Hood makes a point
- Updated: November 21, 2016
PV coach puts his team in a defense that would expose their weak spots, but Lady Raiders pick up the pace in second half
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
ALEXANDRIA (Nov. 21) — Brad Hood was trying to make a point to his Pleasant Valley girls basketball team about the merits of giving 100 effort every time they step on the floor.
What other reason would there be to play a demanding 1-3-1 half-court trap defense all game and keep his Lady Raiders on their feet throughout halftime.
Whatever the motivations, it certainly shook the tree because the Lady Raiders buckled down in the second half and pulled away for a 58-40 win over Alexandria in the Champions Sports Academy Girls Thanksgiving Classic.
“We played a defense that would reveal if they had high-intensity and effort or not,” Hood said. “If they didn’t they were going to be exposed.”
The Lady Raiders were doing a nice job in the defense in the midcourt, but in the second quarter Alexandria started finding some cracks by getting Bre Bradford the ball down low.
Bradford scored or got to the line enough to help Alexandria cut a nine-point deficit to two with 37.5 seconds left in the half. Bradford finished with 18 points and 14 rebounds for the Lady Cubs.
The Lady Raiders never lost the lead – or even were tied – but Hood wasn’t happy. At the break, instead of retiring to the big blue box that serves as a team’s private sanctuary, Hood sat them on the bench for about 90 seconds of lecture and then sent them back on the floor to put up shots for the final eight minutes of halftime.
“I told them at halftime I’m not changing the defense,” Hood said. “I said you’re either going to pick up the effort or you’re going to lose, because that defense is a high-risk, but a high-reward defense, and if you didn’t give 110 percent at all five positions then they’re going to pick you apart.”
His team came out in the second half, tightened up the traps on Alexandria’s guards and converted the miscues into five 3-pointers or three-point plays to take a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter. Atleigh Brannon scored nine of her game-high 20 in the third quarter and Mikala Simpson hit both her 3-pointers in it.
Another 10-point run, this time behind Kara Perry down low, pushed the lead to 23 at one point in the fourth quarter.
It didn’t help the Valley Cubs’ cause they missed a frustrating number of layups in the second half.
“Really happy with the way we played the first half, the second half, not so much,” first-year Alexandria coach Craig Tucker said. “We missed too many easy ones, that’s the story of the whole night there. We make our easy ones, we win the game.”
The Lady Raiders now play Cleburne County for the championship. The Lady Tigers, a 49-19 winner over Ohatchee, handed PV one of its three losses last season. Heflin scored the first 13 points against Ohatchee and never looked back.
Weaver 55, Faith Christian 43
Caleigh Cortez scored nine of her team’s 11 points in the first quarter and finished with 26 in the game to lead the Bearcats. She was the only player in the game to score in double figures.
Weaver jumped out to a 10-point halftime lead and extended it to 22 going into the fourth quarter before Faith closed the gap in the fourth. Emily Sills and C.J. Sellers brought the Lady Lions back into it by combining for 12 points in the fourth quarter.
“That wasn’t bad for our fifth practice,” Weaver coach Gary Atchley said. “We’ve got some work to do, but we’ll have it fixed by our next practice.”
White Plains 40, Westbrook Christian 15
For the second time this season the Lady Wildcats held an opponent scoreless in a quarter, keeping Westbrook off the board in the second quarter while outscoring it 17-0 to open a 26-7 halftime lead.
The Lady Wildcats had 25 steals in the game, with Shelby Wood collecting seven and Jordan Sabree picking off five.
“I’m a firm believer defense wins ballgames, so that’s something we harp on every day at practice,” White Plains coach Joi Watts said. “We try to get the girls going and they know they can score out of our defensive set … so it’s pretty neat that they’re kind of taking pride in it and really trying to get stops whenever you can.”
Offensively, the Lady Wildcats got scoring from eight different players. Wood had 10 points, seven in the second quarter when White Plains pulled away.
Talladega’s Chrishawn Williams (24) goes in for a high-flying dunk in the Tigers’ Chelsea Tournament opener against Alabama Christian. (Photo courtesy Trey Miller)
BOYS GAMES
LINCOLN THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT
LINCOLN – The White Plains Wildcats put on display the three elements it has to have to be successful this year, and they added up to a 71-40 victory over Moody in the first round of the Lincoln Thanksgiving Tournament.
It all starts with defense for the Wildcats and coach Chris Randall said “we guarded great” against the Blue Devils. They were up eight at halftime and held Moody to only six points in the third quarter, 18 in the second half.
The other two elements are “perfect patience and shot selection.” Michael McGuirk and Macey Carr combined for 52 points to lead the Wildcats.
McGuirk, who Randall called “the best player in the gym” Monday night scored 31 points; he had all 12 of the Wildcats’ points in the first quarter and 11 more in the third. Carr had 21, including 12 in the second quarter
The Wildcats now play Pell City Tuesday. The Panthers beat Westbrook Christian in overtime after trailing by 14 with four minutes to play.
Sylacauga 88, Faith Christian 55
The Lions were locked in a 10-point game going into the fourth quarter before Sylacauga’s press finally broke them down and the Aggies pulled away.
Jordan Griswould scored 14 points, but got banged up in the first half and didn’t play in the second for precautionary reasons. Michael McGraw also scored 14 points and Jack Sills had 13.
“I wish we could have chipped into that 10-point lead,” Faith coach Brad Yarbrough said, “but they ran us to death at the end.”
Under the odd-team tournament format, the Lions actually have a day off before playing in the fifth-place game Wednesday against the winner of the Westbrook Christian-
CHELSEA THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT
Talladega 84, Alabama Christian 47
CHELSEA – The Tigers opened a big early lead and continued to pour it on in crushing Alabama Christian 84-67 in the opening round of the Chelsea Thanksgiving Tournament.
The Tigers got balanced scoring from seven players to open a 28-7 lead in the first quarter. They eventually placed four scorers in double figures.
TraShaundez Bolden and Jae-Lyn Russ both scored 14 to lead the Tigers. Fred Dickerson had 11 – eight in the first quarter – and Robert Houston had a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Houston had eight points in the second quarter as the Tigers opened a 50-20 halftime lead.
The Tigers will now play Chelsea, a 75-38 opening-round winner over John Carroll.
REGULAR SEASON
Sacred Heart 111, Donoho 34
The Cardinals opened their area play with a resounding victory. D.J. Heath went for 29 points and Kevion Nolan had 27 to lead the way. Diante Wood had 17, Khalil Watkins 15 and Dakota Myers 14.
BOYS BOXSCORES
LINCOLN THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT
White Plains 70, Moody 41
WHITE PLAINS – Jaylen Jackson 0 0-0 0, Peyton Morgan 1 0-0 2, Dylan McCareeth 1 0-2 2, Justin Foster 2 0-0 4, Austin Bussey 1 0-0 3, Andrew McCarter 0 0-0 0, Michael McGuirk 13 3-3 31, Drake Preston 0 0-0 0, Macey Carr 9 3-4 21, Gavin Burrage 0 0-0 0, Brett Beaver 3 1-3 7. Totals 30 7-10 70.
MOODY – Braden Carpenetti 1 0-0 3, Mason Hays 1 0-0 3, Chris Davis 0 0-0 0, WIlliam Winslett 2 0-0 5, Devin Prince 3 2-2 9, Noah Calvert 1 0-0 2, Talan Files 3 0-0 7, Jacob Davis 2 0-0 5, Tyrin Johnson 1 0-3 2, Aaron Overton 0 0-0 0, Ceione Reaves 2 1-3 5. Totals 16 3-8 41.
White Plains 12 19 18 21 — 70
Moody 10 13 6 12 — 41
3-point goals: White Plains 3 (McGuirk 2, Bussey); Moody 6 (Carpenetti, Hays, Winslett, Prince, Files, J. Davis). Fouled out: Beaver. Total fouls: White Plains 12, Moody 13. Officials: Montgomery, Warren, Woods.
CHELSEA THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT
Talladega 84, Alabama Christian 47
TALLADEGA – Fred Dickerson 4 3-4 11, Chuztin Tanner 1 2-2 4, Tyrese Scales 2 0-0 4, Jarvius McKenzie 2 1-2 5, Ashton Duncan 3 2-2 8, Chrishawn Williams 4 0-0 8, TraShaundez Bolden 7 0-0 14, Robert Houston 5 0-0 10, Jamontae Twymon 3 0-0 6, Jae-lyn Russ 7 0-0 14. Totals 38 8-10 84.
ALABAMA CHRISTIAN — Braden McNees 1 0-0 2, Grayson Evans 3 2-4 8, Douglas Rivers 2 0-2 4, Reece Solar 1 0-0 3, Jackson Hilyer 1 1-2 3, Carson Hunt 0 1-2 1, James Dodson 1 6-8 8, Colton Kasarjian 4 0-0 10, Brian Williams 2 0-0 4, Blake Bryant 1 2-4 4. Totals 16 12-22 47.
Talladega 28 22 20 14 — 84
Ala. Christian 7 13 20 7 — 47
3-point goals: Talladega ACA 3 (Solar, Kasarjian 2). Total fouls: Talladega 18, ACA 8. Officials: Mike Pietman, Jack Clark, Desmond Dalen.
GIRLS BOXSCORES
CHAMPIONS SPORTS ACADEMY THANKSGIVING CLASSIC
White Plains 40, Westbrook Christian 15
WHITE PLAINS – Rian Chandler 2 2-2 6, Hanna Dyar 2 1-2 5, Hannah Barno 0 0-0 0, Jordan Sabree 1 0-0 2, Landry Bussey 2 3-4 7, Chasity Nelson 0 0-0 0, Ary Rosario 1 0-0 2, Grey Young 1 3-4 6, Shelby Wood 3 4-6 10, Jocelyn Harris 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 13-20 40.
WESTBROOK CHRISTIAN – Macie Beecham 1 3-4 5, Autumn Ingle 2 0-0 4, Kendall Sharp 1 0-0 2, McKenzie Saunders 1 0-0 3, Tochi Osuji 0 1-2 1, Madelyn Loyd 0 0-0 0. Totals 5 4-6 15.
White Plains 9 17 8 6 — 40
Westbrook 7 0 4 4 — 15
3-point goals: Westbrook 1 (Saunders), White Plains 1 (Young). Total fouls: White Plains 14, Westbrook 17. Officials: M. Morriss, L. Caldwell, Z. Poss.
Weaver 55, Faith Christian 43
WEAVER – Caleigh Cortez 10 6-10 26, Tayanna Perry 0 0-0 0, Rayne Beck 0 4-4 4, Emily Reed 2 0-0 5, Anna Howell 1 2-5 4, Amira Carter 1 2-2 4, Mariah Thompson 3 1-3 7, Abby Gaines 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 15-24 55.
FAITH CHRISTIAN – Emily Sills 2 3-4 7, Shelley Phillips 1 0-0 3, Kassidy Nix 0 0-0 0, Zana Christjohn 0 1-2 1, S.J. Christijohn 0 1-2 1, Kristin Covington 2 0-0 5, Sydnee Johnson 3 3-6 9, C.J. Sellers 3 2-3 9, S.K. McVeigh 0 0-0 0, Logan Boyd 3 0-0 8. Totals 14 10-17 43.
Weaver 11 14 22 8 — 55
Faith 5 10 10 18 — 43
3-point goals: Weaver 2 (Gaines, Reed); Faith 5 (Phillips, Covington, Sellers, Boyd 2).
Fouled out: Perry. Total fouls: Weaver 17, Faith 16. Officials: Barber, Morriss, Caldwell.
Cleburne County 49, Ohatchee 19
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Shawntavia Boyd 3 3-3 10, Olivia McDaniel 2 0-0 4, Eryhak Ware 2 4-4 8, Chelsea Parker 2 0-0 4, Lauren Brown 2 5-6 9, Kiara Akles 2 1-2 5, Haven Freeman 0 0-0 0, Abby Lee 0 0-0 0, Alex Casey 4 0-1 8, Tatiana Ervin 0 1-2 1. Totals 17 14-18 49.
OHATCHEE – Jasmine Adams 0 0-1 0, Tori Vice 1 0-0 2, Ally McCoy 0 0-0 0, Maggie Phillips 4 2-4 10, Reagan Snow 0 0-1 0, Marli Hanks 1 0-0 2, Kacie Cooper 2 1-2 5, Mandy Jennings 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 3-8 19.
Cleburne County 17 9 14 9 — 49
Ohatchee 2 5 8 4 — 19
3-point goals: Cleburne County 1 (Boyd). Total fouls: Cleburne County 16, Ohatchee 17.
Officials: Barber, Roberts, Tillery.
Pleasant Valley 58, Alexandria 40
PLEASANT VALLEY – Kara Perry 4 0-0 8, Lindsey Pritchett 1 0-0 3, Mac Parris 5 0-0 12, Atleigh Brannon 8 2-2 20, Kaylee Lawler 1 0-0 3, Emma Hood 1 0-1 2, Taylor Barthel 0 0-0 0, Mikala Simpson 3 0-1 8, Courtney Upton 1 0-0 2, Carmen Sparks 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 2-4 58.
ALEXANDRIA – Destiny Heathcock 2 1-2 5, Kayleigh Steen 0 0-0 0, Kameron Simpson 0 0-0 0, Sarah Kilgore 1 0-0 2, Bre Bradford 7 4-9 18, Kaitlyn Harvey 1 2-4 4, Molly Parker 1 0-0 2, Lauren McLaughlin 0 0-1 0, Allison Bonds 2 1-2 5, Shelby Lowery 2 0-2 6, Janiza Ross 0 0-2 0, Aleira Bradford 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 8-22 40.
Pleasant Valley 17 10 21 10 — 58
Alexandria 7 16 10 7 — 40
3-point goals: PV 8 (Pritchett, Parris 2, Brannon 2, Lawler, Simpson 2). Total fouls: PV 20, Alexandria 10. Officials: Bradford, Roberts, Hunter.
Monday’s games
Sacred Heart 111, Donoho 34
Jacksonville Christian at Appalachian
Wellborn in TCC Thanksgiving Tournament (girls)
Chelsea Thanksgiving Tournament
Talladega 84, Alabama Christian 47
Chelsea 75, John Carroll 38
Champions Sports Academy Girls Thanksgiving Classic
White Plains 40, Westbrook Christian 15
Weaver 55, Faith Christian 43
Cleburne County 49, Ohatchee 19
Pleasant Valley 58, Alexandria 40
Lincoln Thanksgiving Tournament
First round games
Pell City def. Westbrook Christian (OT)
White Plains 70, Moody 41
Sylacauga 88, Faith Christian 55
Tuesday’s games
Oxford at Etowah (boys), 6:30 p.m.
Talladega vs. Chelsea in Chelsea Thanksgiving Tournament, 7 p.m.
Champions Sports Academy Girls Thanksgiving Classic
Faith Christian vs. Westbrook Christian, 3 p.m.
White Plains vs. Weaver, 4:30 p.m.
Alexandria vs. Ohatchee, 6 p.m.
Cleburne County vs. Pleasant Valley, 7:30 p.m.
Coy Smith Memorial Boys Thanksgiving Tournament
at Ashville
Jacksonville vs. Ragland, 5 p.m.
Vincent at Ashville, 7 p.m.
West End Boys Thanksgiving Tournament
Pleasant Valley vs. Brindlee Mountain, 4 p.m.
West End vs. Susan Moore, 8 p.m.
Lincoln Thanksgiving Tournament
Moody vs. Westbrook Christian, 4 p.m.
White Plains vs. Pell City, 5:30 p.m.
Lincoln vs. Sylacauga, 7 p.m.
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