E.A. Sports Today

Tuesday basketball

Boys roundup: Weaver beats Saks in OT, Oxford knocks down Talladega at foul line, Clay Central keeps rolling with school-record 20th win

London Knight (3) has developed into one of the ‘Big Three’ players Weaver must have production from to win. (All photos by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)

Tuesday’s games
Alexandria 61, St. Clair County 54
x-Clay Central 62, Munford 37
Jacksonville Christian 84, GSD 56
Ohatchee 59, Ashville 52
x-Oxford 79, Talladega 67
Ranburne 66, Faith Christian 57
x-Weaver 67, Saks 64 (OT)
x-Wellborn 64, Donoho 58
Westbrook Christian 78, Piedmont 69
x-White Plains 35, Hokes Bluff 29
x-Box score included

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

WEAVER – The best things from a Weaver perspective that came out of Tuesday night’s game with Saks was the Bearcats learned a lot and got a win, so coach Daryl Hamby was happy.

The Bearcats beat Saks 67-64 in overtime and while winning was nice, but there are still things to clean up as they head into this most important stretch of the season.

“We’ve got to learn sometimes, not so much the score, but the time is our enemy,” Hamby said. “I’m happy with the win, because that’s a good team, but we didn’t finish well. Now we’re getting into crunch time, playoffs (start) next week, we don’t have much time to learn anymore.”

The Bearcats led by double figures in the second half and led by eight, 60-52, with less than three minutes to play, but then they relaxed.

That allowed Saks to make the late push that ultimately tied the game and force overtime. DeVaunghn Beason drove the length of the floor and laid the ball in with 7.5 seconds left to tie the game.

“Our kids showed a lot of fight; I was proud of them for that,” Saks coach Jonathan Miller said. “We made too many mental mistakes early in the game. We were out here going through the motions early; typical end-of-the-season game here, but I’m proud of out kids for fighting.

“When you get down like that and have to fight back it wears you down. They fought, but we just ran out of gas at the end.”

Tray Huguley played a huge role in bringing the Wildcats back after not being a factor at all in the first half. He scored all 20 of his points in the second half and overtime.

While Huguley was doing his thing to try to bring the Wildcats back, Maurice Goodman was draining 3s in the third quarter to keep the Bearcats in front. Goodman hit three 3s in the quarter and scored 14 of his team-high 20 in the second half.

Goodman also scored the first basket of overtime to give Weaver the lead for good and they went up 65-60 right out of the gate. But just like it did near the end of the fourth quarter Saks rallied and got back to within one.

Paul Hubbard’s two free throws with 15.3 seconds left put the Bearcats up three. Saks called time with 6.3 left to a put game-tying play in motion. Jalen Borders took a 3 and Beason tried to attack the rim with the rebound looking for an and-one, but neither shot fell.

“We just played better as a team toward the end,” said London Knight, one of who Hamby calls the Big Three in the Weaver lineup. “We were playing a little slow because we thought we had it, but coming to overtime we had to play great defense and I think we did that pretty well.”

Saks’ DeVaunghn Beason drove the length of the floor to deliver the game-tying basket with 7.5 seconds left in regulation.

Oxford 79, Talladega 67

TALLADEGA – It’s a good thing Oxford practices free throws. The Yellow Jackets hit an incredible 32 of 47 free throws in the game, 15 of 19 in the fourth quarter, to pull away from the Tigers.

Eugene Leonard hit 15 of 20 from the line on his way to 19 points. Braden Mack scored 20, going 6 for 9 from the line. Zondrick Garrett scored 13 points, going 5 of 8 from the line, 4 for 4 in the fourth quarter. Mack also had 18 rebounds and Garrett hauled in 12.

“Eugene constantly attacked off the bounce and was rewarded; he’s a bulldog,” Oxford coach Joel VanMeter said. “Overall, you look at those who got to the line tonight and they cashed in. I’m very proud of them.”

The Jackets led 36-22 midway through the second quarter, but Talladega rallied to trail by only three at halftime and lead by two going into the fourth quarter. Ashton Duncan and Fred Dickerson combined for 19 points in the second-quarter comeback and scored 23 points apiece for the Tigers.

Wellborn 64, Donoho 58

Blake Hanson hit 13 of 16 free throws on his way to 30 points and he grabbed 10 rebounds as the Panthers bounced back from their loss at Alexandria the night before.

Hanson hit his first eight free throws and his last four in a row in the fourth quarter. It’s the second game in a row he has hit for 30 points on the dot and the eighth time in the last two seasons he has scored 30 or more in a game. He has scored 100 points in his last three games combined.

Jordan Montgomery, who signs a football scholarship with Samford Wednesday morning, had eight points and four assists. Devin Machristie had 11 points and seven rebounds. And Mitchell Raines had eight points and nine rebounds.

Donoho stayed within three to seven points of the Panthers all game. Will Nelson led the Falcons with 15 points. Seth Ford had 12. Wellborn held Jacob LeCroy to nine points – all in the fourth quarter – but he hit three 3s as the teams put on a clinic from long-range in the final period.

“We played pretty well,” Donoho coach Alex Mastin said. “I’d love to play that game again.”

White Plains 35, Hokes Bluff 29

Hokes Bluff managed to slow the pace of the game, but Michael McGuirk and Macey Carr still scored in double figures as the Wildcats completed an undefeated run through Class 4A Area 12.

Carr led all scorers with 14 points. McGuirk, who earlier in the day announced his commitment to Lee (Tenn.) University, had 10 points and both of White Plains’ 3-pointers.

BOYS

Ohatchee 59, Ashville 52

ASHVILLE – C.J. Ray dominated the inside with 20 points and Austin Tucker attacked the rim for 19 more to lead Ohatchee. The Indians scored their last eight points of the game from the free throw line as Ashville fouled down the stretch in an attempt to get the ball back. The Bulldogs stayed in the game with long-range shooting; half of their 18 field goals were 3-pointers.

Alexandria 61, St. Clair County 54

ODENVILLE – Although not as big as the night before, the Valley Cubs put together another second-half surge and got past the Saints. They trailed by three at the half, then outscored their hosts 33-23 in the second half.

Chase Smitherman again was strong on the inside, attacking the basket to get to the free throw line, where he made seven of 14 attempts and finished with 13 points. Dalton Dodd once again was the Valley Cubs’ leading scorer, picking up 16, with 10 coming in the second half. The Cubs were 11 of 15 from the foul line in the fourth quarter.

Westbrook Christian 78, Piedmont 69

PIEDMONT – Westbrook Christian started out fast and managed to stayed ahead of Piedmont the rest of the game.

Braden Beecham (18) and Will Jones (15) combined for 13 points in the first quarter as the Warriors jumped to a 27-12 lead. The teams played even for the next two quarters until Piedmont staged a small rally in the fourth.

Clay Central 62, Munford 37

LINEVILLE – Four players scored in double figures and the Volunteers held Munford to 13 points in the middle two quarters as they rolled to their school-record 20th win.

Davyn Flenord and Quan McKinney led the way with 13 points apiece; McKinney scored six in the first quarter as the Vols (20-3) jumped out to an 18-11 lead. Jamal Williamson came off the bench to score 12 and Joe Bullock added 11.

“It’s definitely nice to get to 20 wins; last year we finished with 19,” Vols coach Joby Burns said. “I told the team after the game it’s a good accomplishment, but we have bigger things ahead.”

Weaver’s R.J. Wooden tries to drive through traffic and Saks is sealing the way.

To see more B.J. Franklins photos from the Saks-Weaver game, visit www.bjfranklin.smugmug.com

TUESDAY’S BOYS BOX SCORES
Weaver 67, Saks 64 (OT)
SAKS –
Darien Briskey 4 1-3 9, DeVaunghn Beason 7 4-8 19, LaDerrick Bell 1 0-0 3, Alfonza Ward 5 1-3 11, Tray Huguley 10 0-0 20, Jamal Stone 0 0-0 0, Jaylen Young 0 0-0 0, Jalen Borders 1 0-0 2. Totals 28 6-14 64.

WEAVER – Maurice Goodman 7 2-2 20, London Knight 6 4-4 16, Robert Gaines 6 2-2 14, Paul Hubbard 3 3-4 9, Chris Lemon 0 0-1 0, Dalton Hamby 0 0-2 0, R.J. Wooden 0 0-0 0, Shamar Spinks 1 2-5 4, Amardric Elston 1 2-4 4. Totals 24 15-24 67.

Saks 11 15 16 18 4 — 64
Weaver 16 18 17 9 7 — 67

3-point goals: Saks 2 (Beason, Bell); Weaver 4 (Goodman 4). Technical fouls: Bell. Fouled out: Briskey. Total fouls: Saks 21, Weaver 16. Officials: Phillips, Hughes, Allen.

Oxford 79, Talladega 67
OXFORD –
Simeon Shadrix 2 0-1 6, Jakolbe McClendon 1 6-8 10, Caden Higgins 0 0-0 0, Kendrick Foster 4 0-0 9, Eugene Lenoard 2 15-12 19, Zondrick Garrett 4 5-8 13, Braden Mack 6 6-9 20, Ty Davis 2 0-1 4. Totals 21 32-47 79.

TALLADEGA – Fred Dickerson 6 8-11 23, Chaztin Tanner 2 2-2 8, Tyrese Scales 0 0-0 0, Jarvius McKenzie 1 0-0 2, Ashton Duncan 6 8-9 23, ChrishawnWilliams 1 2-2 4, TraShaundez Bolden 0 0-0 0, Robert Houston 0 0-0 0, Jamontae Twymon 0 0-0 0,Jae-Lyn Ross 3 1-2 7. Totals 19 21-26 67.

Oxford 22 23 13 21 — 79
Talladega 16 26 18 7 — 67

3-point goals: Oxford 5 (Shadrix s, Foster, Mack 2); Talladega 8 (Dickerson 3, Tanner 2, Duncan 3). Technical fouls: Houston. Fouled Out: Houston, Total fouls: Oxford 18, Talladega 30, Officials: Robinson, Woods, Smith.

Wellborn 64, Donoho 58
WELLBORN –
Mitchell Raines 4 0-1 8, Eric Johnson 3 2-2 8, Jordan Montgomery 3 1-3 8, Devin Machristie 4 1-1 11, Kam Goodwin 1 0-0 2 Blake Hanson 5 13-16 25, Kelvin Evans 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 17-23 64.

DONOHO – Dylan Dunaway 0 0-0 0, Jack Svensen 2 0-0 5, Garrett Steed 2 3-3 5, John Hutto 3 0-0 7, Jacob LeCroy 3 0-1 9, Mateen Ibrahim 0 0-0 0, Ross Hagan 0 0-2 0, James O’Neill 1 0-0 3, Seth Ford 3 4-4 12, Wilson Russell 0 0-0 0, Will Nelson 7 1-3 15. Totals 21 8-13 58.

Wellborn 10 15 13 26 — 64
Donoho 7 11 14 26 — 58

3-point goals: Wellborn 5 (Montgomery, Machristie 2, Hanson 2); Donoho 8 (Svensen, Hutto, LeCroy 3, O’Neill, Ford 2). Technical fouls: Hanson. Fouled out: Hanson. Total fouls: Wellborn 14, Donoho 15.

White Plains 35, Hokes Bluff 29
HOKES BLUFF –
Fisher Simmons 1 1-3 3, Riley Payton 0 0-0 0, Jeremy Black 0 0-0 0, Jace Stewart 3 0-0 8, Alex Cashman 1 0-0 2, Robert Greaves 2 0-0 4, Andrew Harp 0 0-0 0, Landon Johnson 1 0-0 2, Adam Patterson 1 0-0 2, Braydon Hill 1 0-0 2, Hayden Lipscomb 2 2-4 8. Totals 12 3-7 29.

WHITE PLAINS – Jaylen Jackson 0 0-0 0, Peyton Morgan 0 2-2 2, Dylan McCareeth 2 1-2 5, Andrew McCarter 0 0-0 0, Michael McGuirk 3 2-3 10, Drake Preston 0 0-0 0, Macey Carr 5 4-7 14, Gavin Burrage 0 0-0 0, Brett Beaver 2 0-3 4. Totals 12 9-17 35.

Hokes Bluff 8 9 8 4 — 29
White Plains 9 8 9 9 — 35

3-point goals: Hokes Bluff 2 (Stewart 2); White Plains 2 (McGuirk 2). Total fouls: Hokes Bluff 14, White Plains 12.

Ohatchee 59, Ashville 52
OHATCHEE –
Blake Buckelew 0 0-0 0, Ben Glass 2 3-4 8, Carson Stone 2 0-0 4, Grayson Alward 2 1-2 5, Domonique Thomas 0 0-1 0, Kevin Williamson 1 0-0 3, Brennan Wink 1 0-0 2, Austin Tucker 6 7-11 19, Bayley Tillison 0 0-0 0, C.J. Ray 8 2-2 18. Totals 22 13-19 59.

ASHVILLE – John-Michael Norris 1 0-0 2, D’Angelo Williams 5 5-6 16, Cody Canas 0 0-0 0, Elijah Beatty 0 0-0 0, Chris Sanders 1 0-0 3, Perkins Carden 1 0-0 3, Jaden Jones 5 1-3 12, Dalton Cone 1 0-0 3, Hunter Hackbay 4 1-2 13. Totals 18 7-11 52.

Ohatchee 17 9 17 16 — 59
Ashville 14 9 12 17 — 52

3-point goals: Ohatchee 2 (Glass, Williamson); Ashville 9 (Williams, Sanders, Carden, Jones, Cone, Hackbay 4). Total fouls: Ohatchee 18, Ashville 16.

Alexandria 61, St. Clair County 54
ALEXANDRIA –
Devan Grant 0 2-3 2, Chase Smitherman 3 7-14 13, Austin Taylor 2 0-0 6, Dru Davis 1 0-2 2, Dalton Dodd 4 5-6 16, Romeo Dye 0 4-4 4, Jamal Tucker 2 1-2 6, Josh Tucker 2 3-4 7, Landon Williams 2 1-2 5. Totals 16 23-37 61.

ST. CLAIR COUNTY – Jalen Welch 1 3-4 5, Sam Bruce 0 0-0 0, Colby Smith 0 2-4 2, Michael Fisher 1 0-0 2, JaVarrius Johnson 4 0-0 8, Jonah Tittle 1 0-0 2, Garrett Sanders 2 2-4 6, Grayson Beatty 6 1-3 15, Justin May 2 0-0 5, Temothee Smith 2 1-2 5, Grayson Coupland 2 0-0 4. Totals 21 9-16 54.

Alexandria 14 14 16 17 — 61
St. Clair County 14 17 10 13 — 54

3-point goals: Alexandria 6 (Taylor 2, Dodd 3, Tucker); SCC 3 (Beatty 2, May).
Fouled out: Welch. Total fouls: Alexandria 18, SCC 16.

Westbrook Christian 78, Piedmont 69
WESTBROOK CHRISTIAN –
Andrew Lockridge 0 1-2 1, Will Jones 6 1-2 15, John Catanzaro 2 4-5 8, Cullen Stafford 2 0-0 5, Tyler Self 5 5-6 15, William Wethington 2 0-0 6, Trey Bearden 2 1-2 5, Braden Beecham 8 1-2 18, Caeden Godfrey 1 0-0 3, Jackson Luttrell 1 0-0 2. Totals 29 13-29 78

PIEDMONT – A.J. Fairs 1 1-2 3, Cardavion Myers 0 0-0 0, Taylor Hayes 4 6-6 15, Derrick Baer 0 0-0 0, Easton Kirk 4 7-8 17, Carl Myers 3 0-0 7, Lee Stanley 3 4-4 10, Austin Brazier 3 4-5 10, Weston Kirk 0 2-2 2, T.J. Fairs 3 0-0 5, Kaedon Jenkins 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 24-27 69.

Westbrook 27 20 20 11 — 78
Piedmont 12 20 20 17 — 69

3-point goals: Westbrook 7 (Jones 2, Stafford, Wethington 2, Beecham, Godfrey); Piedmont 5 (Hayes, E. Kirk 2, Cl. Myers, T. Fairs). Total fouls: Westbrook 18, Piedmont 14. Officials: Calkins, Beatty, Chambers.

Clay Central 62, Munford 37
MUNFORD –
Kedrick Brown 3 0-2 7, Braxton Swinford 0 0-0 0, Avery Harris 1 0-0 2, LaRaie Ball 0 3-4 3, Nicholas Patton 0 0-0 0, Justin Sistrunk 2 3-6 7, ZaKorion Lynch 1 0-0 2, Tanner Reeves 1 1-2 3, Mahijah Smith 3 0-0 8, Mikah Mitchell 1 0-0 2, Kyndarius Parker 1 0-0 3. Totals 13 7-14 37.

CLAY CENTRAL (20-3) – Davyn Flenord 5 0-3 13, Cole Burns 0 0-0 0, Ben Street 1 1-2 3, Jamal Williamson 5 1-2 12, Camerun Peoples 2 0-0 4, Shamari Simmons 1 0-2 2, Quan McKinney 3 7-11 13, LaShaun Simmons 1 2-2 4, Joe Bullock 5 0-1 11, Garrett Yates 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 11-23 62

Munford 11 9 4 13 — 37
Clay Central 18 18 16 10 — 62

3-point goals: Munford 4 (Brown, Smith 2, Parker); Clay Central 5 (Flenord 3, Williamson, Bullock). Total fouls: Munford 16, Clay Central 9. Officials: Williams, Gamble, Smith.

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