Bulldogs win, keep Ware going

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: February 19, 2016

Senior guard Tray Croft dominates in the fourth quarter, carries Anniston on his back to a 74-66 regional victory

Hakeem Ross (11) drives past Guntersville’s C.J. Williamson for two of the 17 points he scored off the bench Friday. On the cover, Tray Croft scored 19 of his 31 in the final six minutes to key Anniston’s regional semifinal victory. (Photos by Kristen Stringer/Krisp Pics Photography)

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

JACKSONVILLE – Tray Croft didn’t want it to end Friday. You know Schuessler Ware certainly didn’t.

With Anniston locked in a tight Class 5A Northeast Regional game against Guntersville and Ware’s tenure as the Bulldogs’ coach in the balance, Croft put his team on his back in the fourth quarter.

The senior guard, known to many as the best left-handed shot in the county, scored 19 of his 31 points in final six minutes and was involved in every key play as the Bulldogs survived an intense game 74-66 to reach the regional final.

“I know it was my last year, coach’s last year,” Croft said. “I haven’t been having too many of the bigger games, so the fourth quarter I got going. I kept going, my team kept giving me the ball, they depended on me, so I kept going and getting buckets for my team.

“We’ve lost three years in a row in this round the same way. We lost to them (Guntersville) my 10th grade year (by 2). We didn’t want to come back out and lose like that. We’re trying to get (Ware) a ring before he leaves.”

Ware noticed the Wildcats (23-8) couldn’t stop Croft so they wanted to isolate him in the fourth quarter. Everything went through him. He kept driving and he found his shot.

Croft scored 14 straight Anniston points after Guntersville opened a 54-49 lead and 11 in a row in the game on the back end to single-handedly give the Bulldogs (25-4) the lead for good. The way he took over reminded Ware of a similar fourth-quarter takeover by Ontario Collins in the Bulldogs’ 2002 state championship game victory over Russellville.

“Trey was on fire,” post DeQuan Ross said. “He just played good.”

During the fourth quarter the Bulldogs continually dove for loose balls trying desperately to stay in the game. All the while Ware, whose retirement became official Feb. 1, was a picture of calm – despite fighting through a migraine – standing on the end of the bench with his hands clasped behind his back.

And the free throws that escaped the Bulldogs in the first three quarters finally started to fall. They were 22-of-39 from the line in the game, 14-for-17 in the fourth quarter.

“We put it in the right hands,” Ware said.

Just how tight was it? The game was tied five times and there were 12 lead changes. The Bulldogs came back from nine down with 3:16 left in the second quarter to take a 33-32 halftime lead.

At no time, however, was Ware ever thinking that the next loss would bring a close to his 19-year tenure on the Bulldogs’ bench.

Before Croft took over, Hakeem Ross was kept the Bulldogs in it after Marrio Dobbins got in early foul trouble. He came off the bench to score 17 points and had seven of the Bulldogs’ 18 steals. DeQuan Ross was their strength inside, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.

“I have one job and it’s to come off the bench and help my team,” Hakeem said. “As long as I come off the bench and help my team and my team is already rolling it’ll be a big win. If I come off the bench and help my team, we’re all going to start rolling. I’m just a big key off the bench.”

The Bulldogs will play top-ranked J.O. Johnson Tuesday at 2:15 p.m. for the region championship. It’s a matchup Ware privately has been coveting.

“If that’s what we’ve got to play we want to be prepared to play them,” Ware said before the Jaguars knocked off Alexandria. “We’re not going to lay back like we did in the past. If that’s who we have to go through to get there, so it be.”

Anniston 74, Guntersville 66

GUNTERSVILLE (23-8) – Johnathan Anderson 3-5 0-0 8, Hunter Pritchett 1-1 0-0 3, C.J. Williamson 7-12 2-7 16, Jalon Stewart 7-12 1-2 18, Hayden Mann 1-2 0-0 2, Chrison Hampton 2-7 0-0 4, Tucker Bonds 2-4 0-0 6, Cavin Collie 1-2 0-0 4, Logan Bonds 2-4 1-2 5, Drew Hunter 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-49 4-11 66.

ANNISTON (25-4) – Marrio Dobbins 0-0 1-2 1, Tray Croft 8-19 12-13 31, Willie Thomas 3-8 1-4 9, DeQuan Ross 5-17 3-6 14, Chris Beard 1-3 0-5 2, Hakeem Ross 6-9 5-9 17, Tae Miller 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-56 22-39 74.

Guntersville 14 18 17 17 — 66
Anniston 14 19 14 27 — 74

3-point goals: Guntersville 10-19 (Anderson 2-2, Pritchett 1-1, Williamson 0-1, Stewart 3-5, Mann 0-1, Hampton 2-4, T. Bonds 2-4, L. Bonds 0-1); Anniston 6-21 (Croft 3-8, Thomas 2-5, D. Ross 1-7, H. Ross 0-1). Rebounds: Guntersville 34 (Williamson 10); Anniston 39 (D. Ross 13, Beard 10). Fouled out: Anderson, Stewart. Total fouls: Guntersville 25, Anniston 16. Officials: Joe Cameron, Rob Wilson, Don Reedus.

Hakeem Ross (L) and Willie Thomas celebrate Friday’s regional semifinal victory that gives Schuessler Ware (below) another game to coach. (Photos by Kristen Stringer/Krisp Pics Photography)