Sacred Heart, Faith find finals
- Updated: February 11, 2016
Top-ranked Cardinals overwhelm Appalachian, while Lions hold on to take down Ragland; title game Saturday
By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today
Let it be known the Sacred Heart Cardinals are on the prowl again in the Class 1A playoffs.
They pounded the Appalachian Eagles 83-49 in the first round of the Area 12 tournament at the Anniston Aquatic Center gym. It was the third time this year the Cardinals have wrecked the Eagles, although this one wasn’t as overwhelming as the previous 107-50 and 108-45 margins.
The Cardinals (22-8) have lost only one time to a 1A team in three years and that was in the state championship game in 2014. They were the champs last year and if Thursday night was any indication of what’s to happen in 2016, then the rest of Class 1A will have to go through Sacred Heart to win the title.
“At this stage of the season,” Sacred Heart coach Ralph Graves said, “it is just win and advance. We will get back out there tomorrow and keep practicing and trying to get better.”
They will play Faith Christian for the area title Saturday night.
The Heart blew out to a 15-0 lead and got it to 24-2 before resting the starters for a while. D.J. Heath had 15 points in the opening quarter and Diante Wood had 10 points in the second as the Cardinals flew out to a 55-17 halftime lead.
The fourth quarter was marred by a horrific knee injury to the Eagles’ Jacob Pantojia. He sustained multiple breaks in his leg as he fell in an awkward heap in front of the Sacred Heart bench. There was a 45-minute delay as the rescue squad was called to transport him away and both teams gathered at mid-court for a prayer.
The injury took a lot out of both teams as they finished the fourth quarter with very little intensity.
“We just hope the young man will recover,” Graves said. “It just happened and some things you just cannot control. It looked like he dislocated his knee. We are praying that he will get well and be healthy again.”
Heath led the Cardinals with 24 points. Diante Wood added 16 points, Kavarri Ross 13 and Samuel Miller 10. Peyton Dean led the Eagles with 18 points.
Faith Christian 54, Ragland 45: The Lions went on a 17-2 run to start the second half and then had to fight off a huge fourth quarter rally to hold off the determined Purple Devils (4-19).
The Lions (14-11) led 42-28 with six minutes left but behind some missed free throws and three lane violations on free throws Ragland went on a 15-2 run to cut the lead to 45-43 with 3 minutes to play.
Jack Sills’ basket with 1:05 put Faith up 49-44 and the Lions hit five free throws down the stretch to put the game away.
“They were a tough bunch of kids and well-coached,” Faith coach Brad Yarbrough said. “It was the kind of battle you expect this time of year and we are going to get ready for Sacred Heart and see what we can do on Saturday.”
Faith had opened up the first quarter on fire, as they hit three 3-point shots and jumped out to a 17-10 lead. The Purple Devils fought back with a 15-1 run to take a 22-18 lead, but Alex Taylor drilled a 3 with 2:27 to go in the half and Caleb McCord scored a bucket to give the Lions a 23-22 halftime lead.
Jordan Griswold, back in the lineup after rehabbing a knee injury, led Faith with 15 points and six rebounds. Jameson Adams had 11 points, Sills 10 points and five rebounds, Taylor nine points and McCord had seven.
Jadon Killings had 15 points and Jagger Phillips had 14 for the Purple Devils.
“This is huge for us,” Yarbrough said. “I am so proud of these guys. They have worked so hard since the beginning of the year to get here and they deserve this because of all that work.”
Sacred Heart 83, Appalachian 49
APPALACHIAN — Andrew Whittington 4 0-0 8, Peyton Dean 7 1-2 18, Jasper Hutchins 1 2-3 4, Roberto Hernandez 4 0-0 8, Jacob Pantoja 1 2-2 4, Chris Hernandez 2 1-1 5, Aldo Molina 1 0-2 2. Totals 20 6-10 49.
SACRED HEART (22-8) — Diante Wood 9 0-1 19, Kavarri Ross 4 0-0 10, Samuel Miller 5 0-0 10, Murdock Simmons 2 0-0 4, Caleb Lafollette 0 0-0 0, Stephen Stansil 3 0-0 7, Jonriley Miller 0 0-2 0, Kevion Nolan 3 0-0 6, Jaylin Croft 1 1-2 3, Joseph Humphries 0 0-2 0, D.J. Heath 11 1-1 24. Totals 38 2-8 85.
Sacred Heart 31 24 14 14 — 85
Appalachian 7 10 15 12 — 47
3-point goals: Appalachian 3 (Dean); Sacred Heart 5 (Wood, Ross 2, Heath, Stancil). Total fouls: Sacred Heart 13. Officials: Williams, Paige, Gamble.
Faith Christian 54, Ragland 45
FAITH CHRISTIAN (14-11) – Caleb McCord 2 2-4 7, Jordan Griswold 3 9-17 15, Jameson Adams 5 1-2 11, David Wall 1 0-0 2, Grant Martin 0 0-0 0, Jack Sills 3 4-5 10, Michael Kulick 0 0-0 0, Jameson Thacker 0 0-0 0, Alex Taylor 3 0-0 9, Julien Key 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 16-28 54.
RAGLAND (4-9) – Adam Sanders 0 0-0 0, Jadon Killings 6 1-3 15, Coby Fuller 0 0-0 0, Jagger Phillips 5 0-1 14, Stoney Merritt 0 2-5 2, Tucker Kay 2 2-6 6, Noah Hollingsworth 3 1-3 8. Totals 16 6-18 45.
Faith 17 6 16 15 — 54
Ragland 10 12 6 17 — 45
3-point goals: Faith 5 (McCord, Griswould, Taylor 3); Ragland 7 (Killings 2, Phillips 4, Hollingsworth 1). Fouled out: Phillips. Total fouls: Ragland 23, Faith 15. Officials: Williams, Paige, Gamble.
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