Randall’s busy day
- Updated: November 20, 2017
White Plains coach has true doubleheader — two games, two venues; defensive switch lifts host Lincoln; Talladega wins, Oxford falls tournament openers
LINCOLN THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT
Monday’s results
Pell City 50, Westbrook Christian 44
Etowah 61, Faith Christian 37
White Plains 52, Horseshoe Bend 28
Lincoln 81, Pleasant Valley 51
Tuesday’s games
Pleasant Valley vs. Westbrook Christian, 3:30 p.m.
Faith Christian vs. Horseshoe Bend, 5 p.m.
White Plains vs. Etowah, 6:30 p.m.
Lincoln vs. Pell City, 8 p.m.
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
LINCOLN – Chris Randall had one of those days he knew was going to come when he took the job and was not really looking forward to it.
As the coach of both the boys and girls basketball teams at White Plains, as much as he tried to avoid it he knew the day would arrive when his teams might be playing at virtually the same time in different venues.
That day came Monday when his boys played in the Lincoln Thanksgiving Tournament and the girls played in the Champions Thanksgiving Classic. Fortunately, both venues were about 20 minutes apart, but he wasn’t going to be able to get at both games for the whole thing.
He started with the boys – because they played first – and stayed for the duration of a 52-28 win over Horseshoe Bend. After about a two-minute post-game talk he hot-tailed it down Highway 77 to join the girls and got there at the end of the first quarter of their 43-28 loss to Alexandria.
It may be a little easier Tuesday. His girls play Ashville at Champions Sports Academy in Alexandria at 4:30 and the boys play Etowah in Lincoln at 6:30.
“It wasn’t bad at all,” Randall said of the logistics. “I’m kind of used to it, even not coaching the boys and the girls, just being with the junior high guys and the varsity in the summer. During those competition weeks that’s pretty normal, so it wasn’t that big a deal.
“The tips (Tuesday) are at 4:30 and 6:30 so I should be good. It’ll be close, but I should be fine.”
The Wildcats did their part to make it easy on themselves and Randall’s travel plan with a big third quarter that pushed the game to a running clock in the final eight minutes. They actually started to pull away in the final minute of the first half, getting a 3-pointer from Chase Helms, a stop and a bucket by Coleman Messer to take a five-point lead to 10 at halftime and then outscored the Generals 24-3 in the third.
Four players scored at least five points in the big quarter.
“I was very impressed with the third quarter,” Randall said. “We showed glimpses we’re going to be OK. The first half I was worried, but the third quarter (showed) we’ve got a chance to be OK if we play this way.”
Meanwhile, the game before the White Plains’ girls were scheduled to start also had gotten into the running clock, so Randall’s chance to make up some ground was negated. The boys finished quickly, but there was no time to waste. Randall spent a few minutes in the locker room with his team, then headed out to join the girls, who eventually got more competitive with a physical Alexandria team as the game continued.
“I really didn’t rush,” Randall said. “I usually hang out and cut up and joke around with them some, but I couldn’t do that, I had to leave. We took care of business. We didn’t rush the business end, but I couldn’t stay for the celebration. I’ll have three or four things I’ll cut up with them about tomorrow.”
Lincoln 81, Pleasant Valley 51: A defensive adjustment near the end of the first quarter made all the difference to the host Bears.
Lincoln coach Jeff Lumpkin took his team out of a man defense he didn’t think was very competitive into a 2-3 zone and it carried the Bears from a two-point lead to a 20-point lead at halftime. The Bears held the Raiders without a field goal through the entire second quarter and for some 10 minutes total.
“Defensively, that’s where we want to make our money,” Lumpkin said. “We had a nice stretch right there and that defense turned into some easy offense for us. They really just dug in deep and kept them out of there.”
Before the Bears made the switch, PV’s Caden Turner was torching them. He had 13 of the Raiders’ first 15 points and finished with 26 in the game. He has scored 26 in each of his last two games, is averaging 24 a game and has hit 23 of 33 free throws in three games.
The Bears had four scorers in double figures, led by Javion Surles (18) and Josh Jackson (16).
NORTH SHELBY COUNTY TOURNAMENT
Talladega 60, Southside Gadsden 39: Chaztin Tanner and Tra’Shaundez Bolden scored 12 points apiece to lead the Tigers and sophomore Kobe Simmons scored 11 in his first varsity game.
Fred Dickerson scored 10 points, dealt five assists and had three steals, while Ashton Duncan knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with eight points.
The Tigers play Chelsea Tuesday night.
N2HOOPS TOURNAMENT
Sparkman 73, Oxford 59: The Yellow Jackets will play Canton (Miss.) Tuesday night. Canton lost to Grissom, 61-58.
MONDAY’S BOX SCORES
LINCOLN THANKSGIVING TOURNAMENT
White Plains 52, Horseshoe Bend 28
HORSESHOE BEND (0-2) – Nalijah Heard 3 7-8 13, Colby Cheaney 0 2-4 2, Cade Worthy 0 0-1 0, Trace Meadows 1 1-2 3, Nywonski Russell 1 5-8 8, Chandler Lewis 0 0-0 0, Lee Norrell 0 0-1 0, Logan Branch 0 0-0 0, Amos Jones 0 0-0 0, Raines Darby 0 0-0 0, Kamden Evers 1 0-0 2. Totals 6 15-24 28.
WHITE PLAINS (1-0) – Coleman Messer 6 1-4 14, Houston Conger 0 1-3 1, Chase Helms 5 0-0 14, Pierson Branham 1 0-1 2, Austin Bussey 1 0-2 2, Drake Preston 1 2-4 4, Matthew Clay 2 1-1 5, Jaden Harris 0 0-0 0, Ethan Bozarth 2 0-2 4, Gavin Burrage 2 1-2 6. Totals 20 6-19 52.
Horseshoe Bend 5 11 3 19 — 28
White Plains 9 17 24 2 — 52
3-point goals: Horseshoe Bend 1 (Russell); White Plains 6 (Messer, Helms 4, Burrage). Fouled out: Heard, Conger, Bussey. Total fouls: Horseshoe Bend 19, White Plains 20. Officials: Alan Cosby, Kyle Chambers, Lucretia Battles.
Lincoln 81, Pleasant Valley 51
PLEASANT VALLEY (1-2) – Caden Turner 10 5-6 26, Jake Mobley 1 2-2 5, Dakota Herron 3 1-2 10, Connor Wolfe 0 0-0 0, Ethan Johnson 0 2-2 2, Austin Johnson 0 0-0 0, Jake Malsy 2 0-0 6, Drew Bonds 0 0-0 0, Colby Gaines 1 0-1 2, Caleb Parker 0 0-0 0, Adam Freeman 0 0-0 0, Brooks Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 10-13 51.
LINCOLN (1-1) – Javion Surles 6 5-5 18, Tre Garrett 4 0-0 8, Joseph Gaston 5 2-3 14, Connor Thomas 2 0-0 4, Earl Wells 4 4-5 12, Zay Ragland 0 0-0 0, Teddy Hall 0 0-0 0, Jack Wood 1 0-0 3, Shawn Davis 3 0-0 6, Josh Jackson 8 0-0 16. Totals 33 11-13 81.
Pleasant Valley 21 1 19 10 — 51
Lincoln 27 15 25 14 — 81
3-point goals: PV 7 (Turner, Mobley, Herron 3, Malsy 2); Lincoln 4 (Surls, Gaston 2, Wood). Technical fouls: Lincoln (admin). Total fouls: PV 9, Lincoln 14. Officials: Amato Ortiz, Rusty Burroughs, Lucretia Battles.
NORTH SHELBY COUNTY TOURNAMENT
Talladega 60, Southside-Gadsden 39
TALLADEGA – Fred Dickerson 4 0-0 10, Chance Beavers 0 0-0 0, Chaztin Tanner 5 0-1 12, Tyrese Scales 1 1-4 3, Ashton Duncan 3 0-0 8, Jay Patterson 2 0-0 4, J.Q. Wilson 0 0-2 0, Kobe Simmons 5 0-0 11, TraShaundra Bolden 5 2-8 12. Totals 25 3-15 60.
SOUTHSIDE-GADSDEN – Blake Hobyan 2 2-4 6, Myles Hendrick 2 0-2 5, Tristan Riggan 4 2-2 11, Colby Smith 0 0-0 0, Devin Laster 0 1-2 1, Brock Hobyan 1 0-0 3, Seth Turnstall 2 0-0 4, Gavin Orr 4 1-1 9, John Werner 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 6-11 39.
Talladega 14 15 12 19 — 60
Southside 9 12 13 5 — 39
3-point goals: Talladega 7 (Dickerson 2, Tanner 2, Duncan 2, Simmons); Southside 3 (Hendrick, Riggan, Br. Hobyan). Total fouls: Talladega 15, Southside 12. Officials: Oden, Calover, Wilkins.
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