M-m-m-m, good
- Updated: February 6, 2017
JCA rides 5 Ms — Murphy, Messers, McCormack. Mitchell — to beat Donoho in 1A Area 10 elimination game, advances to meet No. 1 Sacred Heart
Reed Murphy (24) had another big game for JCA, scoring 27 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. On the cover, JCA coach Tommy Miller gives his team some instructions during a time out. (Photos by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)
By East Alabama Sports Today
Jacksonville Christian rode strong games from its five Ms — Reed Murphy, Elijah McCormack, Walker and Kobe Messer, and Jayden Mitchell — to take down Donoho 66-48 in the 4/5 game of the Class 1A Area 10 tournament at Sacred Heart Monday night.
The Thunder’s fifth straight victory sends them to meet top-seeded and top-ranked host Sacred Heart Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Miller Gym at McClellan.
Murphy, a 5-10 guard who plays much taller, scored 27 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to lead the Thunder; he also was 10-of-15 from the foul line. Walker Messer had 12 points and 10 assists, Kobe Messer had 12 points on four first-half 3-pointers and McCormack had 11 points with three 3s. Mitchell, meanwhile, battled for 10 rebounds to go with his four points.
“We had won four in a row and I think we had a little momentum going in,” JCA coach Tommy Miller said. “We’ve gotten better through the year, we really have. We played (four games) last week and I felt it was good for us to play Friday and Saturday, take a day off and play in the area tournament.”
The Thunder broke away from a close game with a 21-11 second-quarter surge. The Thunder stretched the lead to 18 in the third quarter, but Donoho brought it back to 11 before the Thunder pulled away again.
“Keeping our heads had a lot to do with it,” Miller said. “The game was kind of rough and those kinds of games can be frustrating, but we did a good job of keeping our head about us.”
Jacob LeCroy led Donoho with 22 points. He had eight in the first quarter and 11 in the third.
Class 1A Area 10
Jacksonville Christian 66, Donoho 48
DONOHO – Jack Svensen 0 0-0 0, Garrett Steed 6 3-6 15, John Hutto 0 0-0 0, Jacob LeCroy 10 1-1 22, Mateen Ibramhim 0 1-2 1, Harrison Hughston 0 0-0 0, Ross Hagan 1 0-0 2, Joseph O’Neill 1 0-0 2, Saad Ibrahim 0 0-0 0, Seth Ford 0 1-2 1, Wilson Russell 1 0-0 2, Will Nelson 1 1-2 3, Rod Elston 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 7-13 48.
JACKSONNILLE CHRISTIAN – Justin Tignor 0 0-0 0, Elijah McCormack 4 0-0 11, Walker Messer 4 4-8 12, Jayden Mitchell 1 2-3 4, Chase Cobb 0 0-0 0, Kobe Messer 4 0-0 12, Reed Murphy 8 10-15 27. Totals 21 16-26 66.
Donoho 15 11 18 4 — 48
JCA 16 21 18 11 — 66
3-point goals: Donoho 1 (LeCroy); JCA 8 (McCormack 3, K. Messer 4, Murphy). Total fouls: Donoho 22, JCA 11. Officials: Smith, Garrett, Hardeman.
Walker Messer breaks away from a pack of Donoho defenders Monday night. Messer is off to either a basket or an assist; he had 12 points and 10 assists in the win. (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos
To see more B.J. Franklin photos from Monday’s Donoho-JCA game, for viewing or purchase, visit www.bjfranklin.smugmug.com
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