Top of the Hill

Wednesday basketball: Hill (51), Hubbard fill the box score as Weaver, Jacksonville stage shootout; Nolan shines in 2 Sacred Heart losses; Oxford bounces back

Wednesday’s scores
Alexandria 44, Springville 36
Boaz 43, Lincoln 39
Cherokee County 51, Ohatchee 40
Glencoe 49, St. Clair County 38
Lanett 69, Sacred Heart 54
Oxford 78, Demopolis 51
Paul Bryant 81, Sacred Heart 56
Saks 49, Westbrook Christian 47
Talladega 58, Sylacauga 51
Weaver 95, Jacksonville 85

By East Alabama Sports Today

Jacksonville’s Rivan Hill and Weaver’s Paul Hubbard put on an individual scoring show Wednesday as their teams staged an old-fashioned shootout in the Champions Sports Academy Christmas Classic.

Hill won the battle, scoring a facility-record 51 points, but Hubbard’s Weaver team placed five scorers in double figures and won the consolation bracket war 95-85. Hubbard scored a career-high 31 points for the Bearcats.

Hill, a senior, burst on the scene two years ago as a long-range shooter, but he did a little bit of everything against the Bearcats as he continues to define a role in new coach Cordell Hunt’s program. He was 20 for 29 mostly contested shots from the field, 5-of-7 from 3-point range.

“As a guy who likes to pride himself on playing hard defense, I’ve just got to take my hat off and give it to him,” Weaver coach Daryl Hamby said. “He was on fire. I would say of the 51, he might have gotten three or four shots that were uncontested. We played pretty good defense, he just made the shots. He was in one of those zones you get into. He was on fire.”

Hill xscored all 15 of the Golden Eagles’ points in the first quarter and followed with 11, 13 and 12. His previous career high was 31 against Ashville earlier this season. He had 16 against the Bearcats in a 74-40 loss Thursday night.

“I guess I was just feeling it today; I just shot it,” Hill said. “Weaver had a hard time staying in front of me. I didn’t want to settle for jumpers and get to the rim when I can. I’ve been off this year, but today I was hot.”

He wasn’t the only one. On the other end of the floor, Hubbard was 11-of-15 from the field, hitting a milestone he had hoped to reach at least once before he graduated. And he didn’t play the first quarter.

What shouldn’t be overlooked is Weaver’s balance. Maurice Goodman had 16 points, Robert Gaines had 15 and London Knight and Shamar Spinks had 13 each. Knight had seven steals and five rebounds to go with his points and Spinks had four steals and five assists to go with his. Spinks was 6-of-9 from the field.

“I didn’t even notice it was a shootout,” Hubbard said. “He (Hill) was hitting everything he put up it seemed like. I feel like I had 31 silently.

“That game felt the same as playing Wellborn. They both have one player who can really go and will depend on that one player to beat us. I know one man can’t beat us. When a team has one many with that many points I know we are going to win.”

Both teams shot better than 50 percent from the floor. The teams combined for 60 points in the fourth quarter. The shootout with Hubbard wasn’t lost on Hill.

“When you get hit in the face you hit back; you’re not going to lay down,” he said. “I’m a competitor so I’m going to try to match what the other guy is putting down.”

Weaver will play Glencoe, while Jacksonville plays St. Clair County next.

CHAMPIONS SPORTS ACADEMY CHRISTMAS CLASSIC
Weaver 95, Jacksonville 85
WEAVER — Paul Hubbard 11-15 7-7 31, Maurice Goodman 6-14 2-2 16, Robert Gaines 5-12 5-9 15, London Knight 4-7 5-5 13, Shamar Spinks 6-9 1-4 13, Chris Lemon 1-2 1-2 3, Dalton Hamby 1-2 0-0 2, Amardric Elston 1-3 0-2 2, RJ Woodn 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 35-66 21-29 95.

JACKSONVILLE — Rivan Hill 20-29 6-7 51, Cade Landers 4-8 0-3 8, Alex Gilbert 1-4 3-3 5, Ron Wiggins 2-5 1-2 5, DeAndre McCain 2-6 1-1 5, Jay Davis 2-2 0-0 4, KJ Satcher 2-3 0-0 4, Quinn Long 1-1 0-0 2, Alex Davis 0-1 1-2 1, Hunter Vinson 0-3 0-2 0, Jesse Wilson 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 34-62 12-20 85.

Weaver 19 25 18 33 — 95
Jacksonville 15 20 23 27 — 85

3-point goals: Weaver 4-11 (Hubbard 2-3, Goodman 2-3, London Knight 0-1, Chris Lemon 0-1, Dalton Hamby 0-1, RJ Wooden 0-2); Jacksonville 5-9 (Hill 5-7, McCain 0-1, Vinson 0-1). Rebounds: Weaver 27 (Knight 5); Jacksonville 41 (Landers 11, Hill 8). Fouled out: A. Davis. Total fouls: Weaver 23, Jacksonville 25. Officials: Eric Stringer Jr., Courtney Walker, Lamar Bradford.

Nolan, Watkins shine but Sacred Heart falls

STEEL CITY INVITATIONAL
Paul Bryant 81, Sacred Heart 56
Lanett 69, Sacred Heart 54

BIRMINGHAM — Kevion Nolan and Khalil Watkins combined for most of Sacred Heart’s offense, but it wasn’t nearly enough to offset the full strength of Paul Bryant and Lanett in the Steel City Invitational.

Nolan and Watkins never came off the floor in either game. They combined for 54 points and 40 of the Cardinals’ 48 shots in the Paul Bryant game and 52 points and 48 of the team’s 57 shots against Lanett. Nolan had 28 points and 10 rebounds in the first game and 36 points and 14 rebounds in the second.

Jack Miller scored the Cardinals’ other two points against Paul Bryant, a pair of first-half free throws. Zane Marion scored their other two points against Lanett.

Watkins was much more effective Wednesday, going 10 of 18 from the floor against Paul Bryant (6 of 10 from 3-point range). He was only 1 for 10 in the Cardinals’ tournament opener against Ramsay.

Nolan and Watkins kept the Cardinals close in the first half of the Paul Bryant game — and even gave them a six-point lead in the first three minutes — but the Stampede pulled away in the second half. Sacred Heart was outscored 24-5 in the third quarter.

A layup by Watkins with 5:25 left in the third quarter got the Cardinals within eight, then Paul Bryant scored the next 10 points to take control. A 3-pointer by Watkins stopped the run, then the Stampede scored the last nine points of the quarter.

Paul Bryant scored 42 points in the paint and scored 18 points off Sacred Heart’s nine turnovers.

The Cardinals (10-6) have now completed their window of suspensions in which five players — four starters — who disciplined by the state for leaving the bench in a recent game against Spring Garden. The team went 1-5 in those games.

STEEL CITY INVITATIONAL
Paul Bryant 81, Sacred Heart 56
SACRED HEART (10-5) — Jaylin Croft 0-3 0-2 0, Jackson Dodson 0-1 0-0 0, JonRiley Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Kevion Nolan 8-22 8-11 28, Khalil Watkins 10-18 0-0 26, Jack Miller 0-1 2-2 2, Caleb LaFollette 0-0 0-0 0, Zane Marion 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 18-48 10-13 56.

PAUL BRYANT (7-7) — Jared Sherfield 2-4 0-0 6, Marcus Bates 2-6 2-2 6, Seth Williams 10-15 2-5 22, Jamel King 5-9 0-0 13, Daviyon Dennis 5-11 4-4 16, Keshon Lockhart 0-0 0-0 0, Steven Watkins 1-5 0-0 2, Kailex Stephens 4-6 2-2 10, Jalen VanHorn 0-0 1-2 1, Lionel Grant 0-0 0-0 0, Dylan Robertson 1-2 1-2 3, Tre Tubbs 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 31-59 12-17 81.

Sacred Heart 16 19 5 16 — 56
Paul Bryant 19 21 24 17 — 81

3-point goals: Sacred Heart 10-24 (Croft 0-2, Dodson 0-1, Nolan 4-10, Watkins 6-10, J. Miller 0-1); Paul Bryant 7-23 (Sherfield 2-4, Bates 0-1, King 3-7, Dennis 2-6, Watkins 0-3, Stephens 0-2). Rebounds: Sacred Heart 23 (Nolan 10, Watkins 6); Paul Bryant 38 (Williams 8). Technical fouls: Bates. Total fouls: Sacred Heart 12, Paul Bryant 13. Officials: Nick Madsen, Kevin Holston, Eric Hughes.

Lanett 69, Sacred Heart 54
LANETT (3-1) – Jalen Madden 3-8 3-3 10, Anquavious Pollard 10-12 2-2 23, Terrion Truitt 3-11 0-0 3, Clifford Story III 2-3 0-0 2, Emmanuel Littles 2-4 1-2 8, Jaquarious Houston 2-5 0-0 5, Tifton Dobbs 2-5 1-2 5, Kristian Story 1-2 0-0 2, Trikweze Bridges 0-2 1-2 1, Jaren Ross 1-2 0-0 2, Akaba Darden 0-2 0-0 0, Braylon Harrington 1-1 0-0 2, Zameron Boozer 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron Boozer 2-3 0-0 4, Collentae Boyd 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-60 8-11 69.

SACRED HEART (10-6) – Jaylin Croft 0-1 0-0 0, Jack Miller 0-2 0-0 0, JonRiley Miller 0-1 0-0 0, Kevion Nolan 13-34 4-4 36, Khalil Watkins 5-14 3-4 16, Jackson Dodson 0-3 0-0 0, Caleb LaFollette 0-0 0-0 0, Layton Cheatwood 0-0 0-0 0, Zane Marion 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 19-57 7-8 54.

Lanett 18 14 19 18 — 69
Sacred Heart 9 12 18 15 — 54

3-point goals: Lanett 3-11 (Madden 1-4, Pollard 1-1, Truitt 0-2, Houston 1-3, Bridges 0-1); Sacred Heart 9-31 (Croft 0-1, J. Miller 0-1, Nolan 6-18, Watkins 3-8, Dodson 0-3). Rebounds: Lanett 45 (Pollard 12, Littles 8); Sacred Heart 24 (Nolan 14). Technical foul: Sacred Heart. Total fouls: Lanett 12, Sacred Heart 8. Officials: Mickey Larkins, Karl Burns, Don Shirey.

Yellow Jackets come out crisp against Demopolis

ZAXBY’S INVITATIONAL
Oxford 78, Demopolis 51

BIRMINGHAM – Oxford took coach Joel VanMeter’s message about coming in with the right frame of mind after its first-round loss to heart and got all over Demopolis from the jump.

The Yellow Jackets, who struggled early in their first-round loss and lost on a pair of last-second free throws, scored 59 points in the first half, opening a 29-point halftime lead. They left little chance for another game to be decided in the closing seconds.

All eight players got in the act in the first half. Zondrick Garrett scored 16 of his game-high 20 points in the half. Simeon Shadrix hit four 3-pointers and all 12 of his points in Oxford’s 33-point second quarter. The Yellow Jackets hit eight of their nine 3-pointers in the first half.

They now play either Leeds or Carver-Birmingham Thursday at 3 p.m.

ZAXBY’S INVITATIONAL
Oxford 78, Demopolis 51
OXFORD – Markise Davis 2 0-0 5, Simeon Shadrix 4 0-0 12, Caden Higgins 1 2-2 4, Kendrick Foster 3 0-0 8, Eugene Leonard 3 4-5 10, Zondrick Garrett 9 0-0 20, Braden Mack 3 5-6 11, Ty Davis 4 0-0 8. Totals 29 11-13 78.

DEMOPOLIS – Xavier McShan 0 0-2 0, Derrick Birl 1 0-0 2, Keshawn Johnson 2 0-1 4, Freddrick Moore 0 2-2 2, Shakari Williams 3 2-2 9, Melvin Childers 6 1-4 13, Taylor Herelle 2 0-0 4, JaQuard Jackson 0 0-0 0, Dashawn Patterson 0 2-4 2, Nelson Haskins 2 0-0 4, Darrius Birl 4 0-0 11. Totals 20 7-15 51.

Oxford 26 33 12 7 — 78
Demopolis 17 13 11 10 — 51

3-point goals: Oxford (M. Davis, Shadrix 4, Foster 2, Garrett 2); Demopolis 4 (Williams, Da. Bird 3). Total fouls: Oxford 14, Demopolis 15. Officials: Coleman, Clay, Johnson.

REGULAR SEASON
Duncan sparks Talladega comeback

Talladega 58, Sylacauga 51

TALLADEGA – Ashton Duncan scored 11 of his game-high 21 points in the third quarter as the Tigers rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to take command of the game. Talladega trailed 33-28 before waking up and outscoring the Aggies 18-7 in the third quarter. Fred Dickerson had 11 points and eight assists for the Tigers, while Jae-Lyn Russ pulled down a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Malik Crawford scored half of his team’s points in the first quarter as the Aggies opened a 20-14 lead. Crawford finished with a team-high 19 points.

Talladega 58, Sylacauga 51
SYLACAUGA – Malik Crawford 7 5-8 19, Byron Hughes 0 0-0 0, Keaton Wilson 1 0-0 2, Daman Garrett 4 1-1 11, Jasade Smith 3 1-2 10, Khalil Pope 1 0-2 3, Erron Bryant 0 0-0 0, Davonte Smith 1 1-1 3, Rod Milliner 0 1-2 1, Derrick Carter 1 0-2 2. Totals 18 9-18 51.

TALLADEGA (10-4) – Fred Dickerson 3 3-5 11, Chaztin Tanner 1 0-0 3, Tyrese Scales 0 0-2 0, Jarvius McKenzie 0 0-0 0, Ashton Duncan 9 2-3 21, Chrishawn Williams 1 0-0 2, TraShaundre Bolden 1 1-2 3, Robert Houston 4 0-0 8, Jae-lyn Russ 4 2-2 10. Totals 23 8-14 58.

Sylacauga 20 13 7 11 — 51
Talladega 14 14 18 12 — 58

3-point goals: Sylacauga 6 (Garrett 2, Smith 3, Pope); Talladega 4 (Dickerson 2, Tanner, Duncan). Total fouls: Sylacauga 15, Talladega 17. Officials: Baker, Robinson, Smith.

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