In 1A Area 12, who’s No. 2?
- Updated: January 16, 2016
Faith Christian’s victory over Donoho throws area into a logjam behind top-ranked Sacred Heart
By Jason Katz
For East Alabama Sports Today
Class 1A Area 12 is a bit of a logjam these days. While Sacred Heart is the solid No. 1, Faith Christian, Donoho and Ragland all are virtually even.
Now, to decide it in the best way possible … a coin toss.
It’s one step closer to becoming reality today after Faith defeated rival Donoho 47-28 Friday in a showcase of excellent defense by the Lions.
“It is a tough situation to be in,” said Faith coach Brad Yarbrough. “We cannot worry about that, we can’t sweat that, what happens will happen and we just have to stay focused and play one game at a time.”
The Lions (12-7) were not worried about the future Friday night as they came to play in front of a packed homecoming crowd. Their stellar defensive play led to the Falcons only scoring eight points in the first half.
“Our big guys played tough tonight,” said Yarbrough. “We boxed out well and were strong on rebounds as well as in the paint. We played with excellent intensity.”
Jordan Griswould led the Lions in scoring with 13 points; he also had six rebounds. Junior Jack Sills had 12 points with nine rebounds and a pair of steals, while Caleb McCord had 10 points.
“It was a great win for us tonight over Donoho,” said Sills. “You can tell how much this game means to us by the electric atmosphere in the gym. It’s always special to beat them and tonight was no different.”
Donoho (6-9) struggled throughout the game against the Lions’ defense. Garrett Steed led the Falcons with nine points, while Ross Stevenson had seven points and five rebounds.
“I want to give Brad (Yarbrough) credit,” said Donoho coach Alex Mastin. “They made some excellent adjustments and played great defense tonight. This just sets up perfect for us. These rivalry games are so important and can linger for weeks, but playing against a 3A Pleasant Valley team tomorrow allows us to get over this loss quick and play good ball moving forward.”
Both teams have games in the Calhoun County tournament today. Faith plays Wellborn at 4:30 p.m. while Donoho plays Pleasant Valley at 7:30.
Donoho has not win a county tournament game since 2002 while Faith has not won one in the previous four years.
“We think this is our year to get a win at county,” Griswould said. “If we play like I know we are capable of we can make a run.”
For these teams, the rest of the season continues to build up as a showdown for No. 2 in the area, but for now they will just take it one game at a time – especially in the county tournament.
“There are a lot of good teams in county this year,” said Yarbrough. “I think we are ready to make a run at it. We are going to give it our best shot and see what happens.”
Faith Christian 47, Donoho 28
DONOHO (6-9) – Reaves Nelson 1 0-0 2, Garrett Steed 2 4-7 9, Saad Ibrahim 1 0-0 2, Ross Svenson 2 1-2 7, Mateen Ibrahim 1 0-0 2, Joseph O’Neill 0 0-0 0, Tucker Sedmak 1 0-0 2, Mitchell Baker 0 2-2 2, Wilson Russell 0 0-0 0, Walton Montgomery 0 0-0 0, Robert Clausen 1 0-5 5. Totals 9 7-16 28.
FAITH CHRISTIAN (12-7) – Jack Sills 6 0-1 12, Caleb McCord 3 3-3 10, Jordan Griswould 5 1-2 13, Jameson Adams 3 0-0 6, Jameson Thacker 0 0-0 0, Alex Taylor 2 0-0 6, Julien Key 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 4-6 47.
Donoho 2 6 5 15 — 28
Faith Christian 9 13 11 14 — 47
3-point goals: Donoho 3 (Steed, Svensen 2); Faith Christian 5 (McCord, Griswould 2, Taylor 2). Total fouls: Donoho 13, Faith Christian 16. Officials: Hollingsworth, Winn, Stubbs.
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