Saks, Centre in final
- Updated: December 22, 2016
It’ll be Saks vs. Cherokee County in Champions Christmas Classic final after Warriors’ 2OT thriller over Alexandria; Saks routs Boaz in other semifinal
Thursday’s Games
Zaxby’s Invitational
Oxford 71, Carver 65
Champions Sports Academy Christmas Classic
Springville 53, Ohatchee 27
St. Clair County 68, Jacksonville 56
Weaver 68, Glencoe 67
Westbrook Christian 55, Lincoln 52
Saks 53, Boaz 31
Cherokee County 75, Alexandria 68 (2OT)
Friday’s Games
Champions Sports Academy Christmas Classic
Lincoln vs. Ohatchee, 3 p.m.
Westbrook vs. Springville, 4:30 p.m.
Boaz vs. Alexandria, 6 p.m.
Saks vs. Cherokee County, 7:30 p.m.
By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today
Cherokee County jumped out to a 13-point first quarter lead and led by 14 with seven minutes to play, but the Warriors needed two extra periods before punching their ticket to the championship game of the Champions Sports Academy Christmas Classic.
The Warriors eventually took out Alexandria 75-68 in an double overtime victory that would befit a Stephen King thriller. They will play Saks Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Alexandria-area facility for the title.
The whole crazy finish started when Warrior guard Jy Lockridge slipped on a wet floor and took a nasty spill while going for a layup that would have put the Warriors up 16. And it got crazier from there.
There were two more slips on the floor creating turnovers for the Warriors, 13 straight Alexandria points in less than four minutes, 46 free throws, a miracle shot from the baseline at the buzzer in regulation, an improbable three-point play from the free throw line with six seconds to force a second overtime, two bench warnings by the officials, six players fouling out, a substitution for a fouled out player with another fouled out player, four lost seconds on the clock in the first overtime and a totally exhausted crowd, players and coaches.
“I don’t really know where to start,” a hoarse Cherokee County coach Neal Wester said. “We were up by 14 and I thought we had them. So many things happened in the last quarter and overtimes.
“Our guys just never quit and neither did they. What a game!”
Alexandria’s Jamal Tucker had seven points during the amazing fourth-quarter Cubs comeback that gave them the lead at 52-51. The lead would change hands three more times. Chase Smitherman gave the Valley Cubs the lead at 57-55 with 40 seconds left in regulation. After three time outs created by great Alexandria defense, the Warriors’ Quartez Henderson finally shook free and hit a baseline jumper at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.
Alexandria went up by four points in overtime and appeared to be on their way to the win, but missed free throws kept the Warriors alive. Trailing 62-59 with seconds left 9 in overtime Riley Russell was at the line. He made the first and missed the second. In a flurry in front of the basket Lockridge grabbed the ball and banked it in from just inside the free throw line to send the game into double overtime.
Kyle Burgess nailed a huge 3 from the corner to put Cherokee County up 65-62 to start the second overtime. The Warriors extended the lead to 73-64 behind six points from Lockridge and were finally able to put away the stubborn Valley Cubs.
“I was proud of the way we fought back after falling behind,” said Wester. ”I wish I could say that we missed the free throw on purpose in the first overtime so that we could get the rebound, but we did not. It just happened.”
The Warriors had a strong first quarter, knocking down four 3-pointers with Joshua Dobbs getting two. A 12-point run at the end of the quarter put Cherokee County up 20-7.
The Valley Cubs stayed in the game at the free throw line as they made 11 of 15 in the first half and chopped the deficit to 32-23 at the half. Colin Edwards had two 3-pointers for the Warriors in the second quarter, while Austin Taylor had five points for the Valley Cubs.
Saks 53, Boaz 31
When the Wildcats get on a roll it is a beautiful thing to watch. They did just that in second half of their semifinal and now will play for the inaugural tournament title.
There were Saks defenders everywhere as the press created turnovers. The Wildcats started the half with a 16-3 run and scored 16 straight in the fourth quarter to blow open what was a tight game. Nine different Wildcats scored in the second half.
“We were just going through the motions in the first half,” Saks coach Jonathan Miller said. “The energy and effort was not there. That was just not acceptable and the way we want to play. We want to play the game right, which is with passion, intensity and energy, and I think we did that in the second half.”
That passion created 11 turnovers in the second half, and they did it without fouling. Boaz had only two free throws the entire game. The Pirates managed only three field goals in the first 14 minutes of the second half.
The first half was a series of runs. Saks got off to a quick 5-0 lead on a 3-point and 2-point basket by DeVaughn Beason, but the Pirates answered with a tight 2-3 zone and reeled off nine straight points to end the first quarter with a 13-9 lead. Six different Pirates scored a basket in the opening stanza.
The Wildcats shut down Boaz with tough defense and scored 10 straight points to open a 19-13 lead in the second quarter, and then the Wildcats went to sleep again. The Pirates answered with a seven-point run in the final 55 seconds of the half to retake the lead 20-19 at the break.
Balanced scoring was a key for the Wildcats as seven players had more than four points.
”It was nice to see a lot of guys scoring tonight,” Miller said. “We have been trying to get a boost from our bench and tonight we did.”
Beason led the Wildcats with 14 points. Sophomore Jalen Borders came off the bench to get seven boards and score six points.
”I thought Jalen played his best game of the year tonight,” Miller said. “We are excited about his potential as he continues to grow and mature.”
Weaver 68, Glencoe 67
Paul Hubbard made sure he was ready when he got the call.
Hubbard hit two free throws in the final 20 seconds to give Weaver the lead and the Bearcats had to hold their breath down the stretch for the victory.
“I was ready for the two free throws at the end of the game because that’s the one thing I practice the most,” Hubbard said. “An average person will talk in the guy and throw up 3s, but I know how important free throws are and how they’ve determined wins or losses in the past.
“I’m not trying to be that guy who’s not ready for the moment when it comes.”
Hubbard’s free throws gave the Bearcats a six-point lead. The Yellow Jackets converted one of Weaver’s 23 turnovers into a basket, then hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-point game. There was still an uneasy amount of time left on the clock, Weaver made a dangerous inbounds pass and time expired.
Hubbard led all scorers with 21 points. Since Weaver coach Daryl Hamby challenged his team’s focus after its one-point opening-round loss Monday, the Bearcats have won twice, averaging 81.5 points.
“The way we thought about today’s game was just for pride before coach Hamby reminded us this is who we’ll cross with in the playoffs,” Hubbard said. “We probably didn’t play our best defense, but we give it our all. That’s every game.
“The one thing that helps us win is the effort we give. To play for Weaver you can’t just be an offensive player. You have to be an even better defender.”
It helps to shoot free throws well, too. The Bearcats were 9-of-12 from the free throw line in Thursday’s game, 30-of-41 in their last two. Hubbard was 7-of-7 Thursday, 11-of-12 the last two games.
“The one good thing that’s come out of the tournament is the understanding of how important free throws are,” Weaver coach Daryl Hamby said. “They are what won us the last two games.”
Springville 53, Ohatchee 27
Springville came out in a zone defense and Ohatchee couldn’t make a shot. The Tigers held Ohatchee to only Bayley Tillison’s basket in the first quarter and opened an 11-point halftime lead, then poured it on in the second half.
Jacob Bickerstaff scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in the second half. Bickerstaff and Zachary Tucker (13) scored six points apiece in the fourth quarter.
Westbrook Christian 55, Lincoln 52
Tyler Self hit three 3-pointers in the second half and the Warriors hit seven of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter to hold off Lincoln. The Golden Bears hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter to open a 16-10 lead.
ZAXBY’S INVITATIONAL
Oxford 71, Carver (B’ham) 65
BIRMINGHAM — Eugene Leonard hit all three of his 3-pointers in the second quarter to help Oxford open a 14-point halftime lead and the Yellow Jackets made 13 of 15 free throws in the fourth quarter to secure their victory.
Leonard led all scorers with 29 points. He scored 12 in the clinching fourth quarter. Jason Ford led Carver with 22; he hit six 3-pointers in the game.
THURSDAY’S BOX SCORES
CHAMPIONS SPORTS ACADEMY CHRISTMAS CLASSIC
St. Clair County 68, Jacksonville 56
ST. CLAIR CO. — Grayson Beatty 7-16 2-5 16, Garrett Sanders 6-8 2-2 14, Sam Bruce 3-4 2-3 11, Michael Fisher 4-8 2-4 11, Temothee Smith 4-5 1-1 9, Justin May 3-5 1-2 7, Jalen Welch 0-1 0-1 0, Colby Smith 0-2 0-0 0, Jonah Tittle 0-0 0-0 0, Grayson Coupland 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 27-49 10-18 68.
JACKSONVILLE — Rivan Hill 7-15 7-9 22, Alex Gilbert 5-14 2-6 14, Alex Davis 3-4 1-1 7, Hunter Vinson 1-2 3-4 5, Cade Landers 1-4 2-4 4, Ron Wiggins 1-6 1-1 4, Jay Davis 0-4 0-0 0, K.J. Satcher 0-0 0-0 0, Jesse Wilson 0-1 0-0 0, Quinn Long 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-50 16-25 56.
St. Clair Co. 8 15 26 19 — 68
Jacksonville 12 6 9 29 — 56
3-point goals: SCC 4-12 (Beatty 0-2, Sanders 0-1, Bruce 3-4, Fisher 1-3, Smith 0-2); Jacksonville 4-16 (Hill 1-6, Gilbert 2-6, Wiggins 1-3, J. Davis 0-1). Rebounds: SCC 37 (Bruce 8); Jacksonville 25 (Gilbert 6). Fouled out: Hill, Gilbert. Total fouls: SCC 24, Jacksonville 19.
Springville 53, Ohatchee 27
SPRINGVILLE – Casey Tittle 2 0-0 4, Trevor Hurst 1 0-0 2, Brandon Daniels 3 0-0 6, Jordan McClellan 1 2-2 4, Maxwell Harrison 2 1-1 5, Jordan Byrd 0 0-0 0, Jacob Bickerstaff 7 0-0 14, Cameron Isbell 1 1-2 3, Nicholas Eldridge 0 1-2 1, Dave Phillips 0 1-2 1, Zachary Tucker 6 0-0 13. Totals 23 6-9 53.
OHATCHEE – Blake Buckelew 0 0-0 0, Ben Glass 1 0-2 3, Grayson Alward 1 0-2 2, Carson Stone 0 0-0 0, Kevin Williamson 0 1-2 1, Domonique Thomas 1 0-2 3, Brennan Wink 0 0-0 0, Austin Tucker 2 5-7 9, Andrew Roberts 0 0-1 0, Bayley Tillison 2 0-2 5, Jordan Lowe 0 0-0 0, C.J. Ray 2 0-0 4. Totals 9 6-18 27.
Springville 9 13 12 19 — 53
Ohatchee 2 9 9 7 — 27
3-point goals: Springville 1 (Tucker); Ohatchee 3 (Tillison, Thomas, Glass). Fouled out: McClellan. Total fouls: Springville 21, Ohatchee 16.
Westbrook Christian 55, Lincoln 52
WESTBROOK – Will Jones 3 4-4 11, Cullen Stafford 2 0-2 5, John Catanzaro 2 0-0 5, Tyler Self 5 5-6 18, Tray Bearden 3 4-6 10, Braden Beecham 3 0-0 6, Jackson Luttrell 0 0-2 0. Totals 18 13-17 55.
LINCOLN – L.J. Carmichael 2 4-6 8, Malik Weed 2 0-0 6, Donte Rivers 0 0-0 0, Cristyan Prince 7 0-0 17, Cody Williams 3 0-0 7, Brikael Truss 3 0-0 7, Roderick Wells 0 2-2 2, Shamar Hampton 1 0-0 3, Timothy Davis 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 6-8 52.
Westbrook 10 16 15 14 — 55
Lincoln 16 9 9 18 — 52
3-point goals: Westbrook 6 (Jones, Stafford, Catanzaro, Self 3); Lincoln 8 (Weed 2, Prince 3, Williams, Truss, Hampton). Total fouls: Westbrook 6, Lincoln 19. Officials: Warren, Walker, Stephens.
Weaver 68, Glencoe 67
WEAVER – Maurice Goodman 7 1-2 15, London Knight 4 1-2 9, Robert Gaines 4 1-1 9, Paul Hubbard 8 4-5 21, Dalton Hamby 0 0-0 0, R.J. Wooden 3 0-0 5, Shamar Spinks 1 0-0 3, Amardric Elston 1 2-2 4. Totals 28 9-12 68.
GLENCOE – Aaron Bush 2 1-2 5, Dylan Billingsley 4 0-0 9, Noah Huff 1 0-0 2, Justin Barkley 4 2-2 11, Cole Holbrooks 7 0-4 14, Micah Sizemore 4 2-3 10, Jake Amberson 7 0-5 14, Paul Hicks 1 0-0 2. Totals 30 5-16 67.
Weaver 19 12 12 25 — 68
Glencoe 14 16 16 21 — 67
3-point goals: Weaver 3 (Hubbard, Wooden, Spinks); Glencoe 2 (Billingsley, Barkley). Fouled out: Wooden. Total fouls: Weaver 19, Glencoe 14. Officials: Smith, Roberts, Willis.
Saks 53, Boaz 31
BOAZ – Brian Montgomery 1 0-0 1, Jacob Smith 1 0-0 3, Tyler Ray 1 0-0 2, Luke Strawn 2 0-0 4, Jace Ferguson 2 0-0 5, Ty Kirkland 4 1-2 9, Eduardo Vazquez 0 0-0 0, Cade Pierce 1 0-1 2, Ken Turner 2 0-0 4. Totals 14 1-3 31.
SAKS – Darien Briskey 1 3-4 5, Devaughn Beason 4 3-4 14, Laderrick Bell 3 0-0 9, Alfonza Ward 1 2-2 5, Tray Huguley 3 0-0 6, Jamal Stone 2 1-4 5, Brent Clark 0 0-0 0, Marrio Thomas 1 0-0 2, Jaylon Young 0 1-3 1, Jalen Borders 3 0-0 6. Totals 18 10-17 53.
Boaz 13 7 7 4 — 31
Saks 9 10 20 14 — 53
3-point goals: Boaz 2 (Smith, Ferguson); Saks 7 (Beason 3, Bell 3, Ward). Total fouls: Boaz 14, Saks 10.
Cherokee County 75, Alexandria 68 (2 OT)
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Zae Wright 0 1-2 1, Jacob Graves 3 6-7 13, Josh Dobbs 4 2-4 12, Kyle Burgess 4 0-0 12, Colin Edwards 4 2-2 12, Ivory Moore 6 4-7 16, Marcus Barrington 0 0-0 0, Jy Lockridge 0 0-0 0, Will Hawkins 0 0-0 0, Quartez Henderson 3 2-5 8, Riley Russell 0 1-4 1. Totals 24 18-31 75.
ALEXANDRIA – Devin Grant 0 3-4 3, Chase Smitherman 4 4-10 12, Austin Taylor 3 2-2 10, Joe Tucker 0 2-4 2, Jake Weathington 2 4-6 8, Dru Davis 2 1-2 5, Jayden Cunningham 0 0-0 0, Romeo Dye 3 1-2 10, Jamal Tucker 2 5-10 9, Jared Ponder 0 0-0 0, Landon Williams 2 5-8 9. Totals 18 27-48 68.
Alexandria 7 16 13 21 5 6 — 68
Cherokee County 20 12 15 10 5 13 — 75
3-point goals: Alexandria 5 (Dye 3, Taylor 2); Cherokee County 9 (Graves, Dobbs 2, Burgess 4, Edwards 2). Fouled out: Smitherman, Dye, Edwards, Hawkins, Henderson, Russell. Total fouls: Alexandria 26, Cherokee County 34. Officials: Holmes, Baker, Morris.
ZAXBY’S INVITATIONAL
Oxford 71, Carver 65
CARVER – Chappelle Wade 1 4-4 7, Jason Ford 8 0-0 22, Rodney Beckham 0 0-0 0, Tyler Stringer 4 3-5 11, Nicolas Austin 1 0-0 2, Nazayvia Barnes 5 4-8 17, Johnathan Scott 1 0-0 2, Ezekiel Toney 1 2-4 4. Totals 21 13-21 65.
OXFORD – Markise Davis 3 1-3 10, Simeon Shadrix 1 2-2 5, Caden Higgins 0 1-3 1, Kendrick Foster 1 0-0 3, Eugene Leonard 9 8-10 29, Zondrick Garrett 1 2-3 4, Braden Mack 3 2-2 8, Ty Davis 4 3-4 11. Totals 22 19-27 71.
Carver 7 13 26 19 — 65
Oxford 14 20 16 21 — 71
3-point goals: Carver 10 (Wade, Ford 6, Barnes 3); Oxford 8 (M. Davis 3, Shadrix, Foster, Leonard 3). Fouled out: Barnes. Total fouls: Carver 21, Oxford 19.
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