Furious finishes
- Updated: January 15, 2019
Boys roundup: Piedmont pulls away from Weaver in final minute, Oxford holds off Huffman rally, Donoho hangs on against Ranburne, Anniston rallies on White Plains, and more
TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Anniston 53, White Plains 40
Donoho 87, Ranburne 85
Etowah 68, Alexandria 56
Handley 71, Clay Central 66
Jacksonville 70, Cherokee County 53
Lincoln 70, Cleburne County 44
Munford at Talladega Co. Central
Oxford 76, Huffman 67
Piedmont 63, Weaver 56
Ragland 52, ASD 43
Saks 58, Pleasant Valley 46
Spring Garden 72, Jacksonville Christian 36
Westbrook Christian 60, Ohatchee 50
Winterboro at Victory Christian
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
PIEDMONT – This season is our season. The fourth quarter is our quarter.
That seemed to be the message running through the Piedmont basketball team Tuesday night after the Bulldogs came back from trailing most of the night to beat Weaver 63-56 and take the upper hand in the Class 3A Area 11 race.
The Bulldogs, nearing the end of a brutal nine game in 14 days stretch, trailed most of the game and took their first lead since 2-0 on Alex Odam’s basket with 1:21 to play. After the Bearcats retied it at 56, Odam scored the last seven points of the game in a wild final 45 seconds to bring the victory home.
It was their ninth win in a row and eighth in their current 14-day gauntlet that started the new year, which ends Thursday against Saks.
The Bulldogs (15-2) trailed by six entering the fourth quarter and outscored Weaver 23-10. After going 7-for-13 from the foul line through the first three quarters, they were 11-for-14 in the fourth.
“We went into the locker room at halftime and coach just talked to us and said we’ve been down by more than this before,” center Delo Foster said. “We came back out and went on a run, chipped it down quarter by quarter and in the fourth quarter we came over to the bench and said the fourth quarter is our quarter.”
“The fourth quarter has always been our thing,” Odam said. “No matter what the situation is we show up to play in the fourth quarter.”
Odam struggled like an eighth-grader in a big game early in the game, but he delivered when it counted, scoring Piedmont’s last nine points and 11 of their last 14.
His contested off-balanced 3-pointer with 44.5 seconds left gave Piedmont the lead, then he hit two technical foul shots with 16.4 left and finally two free throws on the ensuing possession to seal it. He finished with 17 points.
“It was crazy, one of the best games I’ve ever played in, loud,” Odam said. “I struggled a lot early, but my teammates always have faith in me and I had confidence to shoot it.”
“I think we just stuck with it,” Bulldogs coach JoJo Odam said. “That’s what we kept preaching to them, stick with it. We were behind at half, but we thought if we kept plugging away and plugging away and we could get close at the end we felt like we had a chance. They stuck with it and gutted one out at the end.”
Heroes were everywhere for the Bulldogs. Foster scored 10 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked seven shots and altered at least six others. None of the blocks were as important as the one he got on a Robert Gaines’ dunk attempt in the fourth quarter that Carl Myers turned into a three-point play to tie the game. Coach JoJo called Myers “the man tonight” with his 18 points and eight defensive rebounds.
Weaver had control of the game for the first half. Robert Gaines and Amardric Elston challenged Foster inside and combined to outscore the Bulldogs 16-15 in the first quarter. When Gaines picked up his second foul in the second quarter, Shamar Spinks took the lead and scored nine points, including a neat changing-hands-in-midair layup.
Gaines and Spinks both had 15 points. Elston had 16.
The Bearcats must now beat Piedmont in the rematch to force a tie and coin flip for the No. 1 seed in their five-team area tournament.
“We have to be more disciplined,” Weaver coach Marcus Herbert said. “To control the whole game like we did and let it slip away like it did hurts, but we have to learn how to play with a lead. We’ll be better prepared the next go around.”
PIEDMONT 63, WEAVER 56
WEAVER – Taylor Deck 0 0-0 0, Brandon Heath 3 0-0 6, Robert Gaines 6 0-0 15, Shamar Spinks 7 1-1 15, Gary Wallace 1 0-0 2, DeAndre McCain 1 0-1 2, Amardric Elston 7 2-5 16, Tabor Stephens 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 3-7 56
PIEDMONT – Carl Myers 6 4-9 18, Kaedon Jenkins 0 0-0 0, Delo Foster 5 0-1 10, Silas Thompson 5 1-2 11, Alex Odam 4 8-9 17, T.J. Fairs 1 5-6 7, Jakari Foster 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 18-27 63.
Weaver 22 13 11 10 – 56
Piedmont 15 12 13 23 – 63
3-point goals: Weaver 3 (Gaines 3); Piedmont 3 (Myers 2, Odam). Technical fouls: Elston. Fouled out: McCain. Total fouls: Weaver 22, Piedmont 12. Officials: Calkins, Kelley, Burroughs.
OXFORD 74, HUFFMAN 67
OXFORD – The Yellow Jackets (17-4) acted like a swarm of yellow jackets on a 41-16 run in the second half to open up a 74-51 lead and it was a big enough cushion that being outscored 16-2 in the final two and a half minutes didn’t leave a mark.
There were Yellow Jackets everywhere as Mont McClendon scored 15 points, Rock Taylor 10 and Zondrick Garrett five points as the Jackets put together runs of seven, eight and nine points to stun the Vikings (16-6).
The win avenged an early-season 56-49 loss at Huffman. The Vikings have been ranked as high as No. 2 in the state this year. Oddly, the Jackets, who have won 14 of their last 15, are not ranked despite several wins over ranked teams.
Oxford had four players in double figures in the game with McClendon pouring in a game-high 22 points. Garrett had 19 points, nine rebounds, five blocked shots and four dunks. Taylor finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. Kobe Warren chipped in 11 points.
“We feel very positive at this point,” Oxford coach Joel VanMeter said. “We have played some quality competition with varying styles and teams that play at a high level.
“Another good thing is that we have got our roles determined. They are comfortable and we are not trying to figure all that out. In the past we have had pieces, but they just did not fit. This year they fit really well. They are good kids that truly enjoy being teammates. They like each other. They are unselfish and have no hidden agendas.”
The first half was an absolute war between two teams fitting of going a long way in the state 6A playoffs this year. The Vikings have the edge in height, but the Jackets are right there with them. The Jackets started quickly on a 5-0 spurt on a McClendon 3-pointer and a Taylor layup.
The Vikings reeled off 12 in a row as the ball would not go in the bucket for the Jackets for over 4 minutes. Finally, Eugene Leonard broke the ice with a driving layup and then Garrett went on a tear with 13 points, five rebounds, two dunks and three blocked shots to tie the game at 31-31.
Warren’s half-court shot hit nothing but the bottom of the net and Oxford was up 38-35 at the half. The lead changed eight times in the first half as they traded baskets at a blistering pace.
The end of the game got a little too close for comfort, when the starters were pulled with two and a half minutes to go with a 23-point lead. The starters had to go back in with 49 seconds left after the Vikings put up 16 points in a little over a minute aided by a couple of 3s and some technical free throws.
The Yellow Jackets head to the Calhoun County Tournament next Tuesday where they’re the No. 1 seed and face the winner of the Alexandria-Saks game.
“The competition is as good as it has ever been this year and whomever wins it could catapult them into a good post-season position,” Van Meter said. “Just the fact that they can survive the intense competition is a big thing.
“These guys want to win the county. It is a great source of pride for them to play well in front of their friends. It is a big deal for them and us. I can tell you that it is a lot more fun to win in these tournaments than lose.”
– Brant Locklier
Oxford 76, Huffman 67
HUFFMAN (16-6) – Jamal Mott 2 0-0 5, Jaquarious Sword 1 0-0 2, Dequarrian Ezell 0 7-8 7, Eddie Smith 6 0-0 16, Elbert Washington 1 0-0 2, Cameron Humes 5 10-10 20, James Burgess 1 2-2 4, Jonathan Murray 2 0-0 4, Michael Lockhart 3 1-7 7. Totals 21 20-27 67.
OXFORD (17-4) – Zondrick Garrett 6 7-11 19, Eugene Leonard 3 0-0 6, Mont McClendon 8 3-3 22, Kobe Warren 3 304 11, Rock Taylor 7 0-0 14, Cordell Chatman 0 0-0 0, Justin Moore 2 0-0 4. Totals 29 13-18 76
Huffman 20 15 14 18 – 67
Oxford 20 18 21 17 – 76
3-point goals: Huffman 5 (Mott, Smith 4); Oxford 5 (McClendon 3, Warren 2)
ANNISTON 53, WHITE PLAINS 40
White Plains jumped out to a 15-2 lead, but Anniston used a 7-0 run at the end of the second quarter to take a three-point halftime lead and scored the first seven points of the third quarter to extend it onto victory.
Antonio Kite and Theron Montgomery each scored 17 points to lead Anniston. Kite scored 11 in the second quarter to spark the comeback and Montgomery scored 14 in the second half.
White Plains built its lead with hot shooting, then inexplicably stopped making shots. Matthew Clay hit two 3-pointers in the quarter and Simeon Shadrix added five points for the Wildcats, then Kwame Milton jumped started the Bulldogs with a 3 at the buzzer.
Anniston 53, White Plains 40
WHITE PLAINS – Coleman Messer 2 0-2 4, Houston Conger 0 0-0 0, Quin Wilson 1 0-0 3, Jaden Chatman 0 0-0 0, Simeon Shadrix 4 0-0 11, Brody Baker 4 1-2 9, Matthew Clay 3 0-0 8, Jaden Harris 1 0-0 2, Kahlil Williams 0 0-0 0, Gavin Burrage 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 1-4 40.
ANNISTON – Antonio Kite 5 6-6 17, Ladreka Hall 2 1-2 5, Tahj Jones 0 0-0 0, Kwame Milton 2 0-0 6, Malcolm Harvey 3 0-0 6, William Fairley 1 0-0 2, Hunter Rouse 0 0-0 0, Theron Montgomery 6 5-7 17. Totals 19 12-15 53.
White Plains 15 5 10 10 – 40
Anniston 5 18 18 12 – 53
3-point goals: White Plains 7 (Wilson, Shadrix 3, Clay 2, Burrage). Anniston 3 (Kite, Milton 2). Total fouls: White Plains 14, Anniston 9
JACKSONVILLE 70, CHEROKEE COUNTY 53
JACKSONVILLE – Yessman Green scored 23 points and Donavon McCain had 16 points and nine rebounds as the Golden Eagles scored a big Class 4A Area 10 victory. Green, a freshman, hit 8-of-16 shots from the floor, including three 3-pointers. Jacksonville can really tighten up the race with a win at White Plains Friday night. Ivory Moore led the Warriors with 20 points.
Jacksonville 70, Cherokee County 53
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Ivory Moore 8-13 2-2 20, Ian Edwards 4-12 2-2 12, Luke Goss 3-9 1-2 8, Slade Alexander 2-4 1-2 5, Bradley Elrod 2-2 0-0 4, Chancellor Latty 1-4 0-0 3, Nasire Diamond 0-3 1-2 1, Mitchell Davis 0-0 0-0 0, Blake Dobbs 0-2 0-0 0, Walton Green 0-0 0-0 0, Jayleon Henderson 0-0 0-0 0, Caden Hubbard 0-0 0-0 0, Preston Matthews 0-0 0-0 0, Stephen Smith 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-49 7-10 53.
JACKSONVILLE – Yessman Green 8-16 4-4 23, Donavon McCain 4-5 8-11 16, Omarion Adams 4-4 1-1 9, Kyrie Maynor 2-6 4-4 9, DeMarien Stewart 3-9 0-0 8, Jay Davis 2-8 0-0 4, Hudson Harvey 0-0 0-0 0, Luke Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Nathan Barnwell 0-0 0-0 0, Carter Landers 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-48 17-20 70.
Cherokee County 9 11 21 12 – 53
Jacksonville 14 21 19 16 – 70
3-point goals: Cherokee County 6-22 (Moore 2-5, Edwards 2-5, Goss 1-7, Alexander 0-1, Latty 1-2, Dobbs 0-2); Jacksonville 7-18 (Green 3-7, Maynor 1-3, Stewart 2-6, Davis 1-2). Rebounds: Cherokee County 23 (Alexander 4); Jacksonville 32 (McCain 9, Stewart 5). Total fouls: Cherokee County 15, Jacksonville 9.
DONOHO 87, RANBURNE 85
Jacob LeCroy scored 28 points, Rod Elston had 26 and the Falcons held on down the stretch.
The game was close throughout. Donoho tied it with less than a minute to go. The Falcons got the ball back and worked the clock for a go-ahead shot. Their initial possession went out of bounds off a Ranburne player and after getting the ball inbounds they hit the last of their seven 3-pointers in the quarter to take the lead.
Donoho’s strategy was to foul once the Bulldogs got to midcourt since they were in the double bonus. The Falcons fouled with 1.1 seconds remaining, Brock Young made the first free throw, missed the second and the Falcons rebounded to run out the clock.
Young led all scorers with 30 points. Brett Maddox had 19 and Sam Green had 18.
ETOWAH 68, ALEXANDRIA 56
ATTALLA – Leading scorers David Berry and Christopher Griffin combined for 11 points in the second quarter as the Blue Devils pulled away with a 23-point quarter. Griffin finished with 13 points and Berry had 12. Five other Etowah players had at least six points.
Alexandria’s Joe Tucker led all scorers with 26 points. He hit four 3-pointers and scored 15 points in the second half. Landan Williams had six in the first quarter and finished with 11.
Etowah 68, Alexandria 56
ALEXANDRIA – Adam Young 1 0-0 2, Dustin Warren 0 0-0 0, Julian Wright 1 1-4 3, Joe Tucker 10 2-2 26, Landon Comer 1 0-0 2, Romeo Dye 0 0-0 0, Jared Ponder 2 0-1 5, Khahlil Francis 2 0-0 5, Jalen Borders 1 0-0 2, Landan Williams 5 1-1 11. Totals 23 4-8 56.
ETOWAH – Devin Laster 2 0-0 6, Christopher Griffin 5 1-2 13, Davian Smith 1 1-2 3, Payton Horton 0 0-0 0, Chris Smith 1 0-0 2, Justin Harris 0 0-0 0, Eric Edge 2 2-2 7, Derickey Wright 4 0-0 8, Trenton Davis 2 0-0 5, Jamin Graham 2 2-3 6, Brady Troup 0 0-0 0, Dakota Cole 3 0-0 6, David Berry 4 4-6 12. Totals 26 10-15 68.
Alexandria 15 10 10 21 – 56
Etowah 15 23 20 10 – 68
3-point goals: Alexandria 6 (Tucker 4, Ponder, Francis); Etowah 6 (Laster 2, Griffin 2, Edge, T. Davis). Total fouls: Alexandria 10, Etowah 12. Officials: Aldridge, Battles, Rary.
LINCOLN 70, CLEBURNE COUNTY 44
LINCOLN – Brian Garrett scored 16 points, Tre Garrett had 15 and Jack Wood added 10 to lead the Golden Bears. Chase Smith was Cleburne County’s leading scorer with 11 points.
Lincoln 70, Cleburne County 44
CLEBURNE COUNTY – A.J. Brown 3 2-6 8, Noah Lindsey 0 6-6 6, Chase Smith 2 5-6 11, Hudson Milton 1 0-0 2, Many Phillips 1 0-0 2, Christin Sims 0 0-0 0, Ben Casey 3 6-8 15, Josh Millen 0 0-0 0. LaTarrance Mackey 1 0-0 2. Totals 11 19-26 44.
LINCOLN – Brian Garrett 6 4-6 16, Cam Reynolds 2 1-1 6, Tre Garrett 5 4-12 15, Jakahri Howard 1 0-0 3, Steve White 1 1-2 3, Xavier Ragland 2 0-0 4, Kevon Moore 2 0-2 4, Jack Wood 4 0-0 10, Trevon Hines 0 1-2 1, Kye Patterson 3 0-0 8. Totals 26 11-25 70.
Cleburne County 8 16 7 13 – 44
Lincoln 22 13 13 22 – 70
3-point goals: Cleburne County 3 (Casey 3); Lincoln 7 (Reynolds, T. Garrett, Howard, Wood 2, Patterson 2). Total fouls: Cleburne County 21, Lincoln 23. Officials: Winn, Bellyu, Wise.
SAKS 58, PLEASANT VALLEY 48
Zay Elston scored eight in the first quarter as the Wildcats opened a 20-5 lead and went on to score 14 in the game. Jordan Cosper was their leading scorer with 17 points. The win snapped a four-game losing streak and was the Wildcats’ first victory of the new year.
Saks 58, Pleasant Valley 48
PLEASANT VALLEY – Jake Malsy 2 2-2 7, Brayden Wright 0 0-0 0, Josh Ballew 7 0-1 15, Wyatt Ingram 0 1-2 1, Coleman Haynes 3 3-6 10, Garrett Cranmer 1 2-2 4, Jackson Almaroad 1 0-0 2, Colby Gaines 3 1-2 7. Totals 17 9-15 46.
SAKS – Tyler Smith 4 1-4 9, Zaejuan Johnson 4 0-1 9, Daveon Dukes 3 2-6 8, Conor Martin 0 0-0 0, Zay Elston 7 0-4 14, Benji Wilson 0 0-2 0, Kyle Goedde 0 0-0 0, Patrick Williams 0 1-2 1, Jordan Cosper 8 0-0 17, Mike McLaughlin 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 4-19 58.
Pleasant Valley 5 14 10 17 – 48
Saks 20 13 11 14 – 58
3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 3 (Malsy, Ballew, Haynes); Saks 2 (Johnson, Cosper). Fouled out: Gaines. Total fouls: Pleasant Valley 19, Saks 19. Officials: Wood, Strong, Pass.
WESTBROOK CHRISTIAN 60, OHATCHEE 50
OHATCHEE – Nathan Higgins 1 1-2 3, Trey Pesnell 1 0-0 3, Grayson Alward 1 0-1 2, Todd Dover 1 1-2 3, Cameron Foushee 5 1-1 12, Evan Keller 8 0-0 18, Bayley Tillison 2 1-2 5, Austin Wyatt 1 0-0 2, Briley Hale 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 4-8 50.
WESTBROOK – Andrew Lockridge 2 2-3 6, Joe Pirani 0 0-1 0 Grant Martin 0 0-0 0, Joseph Gilcrest 2 3-5 9, Christian Morris 6 2-2 16, Patrick Wells 4 5-8 13, Jackson Littrell 4 1-4 9, Caden Phillips 1 5-10 7, Totals 19 18-33 60.
Ohatchee 6 13 11 20 – 50
Westbrook 10 17 9 24 – 60
3-point goals: Ohatchee 4 (Pesnell, Foushee, Keller 2); Westbrook 4 (Gilcrest 2, Morris 2). Total fouls: Ohatchee 23, Westbrook 11. Officials: Weston, Davis, Childs.
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