearcats (6-6) were doing a nice job on Pepperell’s Division I signee Madison Wilder (Elon) and held their own early in the game. They only trailed 20-17 in the second quarter before the Dragons went on the 13-2 run to take a 16-point halftime lead, but then it took them too long in the second half to figure out how to solve the Dragons’ defensive adjustment.
“They did some things in the second half we had not seen and by the time we figured it out it was too late,” Atchley said. “We just let people go on a run on us there; it’s like it takes us a minute to get going (in the third). I don’t know if I have to practice for a hour, take a 10-minute break and then come back and run the heck out of them to try to (simulate) the game.”
Wilder entered the game with a 16-point scoring average but broke out of a three-game mini-slump with a game-high 19 points. Jacrisa Ware had 16 points and Jesse Burkhalter had 12; both scored eight in the third quarter.
Caleigh Cortez led Weaver with 17 points. Rayne Beck had 13.
The Lady Bearcats (6-6) play Bremen at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Spring Garden 60, Bremen 53: Ricky Austin would have liked to have come up with some fanciful explanation for his team’s second-half comeback, but in the end it boiled down to two simple things: Senior Tykeah Rogers took over on the boards and classmate Madison Sides hit shots from the outside.
Rogers scored 22 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, while Sides scored 11 of her 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Lady Panthers (8-3) rallied from a 14-point third quarter deficit in a game that was tied at the half (31-31).
“They played really well, made a lot of plays offensively and I thought they were just tougher inside; they just whipped us, really, the first half,” Austin said. “It was even (on the scoreboard) but the plays they made were toughness plays. They just stuck it in our face in the first half and we didn’t respond well.
“There were a couple mean, personal timeouts; there were some challenges laid on the floor. We showed some guts. We didn’t get shook and got ourselves back in position to win and fortunately we won.”
The Lady Panthers trailed by 12 with 3:30 left in the third quarter, but with Rogers clearing the boards to finish the zone defense that frustrated the Lady Devils and leading the transition, they got the deficit down to three at quarter’s end.
“I didn’t do anything extraordinary, but I tried my best,” Rogers said.
Sides hit three 3-pointers in the quarter. The first gave the Lady Panthers a 47-46 lead, the second gave them a 50-49 lead and the third extended it to 53-49. She was 7-of-13 from the field, 4-of-8 from 3-point range.
“In the first half they weren’t really guarding me as a shooter because I wasn’t making them,” Sides said, “but I knew coming out in the second half I needed to knock down a shot because I had to make them guard me so they could lay off Tookie in the paint. I knew I had to create something.”
Savannah Dempsey was red hot early for Spring Garden. She hit four of her five 3-pointers in the first quarter. She finished with 17 points.
Christmas on the Creekbank
Pleasant Valley 52, Ohatchee 43 (OT): Kendall Johnson scored four of her 10 points in overtime as the Lady Raiders outscored their hosts 9-0 in the extra session to sweep the day. Ohatchee’s Mackenzie Hanks forced overtime when she banked in her third 3-pointer of the game at the buzzer.
Mckinley Parris scored eight of her 13 points in the first half for the Lady Raiders (12-2, 7-1 vs. county teams) and Kara Perry had eight of her 12 in the third quarter. Ally McCoy led Ohatchee with 10 points.
“We had no time to rest between games and were tired from the first game and had to play soft defense in the second,” PV coach Brad Hood said. “We went to pressure man in overtime.”
Ranburne 44, Ohatchee 35: Jesse Ralston scored 10 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter as the Lady Bulldogs pulled away. Mack Hanks had 12 for Ohatchee.
Pleasant Valley 56, Ranburne 38: Atleigh Brannon scored 10 of her 20 points in a 15-1 second quarter that erased a one-point deficit and allowed the Lady Raiders to take control of the game.
Glencoe Holiday Shootout
Boaz 48, Oxford 36: After a strong first quarter that included four 3-pointers, the Lady Yellow Jackets struggled for two points in the second and fell behind at halftime. Tremeria Britt scored 16 for Oxford. Winter Taylor scored 10.
St. Clair County 35, Cedar Bluff 32 (OT): Gillian Perry scored four of the Lady Saints’ six points in overtime. Kylee Harrell led St. Clair County with 12 points. Cedar Bluff’s Delilah Price led all scorers with 13 points.
Pell City Tournament
Jacksonville 47, Munford 24: Dasia Kirksey led nine Jacksonville scorers with 13 points. She also had four rebounds and three blocked shots.
Kyra Williams had six steals and the Golden Eagles scored 19 points off the 29 turnovers they forced.
“It was a good team win; everyone contributed,” Jacksonville coach Tres Buzan said. “We were glad to be out there with the holiday time we’ve had off.”
The Golden Eagles play James Clemons tomorrow at 5 p.m.
Destin Holiday Classic
Louisville (Ky.) Male 73, Saks 31: Jordan Briskey scored 11 for Saks. I’Liyah Green, a 6-2 University of the Cincinnati signee, had 18 for Male (11-1). Saks (7-4) plays Tuscaloosa Central (12-3) Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.
MONDAY’S GIRLS BOXSCORES
Hilburn-Patterson Haralson County Invitational
Pepperell 76, Weaver 35
WEAVER (6-6) – Caleigh Cortez 6 5-14 17, Tayanna Perry 1 0-0 2, Rayne Beck 6 1-3 13, Anna Howell 0 0-0 0, Morgan Wigley 0 0-0 0, Hannah Roberts 0 0-0 0, Mariah Thompson 0 1-2 1, Abbey Gaines 0 0-0 0, Skylar Watson 1 0-1 2. Totals 14 7-20 35.
PEPPERELL (5-5) – Grace Hufford 0 0-0 0, Kaylee Mansell 0 0-0 0, Leah Rowell 1 0-0 2, Meg McCord 2 0-1 4, Jesse Burkhalter 6 0-0 12, Addie Garrett 1 2-2 4, Madison Wilder 8 0-1 19, Jacrisa Ware 7 1-1 16, Tamiya Griffith 3 1-6 7, Josie McGraw 4 0-0 10, Trinity Fielder 1 0-0 2, Macie Owens 0 0-1 0. Totals 33 4-12 76.
Weaver 11 10 11 3 — 35
Pepperell 15 22 25 14 — 76
3-point goals: Pepperell 6 (Wilder 3, Ware, McGraw 2). Total fouls: Weaver 16, Pepperell 17. Officials: Free, Cole, Williams.
Spring Garden 60, Bremen 53
BREMEN — Lexi Wylie 0 0-0 0, Averi Schrews 4 0-0 8, Ashlynn Hodges 1 0-0 3, Morgan Cashen 1 0-0 2, Laci Dewberry 5 0-0 13, Anna Schrews 0 2-2 2, Alyssa Taylor 2 0-0 4, Bethany Chapman 0 0-0 0, Emily Williams 3 1-1 9, Andrea Lasseigne 6 0-2 12. Totals 22 3-5 53.
SPRING GARDEN (8-3) — A.J. Broome 0 2-8 2, Kerstin Bryant 0 1-2 1, Madison Sides 7 0-2 18, Savannah Dempsey 6 0-0 17, Payton McGinnis 0 0-0 0, Tiyonna Rogers 0 0-0 0, Tykeah Rogers 7 8-11 22. Totals 20 11-23 60.
Bremen 12 19 15 7 — 53
Spring Garden 16 15 12 17 — 60
3-point goals: Bremen 6 (Hodges, Dewberry 3, Williams 2); Spring Garden 9 (Sides 4, Dempsey 5). Total fouls: Bremen 18, Spring Garden 5.
Glencoe Holiday Shootout
Boaz 48, Oxford 36
OXFORD – Anna Bolton 0 0-0 0, Makayla Kidd 0 0-0 0, Winter Taylor 4 0-0 10, Acacia Kidd 0 0-0 0, Tremeria Britt 6 0-1 16, Ebony Kelley 1 2-4 4, Alex Gomez 0 0-0 0, Jordan Smith 3 0-0 6, Grace Mitchell 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 2-5 36.
BOAZ — Shayla Carroll 1 3-4 6, Jericha Lybrand 0 0-0 0, Jericka Smith 2 1-2 6, Caitlyn Hunkeapillar 1 0-0 2, Kaitlyn Gillilan 4 3-4 14, Katie Ratcliffe 1 3-6 5, Autumn Patterson 2 2-3 7, Baylee Alldredge 3 2-2 8. Totals 14 14-21 48.
Oxford 17 2 11 6 — 36
Boaz 8 14 12 14 — 48
3-point goals: Oxford 6 (Britt 4, Taylor 2); Boaz 6 (Carroll, Smith, Gillilan 3, Patterson). Total fouls: Oxford 20, Boaz 10.
Christmas on the Creekbank
Ranburne 44, Ohatchee 35
RANBURNE — Jesse Ralston 6 7-8 19, Hannah Phillips 3 0-0 6, Lacey Smith 3 2-2 10, Madison Smith 0 0-0 0, Amelia Marshall 0 0-0 0, Emily Hall 3 3-4 9. Totals 15 12-14 44.
OHATCHEE — Courtney Poole 1 0-0 3, Hannah Howell 1 0-0 2, Ally McCoy 2 0-0 6, Kourtney Shuler 0 0-0 0, Kacie Cooper 0 0-0 0, Mack Hanks 4 1-1 12, Madison Hanks 1 2-3 4, Sydney Clements 4 0-0 8, Shey Clements 0 0-0 0, Cheyenne McCarter 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 3-4 35.
Ranburne 11 15 4 14 — 44
Ohatchee 8 12 8 7 — 35
3-point goals: Ranburne 2 (L. Smith 2); Ohatchee (Poole, McCoy 2, Mac. Hanks 3). Total fouls: Ranburne 6, Ohatchee 12. Officials: Burroughs, Hollingsworth, Battles.
Pleasant Valley 56, Ranburne 38
PLEASANT VALLEY — Kara Perry 3 0-2 6, Lindsey Pritchett 1 0-2 2, Mckinley Parris 6 0-0 13, Atleigh Brannon 7 3-4 20, Alyssa Cash 0 0-2 0, Rachel Faucett 1 1-2 3, Kaylee Lawler 0 0-0 0, Kendall Johnson 0 0-0 0, Mikala Simpson 5 2-2 12. Totals 23 6-14 56.
RANBURNE — Jesse Ralston 4 1-1 9, Hannah Phillips 4 2-2 10, Lacey Smith 7 1-4 16, Madison Smith 1 0-0 2, Amelia Marshall 0 1-2 1, Emily Hall 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 5-10 38.
Pleasant Valley 10 15 18 13 — 56
Ranburne 11 1 15 11 — 38
3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 4 (Parris, Brannon 3); Ranburne 1 (L. Smith). Total fouls: Pleasant Valley 12, Ranburne 10.
Pleasant Valley 52, Ohatchee 43 (OT)
PLEASANT VALLEY (12-2) – Kara Perry 6 0-0 12, Lindsey Pritchett 0 0-0 0, Mckinley Parris 6 0-3 13, Atleigh Brannon 2 3-4 8, Alyssa Cash 0 0-0 0, Kaylee Lawler 0 0-0 0, Kendall Johnson 4 2-3 10, Mikala Simpson 4 0-0 8, Courtney Upton 0 1-2 1. Totals 22 6-12 52.
OHATCHEE — Courtney Poole 4 0-3 8, Hannah Howell 3 0-0 6, Ally McCoy 2 5-6 10, Kourtney Shuler 0 0-0 0, Kacie Cooper 0 0-0 0, Mack Hanks 3 0-0 9, Madison Hanks 2 0-2 4, Sydney Clements 0 0-0 0, Shey Clements 0 0-0 0, Cheyenne McCarter 2 2-2 6. Totals 16 7-13 43.
Pleasant Valley 8 11 12 12 9 — 52
Ohatchee 4 10 11 18 0 — 43
3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 2 (Parris, Brannon); Ohatchee 4 (McCoy, Mac. Hanks 3). Total fouls: Pleasant Valley 11, Ohatchee 19. Officials: Hinkle, Wise, Miller.
Pell City Tournament
Jacksonville 47, Munford 24
MUNFORD — Esherika Hawkins 3-4 2-4 8, Morgan Ashley 1-7 6-10 8, Alexis Mckenzie 2-5 0-4 4, Justine Calhoun 1-2 1-4 3, Shenia Virden 0-1 1-2 1, Jaymela Caldwell 0-1 0-0 0, Shundrea Gooden 0-3 0-0 0, Kennedy Reeves 0-2 0-0 0, Kamara Sudduth 0-0 0-0 0, Chawanda Smith 0-0 0-0 0, Vivica Zimmerman 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 7-27 10-24 24.
JACKSONVILLE — Dasia Kirksey 5-9 1-1 13, Malieah Patterson 3-11 1-2 7, Ataliya Morgan 2-4 1-2 7, Kyra Williams 2-8 1-1 6, Essence Hutchinson 2-6 0-0 4, Aniya Jefferson 1-3 1-3 3, Aniyah Robinson 1-5 1-2 3, Kelsey Ervin 1-2 0-1 2, Kianna Guidry 1-1 0-0 2, Destoni Edwards 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-52 6-12 47.
Munford 4 7 4 9 — 24
Jacksonville 14 10 12 11 — 47
3-point goals: Munford 0-3 (Ashley 0-2, Gooden 0-1); Jacksonville 5-12 (Kirksey 2-2, Patterson 0-3, Morgan 2-3, Williams 1-2, Hutchinson 0-2). Rebounds: Munford 41 (Mckenzie 13, Hawkins 10); Jacksonville 31 (Jefferson 6). Total fouls: Munford 12, Jacksonville 20.
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