Oxford tourney champs
- Updated: December 22, 2018
Yellow Jackets get balanced scoring to win ninth straight, Carrollton Holiday Tournament; White Plains falls to undefeated Springville in OT in classic Champions final
White Plains’ Gavin Burrage (24) and Springville’s Chase Isbell get the Champions title game underway. At the end of the night, Isbell would be named MVP and Springville would be the champions. (Photo by B.J. Franklin)
SATURDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Carrollton (Ga.) Holiday Tournament
at Carrollton H.S.
Marietta 73, South Paulding 65 (2OT)
Championship game, Oxford 76, Therrell (Ga.) 64
Champions Sports Academy Christmas Classic
Ohatchee 50, Ashville 50
Alexandria 56, Southside 42
Weaver 67, Lincoln 57
Championship game, Springville 50, White Plains 45 (OT)
Patrick Ball Memorial Christmas Classic
at Hokes Bluff
Consolation game, Glencoe 80, Pleasant Valley 69
Championship game, Hokes Bluff 42, Piedmont 21
Sand Mountain Christmas Tournament
at DeKalb County Schools Coliseum, Rainsville
Championship, Plainview 87, Fyffe 56
Cover photo of Oxford’s Mont McClendon by B.J. Franklin. To see a gallery of photos from the Champions Classic click on this link: www.bjfranklin.smugmug.com
By East Alabama Sports Today
CARROLLTON, Ga. – Oxford basketball coach Joel VanMeter has been preaching the merits of team play all season to his Yellow Jackets and it paid off in a big way Saturday night.
The Jackets put all five starters in double figures to offset the three double-figure scorers of their opponent and beat Therrell (Ga.) 76-64 to extend their winning streak and win the Carrollton (Ga.) Holiday Tournament.
Mont McClendon led the way with 19 points. Roc Taylor had 15, Zondrick Garrett 13, Eugene Leonard 12 and Kobe Warren 11.
“Good win; five guys in double figures, that’s how you win a game,” VanMeter said. “What I told our guys is the first two days of the tournament Roc and Z pretty much dominated; it’s not like our others guys didn’t play well, but Roc and Z dominated.
“Tonight, Z struggled a little, but when one’s struggling another has it going. For a high school team, if you’ve got five guys on the floor who can score you’re really hard to guard. That’s what we’ve always tried to do here.”
Another huge factor for the Jackets (12-3) was the way they shot free throws. They were a 24-of-28 for the game. They were 14-of-16 in the fourth quarter, 17-of-19 in the second half.
Leonard and McClendon both dropped eight and were a combined 16-for-18. Leonard was 8-for-8, 6-for-6 in the fourth quarter.
“Mont’s a gamer; he’s always been a gamer, growing up he’s been a gamer,” VanMeter said. “He’s a good shooter, he’s just struggled from the line (earlier this year), but over the last four games it’s like as soon as he made one he was going to make a bunch of them.
“And Eugene, well, that was typical Eugene Leonard down the stretch. That tells you about that kid. He misses those two at White Plains and when I tell you it didn’t faze him one bit, it might have for the first couple hours, but it hasn’t. He is who he is. He’s confident, he’s a player and he’s probably played even better since then.”
Robbie Armbrester led the Panthers of southwest Atlanta, the No. 2 team in Georgia 2A, with a game-high 24 points.
It was Oxford’s ninth win in a row, the longest streak in VanMeter’s tenure.
The Jackets trailed 16-11 after the first quarter but rallied to take a 31-25 halftime lead and with Garrett heating up after halftime extended it to nine entering the fourth quarter.
They’ll be looking to extend the winning streak in the Huntsville City Classic after Christmas. It’s the tournament that has typically been the corner-turner in the Yellow Jackets season the previous two years.
Oxford 76, Therrell 64
OXFORD (12-3) – Rylan Houck 0 0-0 0, Zondrick Garrett 6 1-1 13, Eugene Leonard 2 8-8 12, Mont McClendon 5 8-10, Kobe Warren 4 0-0 11, Roc Taylor 5 5-7 15, Justin Moore 2 2-2 6. Totals 24 24-28 76.
THERRELL (9-4) – Robbie Armbrester 9 5-8 24, RaSean Frederick 2 8-13 12, Roman Son 3 4-5 10, Cameron Fortson 2 1-4 5, Calvin Miller 2 0-0 5, Donerson 2 2-2 8, Kevin Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 20-32 64.
Oxford 11 20 19 26 – 76
Therrell 16 9 16 23 – 64
3-point goals: Oxford 4 (McClendon, Warren 3); Therrell 4 (Armbrester, Miller, Donerson 2). Technical fouls: Armbrester, Son. Fouled out: Garrett, Warren, Son. Total fouls: Oxford 23, Therrell 22.
Springville Champions’ champion
White Plains’ Simeon Shadrix (11) tries to keep Springville’s Hudson Kersh from advancing the ball up the floor. Both players were named to the Champions All-Tournament Team. (Photo by B.J. Franklin)
Hudson Kersh scored 15 points, including four from the free throw line in overtime, to lift undefeated Springville over White Plains 50-45 Saturday night to win the Champions Christmas Classic championship.
Kersh was 4-for-4 from the line in the extra period and 7-for-8 in the second half. He made the second of two free throws with five-tenths of a second left in regulation to send the game into overtime.
The shots came after Jaden Chatman violently rimmed out the front end of a one-and-one with 7.6 to play that would have put White Plains up 43-41.
Ben Bianchi had 12 points for Springville, nine in the fourth quarter that helped his team erase a 28-25 deficit at the end of three quarters.
Simeon Shadrix led White Plains with 15 points on five 3-pointers. The Wildcats hit 11 3s in the game.
Springville’s Chase Isbell was named tournament MVP. The rest of the all-tournament team included Kersh, White Plains’ Shadrix and Brody Baker, Alexandria’s Landan Williams, Weaver’s Shamar Spinks, Southside’s Brock Habyan and Lincoln’s Brian Garrett.
Springville 50, White Plains 45
WHITE PLAINS – Coleman Messer 0 0-0 0, Quin Wilson 1 4-4 7, Jaden Chatman 2 2-4 6, Simeon Shadrix 5 0-0 15, Jacob Wheeler 0 0-0 0, Brody Baker 0 1-2 1, Matthew Clay 2 1-3 7, Jaden Harris 0 0-0 0, Kahlil Williams 0 0-0 0, Gavin Burrage 3 0-0 9. Totals 13 8-13 45.
SPRINGVILLE – Hudson Kersh 3 7-8 15, Aaron Byars 0 0-0 0, Brandon Daniels 0 0-0 0, Max Harrison 2 0-0 4, Justin Bromley 2 0-0 6, Cameron Bonner 2 0-0 4, Jace Hayes 0 0-0 0, Chase Isbell 3 1-3 7, Jacob Godsby 1 0-0 2, Cole Clark 0 0-0 0, Ben Bianchi 4 4-4 12. Totals 17 12-15 50.
White Plains 11 9 8 14 3 – 45
Springville 11 7 7 17 8 – 50
3-point goals: White Plains 11 (Wilson, Shadrix 5, Clay 2, Burrage 3); Springville 4 (Kersh 2, Bromley 2). Total fouls: White Plains 13, Springville 18. Officials: Montgomery, Robinson, Oden.
Ohatchee 60, Ashville 50
Evan Keller led all scorers with 24 points, sophomore Trey Pesnell had a breakout game with 12 and they combined for 13 points in the fourth quarter as the Indians pulled away to win the seventh-place game.
“It was a team effort,” Pesnell said. “We kept playing hard until the very end.”
The Indians (6-5) carried a one-point lead into the fourth quarter and outscored the Bulldogs 19-10. Keller had nine points in the quarter and Pesnell, seeing his most extensive action of the season, added four.
Keller averaged nearly 17 points in the three tournament games. Pesnell scored five points in the tournament before Saturday. He hit a 3-pointer in the opener against Springville, but hit two Saturday.
“Trey has been playing well for us,” Ohatchee coach Bryant Ginn said. “He has given us great minutes off the bench and today, because of foul trouble and injuries, he played the majority of the game. He knocked down some big shots and played good defense for us.”
Ohatchee 60, Ashville 50
OHATCHEE – Trey Pesnell 5 0-0 12, Grayson Alward 1 2-9 4, Cameron Foushee 1 1-4 3, Evan Keller 7 7-9 24, Bayley Tillison 4 0-0 8, Austin Wyatt 0 2-2, Briley Hale 2 3-6 7. Totals 20 15-30 60.
ASHVILLE – Daniel Welch 1 2-2 5, John Phillips 1 3-4 5, A.J. Lopano 1 0-0 2, Cesar Segura 1 2-2 4, Chris Sanders 5 4-4 14, Jonah Carden 0 0-0 0, Dalton Cone 5 4-6 18, Landon Vann 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 15-18 50.
Ohatchee 13 17 11 19 – 60
Ashville 16 13 11 10 – 50
3-point goals: Ohatchee 5 (Pesnell 2, Keller 3); Ashville 5 (Welch, Cone 4). Technical fouls: Lopano. Fouled out: Lopano, Sanders, Cone. Total fouls: Ohatchee 17, Ashville 24. Officials: Leon Elston, Courtney Walker, Warren Askew.
Alexandria 56, Southside 42
Southside’s Colton Morrison loses the handle trying to drive between Alexandria’s Joe Tucker (L) and Adam Young. (Photo by B.J. Franklin)
Freshman Julian Wright scored 13 points and Adam Young added 10 to lead the Valley Cubs in the fifth-place game. Wright scored eight of his points in the third quarter after the Cubs built a 25-19 halftime lead.
The Cubs put it away by going 10-for-10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter after taking only two in the first three quarters of the game.
“It was important to keep the lead over 10 during that time,” Alexandria coach Jason Johnson said. “We work on them every day in practice because they are so important late in the game.”
Alexandria 56, Southside 42
ALEXANDRIA – Adam Young 3 2-2 10, Cotton Taylor 0 2-2 2, Julian Wright 6 1-3 13, Joe Tucker 2 1-1 5, Landon Comer 0 2-2 2, Romeo Dye 1 2-2 4, Jared Ponder 2 0-0 4, Khahlil Francis 1 0-0 3, Jalen Borders 3 0-0 7, Landan Williams 3 0-0 6. Totals 21 10-12 56.
SOUTHSIDE – Jordan Grantland 1 0-0 2, Blake Habyan 4 1-2 9, Daniel Lawley 0 0-0 0, Colton Morrison 6 0-0 14, Tommy Simmons 1 0-0 3, Brock Habyan 4 2-2 12, Parker Crask 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 3-4 42.
Alexandria 15 10 10 21 – 56
Southside 10 9 8 15 – 42
3-point goals: Alexandria 4 (Young 2, Francis, Borders); Southside 5 (Morrison 2, Simmons, Br. Habyan 2). Total fouls: Alexandria 10, Southside 12.
Weaver 67, Lincoln 57
Weaver’s Robert Gaines gets ready to make his move to the basket against Lincoln’s Zay Ragland. Gaines scored 28 points for the Bearcats. (Photo by B.J. Franklin)
Robert Gaines scored 28 points for the second time in the tournament, this time 17 in the second half and 10 in the fourth quarter, to power the Bearcats’ victory. DeAndre McCain broke out with 18 points after being held to five in his first two tournaments games.
Brian and Tre Garrett scored 17 apiece for Lincoln. Brian Garrett scored all his points in the second half. Tre Garrett hit five 3-pointers.
“Shamar (Spinks) had the assignment (on Brian Garrett) most of the game … (and) did a great job creating for everyone,” Weaver coach Marcus Herbert said.
Gaines has taken more of an inside presence of late and averaged 21.3 points in the tournament, and if they get going together he and Amardric Elston would give the Bearcats a formidable combination around the basket.
“It just makes us more dangerous,” Herbert said. “Because of the shooting ability to DeAndre, Shamar is able to be the slasher he is and now Brandon Heath is coming along. The key to anything that we do is us being disciplined and playing team ball.”
Brian Garrett scored 65 points in the three tournament games for Lincoln. Tre Garrett scored 50.
Weaver 67, Lincoln 57
WEAVER – Brandon Heath 2 2-5 6, Robert Gaines 13 2-3 28, Shamar Spinks 3 1-3 7, DeAndre McCain 7 1-2 18, Amardric Elston 4 0-0 8, Taber Stephens 0 0-0 0. Totals 29 6-13 67.
LINCOLN – Brian Garrett 7 0-0 17, Cam Reynolds 1 0-0 2, Tre Garrett 5 2-2 17, Jakahri Howard 1 0-0 2, Steve White 5 2-5 12, Xavier Ragland 0 0-0 0, Kevon Moore 1 0-0 2, Jack Wood 2 0-0 5. Totals 22 4-7 57.
Weaver 17 11 21 18 – 67
Lincoln 17 9 14 17 – 57
3-point goals: Weaver 3 (McCain 3); Lincoln 9 (B. Garrett 3, T. Garrett 5, Wood). Total fouls: Weaver 10, Lincoln 15. Officials: Guyton, Dupree, Weston.
Patrick Ball Memorial Classic
Hokes Bluff 42, Piedmont 21
HOKES BLUFF – The host Eagles (7-3) held Piedmont to nine points in the final three quarters after Alex Odam’s 3 at the buzzer gave the Bulldogs a 12-9 first-quarter lead. It was the Bulldogs’ first loss of the season (5-1). Odam (12) and Carl Myers (9) were the only players to score for Piedmont. Glencoe beat Pleasant Valley 80-69 in the consolation game.
Lincoln all-tournament guard Brian Garrett (0) drives to the basket against Weaver. (Photo by B.J. Franklin)
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