Size trumps speed
- Updated: December 5, 2017
Boys roundup: Alexandria uses its size to overcome Weaver’s speed; J’ville wins in OT, Oxford, Anniston also win
Eugene Leonard (12) was at his best for Oxford Tuesday night in the fourth quarter with the game on the line. (Photo by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)
By East Alabama Sports Today
One side had size. One side had speed. In the end, on this night at least, size won out.
Weaver’s speed made it tough for Alexandria to get into its offense at times Tuesday night, but when the Valley Cubs really needed something they had the power inside to get it and eventually earned a 63-55 victory.
“We knew it was going to be a tough one,” Cubs coach Jason Johnson said. “We haven’t really seen that kind of overall speed and quickness – we saw a little of it against Lincoln – but I thought our guards played pretty good; that’s going to dictate how successful we’ll be.”
It helps, of course, to have a couple 6-7s in your arsenal. Dalton Dodd and Landon Williams had 20 and 16 points, respectively, and were a force defensively. In addition, Dodd handles the ball well enough to to give the Cubs an extra steady hand, and his teammates know how and where to find him.
As difficult as Weaver made life for them at times, the Valley Cubs said they were glad to have experienced what the Bearcats were bringing.
“Because now we know what it’s going to be like when we play quick teams,” Dodd said. “It was hard for us to get in the offense … but playing those kinds of games aren’t going to do anything but make us better.”
The Bearcats missed a chance to take advantage of their speed when Dodd got into early foul trouble and had to sit some in the second quarter. Instead of the Bearcats cutting into their deficit, the Cubs actually extended their lead behind Williams inside and Jake Weathington outside.
Weaver coach Daryl Hamby lamented the missed opportunity. When Williams did go out for a spell in the third quarter, the Bearcats did make a run that cut a 16-point deficit to seven but eventually both of the Cubs big men were back on the floor to prevent any real damage from happening.
“They’re so big, they create problems, but we should be able to create problems with our speed – that’s what we have to realize we have,” Hamby said. “We get a little too impatient right now, but we’re going to get better at that. If we’re going to be good in what we do, we’ve got to cause problems with our speed, which I think we did and then we made not very good decisions about how to use our speed.”
Inside the big picture there was a nice little battle going on between Dodd and Weaver’s London Knight. Knight had 21 points, while teammate Robert Gaines led all scorers with 24.
Oxford 61 Southside 50: It was “Eugene Time” in the fourth quarter as the Yellow Jackets guard scored nine straight points to help Oxford pull away in their Class 6A Area 13 opener. Leonard finished with 16 points.
“It is certainly not coaching,” Yellow Jackets coach Joel Van Meter said. “It is just Eugene being Eugene and he picks his game up when we need it.”
It was a pesky physical Southside team that gave the Jackets (3-4) fits most of the game with six 3-point baskets and three three-point plays accounting for 27 of their 50 points. Blake Habyan connected on a half court buzzer beater at the end of the first quarter to give Southside its only lead of the game.
“They had a solid team and they took it to our kids,” Van Meter said. “We have a lot of young guys that have not seen that type of play yet and Southside really executed well.”
The Jackets went on a 12-point run early in the second half to open a 12-point lead. Kendrick Foster drilled a pair of 3-pointers to get the run started and Braden Mack finished it with six straight points. The Jackets were 8 of 9 from the line down the stretch to help ice the game.
Mack finished with 20 points and Rockafellow Taylor added 13 points and seven rebounds for the Jackets. –Brant Locklier
To see more photos from the Southside-Oxford game, visit www.bjfranklin.smugmug.com
Jacksonville 72, Cherokee County 65 (OT): DeAndre McCain sent the game into overtime with a putback and younger cousin Donovan McCain scored the first four points in the opening minute of the extra period to put the Golden Eagles in control. In addition to Donovan’s fast four, Macey Carr converted a three-point play to extend the lead. The Golden Eagles trailed by seven at the end of the first quarter and eight at the end of the third. The McCains combined for 32 points and Carr had 13 for Jacksonville. Cherokee County placed four scorers in double figures, led by Demarcus Barrington’s 18.
Anniston 52, White Plains 36: Kwame Milton scored 10 of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and the Bulldogs pulled away from a close game with a 13-0 run to the finish. “I thought it was huge that we played disciplined the entire game,” Anniston coach Torrie Brown said. “White Plains is a good team because (Chris) Randall is a great coach and they stretch you defensively with their actions offensively. For us to defend for four quarters was, to me, the key to the game.”
Anniston’s Savion Bethune led all scorers with 14 points. Matthew Clay led White Plains with 10.
Faith Christian 55, JCA 46: Malcolm Carlisle went on a personal 11-0 run to start the game as the Lions (4-6) opened a 22-5 lead and held on grab their first area victory for new coach Justin Kisor. Carlisle finished with 21 points. Mike McGraw added 16. “Malcolm already is dangerous and when he understands what we’re trying to do he’s going to be even more dangerous,” Kisor said. Chase Vinson led JCA with 16 points and Kobe Messer had 12.
Lincoln 65, Ohatchee 32: The Golden Bears (4-4) got off to an explosive start, opening a 49-21 halftime lead with Javion Surles, Joseph Gaston and Trebian Garrett all scoring double figures by halftime.
Glencoe 63, Pleasant Valley 51: Jakeb Amberson scored 11 of his 16 points in the third quarter when the Yellow Jackets took control of the game. PV’s Caden Turner led all scorers with 28 points.
Talladega 81, Handley 67: Chaztin Tanner led all scorers with 27 points and Fred Dickerson enjoyed a double-double with 23 points and 11 steals to lead Talladega. Ashton Duncan had 16 points and five assists, while TraShaundez Bolden and J.Q. Wilson each grabbed eight rebounds.
TUESDAY’S BOYS BOX SCORES
Alexandria 63, Weaver 55
WEAVER – London Knight 6 8-12 21, Robert Gaines 8 8-12 24, Shamar Spinks 3 0-0 6, Nick Torres 0 1-2 1, Kristian Perry 0 1-2 1, Dalton Hamby 1 0-0 2, Amardric Elston 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 18-28 55.
ALEXANDRIA – Joseph Tucker 1 0-0 2, Adam Young 1 0-0 3, Jake Weathington 5 0-0 13, Dru Davis 0 1-2 1, Grayson Chaffin 0 1-2 1, Dalton Dodd 8 3-8 20, Romeo Dye 2 1-1 5, Jared Ponder 1 0-0 2, Jalen Borders 0 0-0 0, Josh Tucker 0 0-0 0, Landon Williams 8 0-2 16. Totals 26 6-15 63.
Weaver 14 13 16 12 — 55
Alexandria 15 23 13 12 — 63
3-point goals: Weaver 1 (Knight); Alexandria 5 (Young, Weathington 3, Dodd). Fouled out: Elston. Total fouls: Weaver 19, Alexandria 19. Officials: Stringer, Wood, Robinson.
Oxford 61, Southside 50
SOUTHSIDE (1-6) – Blake Habyan 4 1-1 12, Chris Lengyl 3 0-0 7, Myles Hendrick 4 1-1 10, Dawson Nunn 3 0-0 6, Tristan Riggin 3 1-1 8, Devin Laster 0 0-0 0, Brock Hayban 1 0-1 2, Seth Tunstill 0 0-0 0, Gavin Orr 2 1-2 5, John Weaver 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 4-6 50.
OXFORD (3-4) – Markise Davis 2 9-9 4, Simeon Shadrix 0 0-0 0, Mont Montgomery 0 0-0 0, Caden Higgins 0 0-0 0, Rockafellow Taylor 5 3-5 13, Kendrick Foster 3 0-0 8, Eugene Leonard 5 5-7 16, Demico Tanner 0 0-0 0, Kolby Warren 0 0-0 0, Braden Mack 7 6-7 20, Rylen Houck 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-17 61.
Southside 15 9 18 8 — 50
Oxford 13 12 21 15 — 61
3-point goals: Southside 6 (Bl. Habyan 3, Lengyl, Hendrick, Riggin); Oxford 3 (Foster 2, Leonard). Rebounds: Southside 20 (Riggin 4, Orr 4); Oxford 29 (Taylor 7, Houck 6).
Jacksonville 72, Cherokee County 65 (OT)
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Demarcus Barrington 5-11 6-9 18, Ivory Moore 4-11 4-8 13, Kyle Burgess 5-12 0-0 12, Riley Russell 5-9 1-1 11, Chancellor Latty 3-4 0-0 6, Luke Goss 2-5 0-0 5, William Hawkins 0-2 0-0 0, Blake Dobbs 0-0 0-0 0, Mitchell Davis 0-1 0-0 0, Julian Latty 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-55 11-18 65.
JACKSONVILLE – DeAndre McCain 5-12 6-8 17, Donovan McCain 5-7 5-5 15, Macey Carr 4-9 3-6 13, Ron Wiggins 2-7 3-5 7, Gilbert 1-4 3-4 5, DeMarien Stewart 2-4 0-0 5, DeDarien Savage 2-4 0-0 4, Cade Landers 1-6 2-4 4, Alex Davis 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 23-55 22-32 72.
Cherokee County 20 6 13 14 12 — 65
Jacksonville 13 13 5 22 19 — 72
3-point goals: Cherokee County 6-21 (Barrington 2-7, Moore 1-3, Burgess 2-7, Goss 1-3, Hawkins 0-1); Jacksonville 4-15 (De. McCain 1-4, Carr 2-5, Wiggins 0-1, Gilbert 0-3, Stewart 1-2). Rebounds: Cherokee County 35 (Russell 7, C. Latty 7); Jacksonville 38 (Do. McCain 12). Fouled out: Russell. Total fouls: Cherokee County 16, Jacksonville 17.
Anniston 52, White Plains 36
ANNISTON – Savion Bethune 5 0-0 14, James Haynes 3 0-0 8, Jimmy Felton 1 0-1 2, Kwame Milton 5 0-0 13, William Fairley 0 0-0 0, Theron Montgomery 2 1-6 5, Hunter Rouse 1 2-4 4, LaDreka Hall 0 0-0 0, Chance Young 2 0-0 4, Roderick Orr 1 0-2 2. Totals 20 3-13 52.
WHITE PLAINS – Coleman Messer 2 0-0 4, Houston Conger 1 1-2 4, Chase Helms 2 0-0 6, Pierson Branham 2 2-2 6, Austin Bussey 0 0-0 0, Drake Preston 3 0-0 6, Matthew Clay 3 2-3 10, Jaden Harris 0 0-0 0, Ethan Bozarth 0 0-0 0, Gavin Burrage 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 5-7 36.
Anniston 10 11 14 17 — 52
White Plains 11 5 17 3 — 36
3-point goals: Anniston 9 (Bethune 4, Haynes 2, Milton 3); White Plains 5 (Conger, Helms 2, Clay 2). Total fouls: Anniston 14, White Plains 12.
Lincoln 65, Ohatchee 32
OHATCHEE – Andrew Roberts 0 0-0 0, Blake Buckelew 2 4-4 9, Ben Glass 1 0-0 3, Carson Stone 1 0-0 2, Grayson Alward 1 1-1 3, Kevin Williamson 1 0-0 3, Bayley Tillison 0 2-2 2, Parker Alexander 0 0-0 0, Evan Keller 3 0-1 7, Domonique Thomas 0 0-0 0, Landon Key 0 0-0 0, Briley Hale 0 1-2 1, Jordan Lowe 1 0-0 2. Totals 10 8-10 32.
LINCOLN (4-4) – Javion Surles 5 1-4 11, Joseph Gaston 3 3-3 10, Trebian Garrett 4 4-4 14, Conner Thomas 0 0-0 0, Earl Wells 4 4-6 12, Ragland 1 0-1 2, Montez Hall 1 0-2 2, Shamar Hampton 2 0-3 4, Jack Wood 2 0-0 6, Timothy Davis 1 0-0 2, Jakahri Howard 1 0-0 2. Totals 24 12-23 65.
Ohatchee 10 11 8 3 — 32
Lincoln 28 21 7 9 — 65
3-point goals: Ohatchee 4 (Buckelew, Glass, Williamson, Keller); Lincoln 5 (Faston, Garrett 2, Wood 2). Total fouls: Ohatchee 21, Lincoln 15. Officials: Hinkle, Pratt, Dafry.
Glencoe 63, Pleasant Valley 51
GLENCOE (4-3) – Brandon Bishop 2 1-1 6, Noah Huff 3 3-4 9, Cade McCarver 0 0-2 0, Colton Stone 2 2-4 6, Zack Hare 1 0-0 2, Patrick Johnson 1 0-0 3, Jakeb Amberson 5 4-5 16, Cam Harris 3 0-0 7, Alec Pointer 0 1-3 1, Bryan Benefield 2 3-4 7, Collin Roberts 3 0-0 6, Bradley Scott 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-23 63.
PLEASANT VALLEY – Caden Turner 11 6-10 28, Dakota Herron 5 3-5 15, Jake Malsy 1 0-0 2, Conner Wolfe 0 0-2 0, Colby Gaines 0 1-4 1, Drew Bonds 1 0-0 3, Jake Mobley 0 0-0 0, Ethan Johnson 0 0-0 0, Coleman Haynes 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 10-21 51.
Glencoe 13 16 23 11 — 63
Pleasant Valley 5 20 16 10 — 51
3-point goals: Glencoe 5 (Bishop, Johnson, Amberson 2, Harris); Pleasant Valley 3 (Herron 2, Bonds). Fouled out: Turner. Total fouls: Glencoe 17, Pleasant Valley 20.
Talladega 81, Handley 67
HANDLEY – Da’ron Zachery 1 0-0 2, Mykierston Trammell 5 0-0 10, Y’Quavious Patterson 1 0-0 3, Joseph Smith 1 2-2 4, CaDarrius Patillo 3 0-0 6, Jared Sears 1 1-1 3, Devontae Houston 0 1-2 1, Corey Bell 4 0-0 10, QuonDarius Lyons 1 0-0 2, Jackson Martin 3 2-3 11, Kadarius Foster 5 3-5 11 13, Armonte Curtis 1 0-1 2. Totals 26 9-14 67.
TALLADEGA (6-1) – Fred Dickerson 9 2-4 23, Chance Beavers 0 2-2 2, Chaztin Tanner 9 9-12 27, Tyrese Scales 1 0-0 2, Ashton Duncan 5 3-5 16, J.Q. Wilson 2 0-0 4, Kobe Simmons 1 0-0 3, TraShaundez Bolden 0 4-6 4. Totals 27 20-29 81. 67.
Handley 10 16 18 23 — 67
Talladega 19 26 13 23 — 81
3-point goals: Handley 6 (Patterson, Bell 2, Martin 3); Talladega 7 (Dickerson 3, Duncan 3, Simmons). Fouled out: Patillo, Foster. Total fouls: Handley 24, Talladega 20. Officials: Oden, Stringer, Roberts.
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