Eagles win thrillers
- Updated: February 7, 2018
Jacksonville, Hokes Bluff both win nail biters to reach Class 4A Area 12 boys tournament finals
Wednesday’s Results
6A-13 Girls Championship game at Southside: Southside 45, Pell City 44
4A-12 Boys at Hokes Bluff: Hokes Bluff 46, White Plains 38 (OT)
3A-9 Girls at Wellborn: Weaver 63, Ohatchee 36
5A-10 Girls: Championship game at Talladega: Talladega 56, Cleburne County 22
4A-12 Boys at Hokes Bluff: Jacksonville 45, Cherokee County 43
Thursday’s Games
1A-10 Boys at Miller Gym: JCA vs. Sacred Heart, 5:30 p.m.
6A-13 Boys Championship at Oxford: Southside vs. Oxford, 6 p.m.
5A-13 Boys at Etowah: Alexandria vs. Boaz, 6 p.m.
4A-8 Boys at Handley: Anniston vs. Saks, 6 p.m.
3A-9 Boys Championship at Weaver: Ohatchee vs. Weaver, 6 p.m.
3A-10 Girls Championship at Glencoe: Piedmont vs. Glencoe, 6 p.m.
5A-10 Boys Championship game at Clay Central: Talladega vs. Clay Central, 7 p.m.
1A-10 Boys at Miller Gym: Donoho vs. Spring Garden, 7 p.m.
5A-13 Boys at Etowah: Douglas vs. Etowah, 7:30 p.m.
4A-8 Boys at Handley: Munford vs. Handley, 7:30 p.m.
McCain’s 3-pointer at the buzzer historic
By East Alabama Sports Today
HOKES BLUFF – Jacksonville coach Cordell Hunt says his players aren’t ready to put up the basketballs and Wednesday night DeAndre McCain made sure they didn’t.
McCain hit a contested 3-pointer as the horn sounded to bring a thrilling finish to an intense night as the Golden Eagles stunned Cherokee County 45-43 in the Class 4A Area 12 boys tournament at Hokes Bluff.
The win sends Jacksonville to play host Hokes Bluff Friday at 7:30 p.m. for the area tournament title and a home game in the sub-region crossover game against North Jackson or Sardis. Hokes Bluff reached the area final with a 46-38 overtime win over White Plains.
This will be the first time Jacksonville has made it out of the area tournament since 2012. The Golden Eagles haven’t made it to the regional since 2004, the third time they’ve been to the state tournament since 1958.
“That shot was huge from the standpoint of what it meant for our program,” Hunt said. “It’s big for the kids to get that win when they’ve worked and done the little things we ask.
“Our kids were not ready to quit playing basketball. They’re not ready to quit. This will allow us to play two more games. I’d love to get to JSU.”
The loss was crushing to a Cherokee County team that had a three-point lead going into a final minute that Hunt could only describe as “crazy.”
After each team had an empty possession, Jacksonville’s Ron Wiggins hit a bucket with just under a minute left to make it a 43-42 game. The Warriors had a chance to get some breathing room with 16 seconds left, but Julian Latty missed a pair of free throws setting the stage for McCain’s heroics.
DeMarien Stewart had the ball for Jacksonville on the left wing as the clock ticked down. He got it to McCain, who pulled up near the top of the key with a defender in his face and plunged in the dagger just as the horn sounded.
McCain finished with a team-high 12 points. Wiggins had 10 points and Macey Carr had 11 rebounds.
Cherokee County’s Luke Goss led all scorers with 17 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds and blocked three shots.
McCain’s shot may have won the game on the scoreboard, but Hunt is convinced the Golden Eagles won the game with their defense. They held the Warriors to only 2-of-11 from beyond the arc and forced them into 15 turnovers.
“The kids today just had a different feel about them; they were locked in,” Hunt said. “We’ve been talking this year that it’s time for us to start being great, to take it to another level. They committed to that and played really hard.”
Hokes Bluff 46, White Plains 38 (OT): After playing Hokes Bluff even for four quarters, the Wildcats couldn’t get anything to fall in overtime and were outscored 10-2. Landon Johnson scored seven of his 11 points in overtime, including a 3-pointers, and the Eagles were 7-of-14 from the free throw line. Houston Conger scored White Plains’ only points of the extra period.
The Wildcats played down the stretch and in overtime without captain Gavin Burrage, who fouled out near the end of regulation. They had the ball with 26 seconds to play, but without their glue guy on the floor they turned it over. Matthew Clay courageously drew a charge in the closing seconds to send the game into overtime.
Hokes Bluff’s Hayden Lipscomb led all scorer with 18 points. .
CLASS 5A AREA 10 GIRLS
Talladega 56, Cleburne County 22: The Lady Tigers did a masterful job on Talladega’s twin towers of Amaz Carmichael and Camille Buckhanon in the first half, but the two posts got free in the second and Talladega pulled away.
Using a new defense and multiple defenders against Talladega’s two stars, the Lady Tigers led 6-5 after the first quarter and were down only 17-8 at halftime. But Carmichael scored 19 of her game-high 27 points in the second half, 12 in the fourth quarter. Buchanon scored nine of her 15 in the second half.
Cleburne County will travel to the winner of the Area 13 title game between Alexandria and Boaz for the subregional game. Talladega will host the Area 13 runnerup.
CLASS 4A AREA 12 BOYS BOX SCORES
Hokes Bluff 46, White Plains 38 (OT)
WHITE PLAINS – Coleman Messer 4 0-0 8, Houston Conger 1 0-0 2, Chase Helms 0 0-0 0, Pierson Branham 1 0-0 2, Austin Bussey 0 0-0 0, Drake Preston 0 0-0 0, Matthew Clay 4 2-3 12, Jaden Harris 1 0-0 3, Ethan Bozarth 2 0-2 4, Gavin Burrage 3 0-0 7. Totals 16 2-5 38.
HOKES BLUFF – Ashton Gulledge 0 0-1 0, Peyton Moore 0 0-0 0, Braydon Hill 2 3-4 7, Dalton Doughdrill 0 0-0 0, Dylan Teague 1 0-1 2, Jeffrey Contris 0 0-0 0, Jace Stewart 0 1-4 1, Landon Johnson 2 6-13 11, Robert Greaves 3 0-0 7, Hayden Lipscomb 6 6-7 18. Totals 14 16-30 46.
White Plains 10 10 9 7 2 — 38
Hokes Bluff 10 10 7 9 10 — 46
3-point goals: White Plains 4 (Clay 2, Harris, Burrage); Hokes Bluff 2 (Johnson, Greaves). Fouled out: Preston, Bozarth, Burrage. Total fouls: White Plains 25, Hokes Bluff 13. Officials: Walker, Howell, Brown.
Jacksonville 45, Cherokee County 43
JACKSONVILLE – DeAndre McCain 4-9 1-2 12, Ron Wiggins 4-12 0-0 10, Macey Carr 3-9 3-8 9, DeMarien Stewart 1-2 2-2 5, Cade Landers 1-7 1-2 4, Alex Gilbert 1-2 1-2 3, Alex Davis 1-2 0-1 2, Donovan McCain 0-1 0-0 0, Jay Davis 0-0 0-0 0, DeDarien Savage 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-44 8-17 45.
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Luke Goss 6-8 4-4 17, Riley Russell 4-4 2-3 10, Ivory Moore 2-5 2-2 6, Demarcus Barrington 2-5 0-0 5, Chancellor Latty 2-3 0-0 4, Kyle Burgess 0-6 1-2 1, Ian Edwards 0-1 0-0 0, Blake Dobbs 0-0 0-0 0, Julian Latty 0-0 0-2 0. Totals 16-32 9-13 43.
Jacksonville 12 8 12 13 — 45
Cherokee County 11 8 13 11 — 43
3-point goals: Jacksonville 7-24 (De. McCain 3-8, Wiggins 2-7, Carr 0-1, Stewart 1-2, Landers 1-6); Cherokee County 2-11 (Goss 1-1, Moore 0-1, Barrington 1-3, Burgess 0-5, Edwards 0-1). Rebounds: Jacksonville 33 (Carr 11); Cherokee County 22 (Goss 7, Moore 6). Fouled out: Russell, C. Latty. Total fouls: Jacksonville 14, Cherokee County 15.
CLASS 5A AREA 10 GIRLS BOX SCORES
Talladega 56, Cleburne County 22
CLEBURNE COUNTY (16-13) – Olivia McDaniel 3 0-0 6, Chelsea Parker 2 0-2 4, Alex Casey 1 0-0 2, Brooklyn McDaniel 0 0-0 0, Haven Freeman 0 1-2 1, Tatiana Ervin 0 0-0 0, Kendall Houston 3 0-0 7, Micha Pentacost 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 1-4 22.
TALLADEGA (29-2) – Amaz Carmichael 13 0-2 27, Tiona Roberson 4 0-2 8, Takeria Swain 0 2-2 2, Essence Cunningham 1 2-3 4, Mary Scales 0 0-0 0, Camille Buckhanon 7 1-2 15. Totals 25 5-11 56.
Cleburne County 6 2 4 10 — 22
Talladega 5 12 13 26 — 56
3-point goals: Cleburne County 1 (Houston); Talladega 1 (Carmichael). Total fouls: Cleburne County 10, Talladega 10. Officials: Engel, Parks, Winn.
NORTHEAST REGIONAL AREA TOURNAMENTS
BOYS BRACKETS
CLASS 1A (14 vs. 11, 15 vs. 10)
Area 10
Mon., Feb. 5
Jacksonville Christian 56, Faith Christian 47
Thurs., Feb. 8
Sacred Heart vs. Jacksonville Christian, 5:30 p.m.
Spring Garden vs. Donoho, 7 p.m.
Finals, Sat., Feb. 10
Finals, TBA, 7 p.m.
Area 11
Tues., Feb. 6
Southeastern 63, Coosa Christian 58
Appalachian 67, Ragland 48
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Southeastern vs. Appalachian, 6:30 p.m.
Area 14
Mon., Feb. 5
Valley Head 60, Gaylesville 34
Thurs., Feb. 8
Cedar Bluff vs. Valley Head, 6 p.m.
Woodville vs. Skyline, 7:30 p.m.
Finals, Sat., Feb. 10
Finals, TBA, 7 p.m.
Area 15
Mon., Feb. 5
Whitesburg Christian 64, Paint Rock Valley 32
Lindsay Lane 76, Athens Bible 65
Tues., Feb. 6
Decatur Heritage 82, Whitesburg Christian 43
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Decatur Heritage vs. Lindsay Lane, 7:30 p.m.
CLASS 2A (15-10, 12-8)
Area 8
Tues., Feb. 6
LaFayette 74, Reeltown 47
Lanett 107, Horseshoe Bend 39
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Lanett vs. LaFayette, 5:30 p.m. (CST)
Area 10
Tues., Feb. 6
Ranburne 75, Woodland 34
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Vincent vs. Ranburne, 6 p.m.
Area 12
Thurs., Feb. 8
Collinsville vs. Gaston, 5:30 p.m.
Sand Rock vs. Westbrook Christian, 7 p.m.
Finals, Sat., Feb. 10
Finals, TBA, 6 p.m.
Area 15
Tues., Feb. 6
Fyffe 53, Asbury 46
Section 73, Ider 57
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Fyffe vs. Section, 7 p.m
CLASS 3A (14-9, 13-10)
Area 9
Tues., Feb. 6
Ohatchee 59, Walter Wellborn 33
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Ohatchee vs. Weaver, 6 p.m.
Area 10
Tues., Feb. 6
Glencoe 61, Pleasant Valley 57
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Glencoe vs. Piedmont, 7 p.m.
Area 13
Mon., Feb. 5
New Hope 59, Brindlee Mountain 52
Thurs., Feb. 8
Geraldine vs. New Hope, 7 p.m.
Area 14
Tues., Feb. 6
Plainview 92, North Sand Mountain 57
Pisgah 70, Sylvania 59
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Plainview vs. Pisgah, 7 p.m.
CLASS 4A (14-8, 13-12)
Area 8
Tues., Feb. 6
Anniston 70, Saks 23
Handley 68, Munford 25
Finals, Sat., Feb. 10
Anniston vs. Handley, 6 p.m.
Area 12
Wed., Feb. 7
Hokes Bluff 46, White Plains 38
Jacksonville 45, Cherokee County 43
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Hokes Bluff vs. Jacksonville, 7:30 p.m.
Area 13
Tues., Feb. 6
Sardis 64, DAR 61
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
North Jackson vs. Sardis, 6 p.m.
Area 14
Tues., Feb. 6
Madison Academy 73, Madison County 58
Westminster Christian 43, Randolph 40
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Madison Academy vs. Westminster Christian, 7 p.m.
CLASS 5A (13-10, 14-11)
Area 10
Tues., Feb. 6
Central Clay County 71, Cleburne County 32
Talladega 85, Lincoln 60
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Central-Clay County vs. Talladega, 7 p.m.
Area 11
Tues., Feb. 6
Springville 57, Corner 47
Mortimer Jordan 59, St. Clair County 35
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Mortimer Jordan vs. Springville, 7:30 p.m.
Area 13
Thurs., Feb. 8
Boaz vs. Alexandria, 6 p.m.
Etowah vs. Douglas, 7:30 p.m.
Finals, Sat., Feb. 10
Finals, TBA, 7 p.m.
Area 14
Tues., Feb. 6
Arab 54, Scottsboro 44
Guntersville 94, Crossville 40
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Arab vs. Guntersville, 6:30 p.m.
CLASS 6A (14-12, 13-10)
Area 10
Wed., Feb. 7
Homewood 31, Shades Valley 30
Parker 61, Ramsay 46
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Homewood vs. Parker, 6 p.m.
Area 12
Tues., Feb. 6
Pinson Valley 86, Gardendale 46
Center Point 33, Clay-Chalkville 29
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Pinson Valley vs. Center Point, 6 p.m.
Area 13
Tues., Feb. 6
Southside-Gadsden 57, Pell City 38
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Oxford vs. Southside-Gadsden, 6 p.m.
Area 14
Tues., Feb. 6
Cullman 76, Fort Payne 58
Albertville 64, Brewer 37
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Cullman vs. Albertville, 6 p.m.
GIRLS BRACKETS
CLASS 1A
Area 10
Jacksonville Christian 48, Faith Christian 42
Sacred Heart 64, Donoho 40
Spring Garden 95, Jacksonville Christian 32
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Spring Garden vs. Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.
Area 11
Appalachian 61, Southeastern 45
Coosa Christian 65, Ragland 45
Finals, Wed., Feb. 7
Coosa Christian 58, Appallachian 43
Area 14
Valley Head 63, Gaylesville 47
Skyline 72, Valley Head 33
Cedar Bluff 59, Woodville 41
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Cedar Bluff vs. Skyline, 7 p.m.
Area 15
Paint Rock Valley 38, Athens Bible 32
Decatur Heritage 62, Paint Rock Valley 23
Whitesburg Christian 40, Lindsay Lane 30
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Decatur Heritage vs. Whitesburg Christian, 6 p.m.
CLASS 2A
Area 8
LaFayette 61, Reeltown 21
Lanett 62, Horseshoe Bend 37
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
LaFayette vs. Lanett, 5 p.m.
Area 10
Vincent 44, Woodland 29
Finals, Wed., Feb. 7
Ranburne 47, Vincent 10
Area 12
Collinsville 69, Westbrook Christian 39
Sand Rock 91, Gaston 27
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Collinsville vs. Sand Rock, 6 p.m.
Area 15
Fyffe 59, Asbury 38
Section 49, Ider 31
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Fyffe vs. Section, 6 p.m.
CLASS 3A
Area 9
Wed., Feb. 7
Weaver 63, Ohatchee 36
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Walter Wellborn vs. Ohatchee-Weaver winner, 6 p.m.
Area 10
Piedmont 38, Pleasant Valley 35
Thurs., Feb. 8
Glencoe vs. Piedmont, 6 p.m.
Area 13
Brindlee Mountain 41, New Hope 36
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Brindlee Mountain vs. Geraldine, 5:30 p.m.
Area 14
Pisgah 76, Sylvania 44
North Sand Mountain 75, Plainview 61
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Pisgah vs. North Sand Mountain, 7 p.m.
CLASS 4A
Area 8
Anniston 70, Saks 23
Handley 68, Munford 25
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Anniston vs. Handley, 6 p.m.
Area 12
Hokes Bluff 56, White Plains 29
Jacksonville 53, Cherokee County 49
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Hokes Bluff vs. Jacksonville, 6 p.m.
Area 13
North Jackson 61, Sardis 45
Finals, Wed., Feb. 7, 6 p.m.
North Jackson 36, DAR (13-13) 35
Area 14
Madison County 52, Randolph 17
Madison Academy 70, Westminster Christian 11
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Madison Academy vs. Madison County, 7 p.m.
CLASS 5A
Area 10
Talladega 109, Central-Clay County 55
Cleburne County 36, Lincoln 23
Finals, Wed., Feb. 7
Talladega (29-2) 56, Cleburne County (16-13) 22
Area 11
Mortimer Jordan 56, St. Clair County 21
Corner 31, Springville 25
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Mortimer Jordan vs. Corner, 6 p.m.
Area 13
Alexandria 49, Etowah 42
Boaz 43, Douglas 36
Finals, Fri., Feb. 9
Alexandria vs. Boaz, 6 p.m.
Area 14
Scottsboro 51, Crossville 17
Arab 59, Guntersville 42
Finals, Wed., Feb. 7
Scottsboro (26-3) 74, Arab (15-12) 45
CLASS 6A
Area 10
Homewood 51, Shades Valley 41
Ramsay 61, Parker 11
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Homewood vs. Ramsay, 6 p.m.
Area 12
Center Point 57, Gardendale 28
Clay-Chalkville 50, Pinson Valley 44
Finals. Wed., Feb. 7
Center Point vs. Clay-Chalkville, 6 p.m.
Area 13
Pell City 53, Oxford 44
Finals, Wed., Feb. 7
Southside-Gadsden (23-1) 45, Pell City (14-8) 44
Area 14
Brewer 60, Albertville 45
Cullman 62, Fort Payne 50
Finals, Thurs., Feb. 8
Brewer vs. Cullman, 6 p.m.
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