Urgent matters
- Updated: January 31, 2019
Thursday boys: White Plains plays with sense of urgency to topple Piedmont, Pesnell’s two last-second FTs lift Ohatchee, several county teams win in OT
BOYS GAMES
Alexandria 46, Saks 37
Anniston 77, Clay Central 69 (OT)
B.B. Comer at Winterboro
Donoho at Ranburne
Handley 72, Talladega 64
Jacksonville 85, Wellborn 23
Ohatchee 48, Faith Christian 46
Plainview 68, Sacred Heart 63
Pleasant Valley 72, Ragland 68 (OT)
Southside 49, Glencoe 22
Spring Garden 72, Sand Rock 49
Westbrook Christian 65, Weaver 62
White Plains 67, Piedmont 53
By East Alabama Sports Today
PIEDMONT – White Plains coach Chris Randall had three words for his team at halftime of its game at Piedmont Thursday night:
Sense of urgency.
After going through a particularly rough stretch in which they suffered several heartbreaking losses, the Wildcats were up on the Bulldogs at halftime but in desperate need of closing the deal.
They built on their 13-point halftime lead and left the building with a xx-xx victory.
“We’ve been on a really tough stretch where we’ve not been able to finish it off, but it felt really good to get one against a really good team,” Randall said. “You can get by with talent at home, but you’ve got to get by with toughness on the road. That was one of our toughest nights we’ve played all year.
“We played with a sense of urgency – not that we wanted to win, we had to win.”
The Wildcats were coming off a last-second loss to Hokes Bluff in their last game that knocked them out of a potential three-way tie for first place in their area to the No. 3 seed. It was their fifth loss in six games and third loss in the stretch by four points or fewer; one of those was a second overtime loss to Piedmont in the county tournament
Not something a team wants to be going through physically or emotionally at this most important stretch of the season.
Playing against a team Randall projects will make a “serious, serious run to Birmingham” in the Class 3A tournament, the Wildcats jumped on Piedmont early and stayed there.
Led by Matthew Clay early, they opened a 36-23 halftime lead and led by more than 20 in the second half. Clay had nine points in the first half and finished with 13 as the Wildcats had five scorers with at least eight points and three in double figures.
Jaden Chatman was strong for White Plains in the second half. He scored a career-high 15 points, 13 in the second half, and was 10-for-10 from the free throw line. But even more valuable than his points was the defense he played on Piedmont young gun Alex Odam.
Odam scored a team-high 17 points, but had only four at halftime. He scored all seven of Piedmont’s points in the third quarter as White Plains extended its lead to 17.
“Matthew Clay in the beginning was very aggressive and I think that gave the rest of his teammates a good bit of confidence,” Randall said. “He just came out of the gate in a full-bore attack mode and it was beautiful to see. He just played with a different intensity and helped us get off to great start. His early production really set the tone.”
White Plains 67, Piedmont 53
WHITE PLAINS – Coleman Messer 4 0-0 8, Houston Confer 0 0-0 0, Quin Wilson 1 0-0 3, Jaden Chatman 2 10-10 15, Simeon Shadrix 3 2-2 10, Brody Baker 2 0-0 6, Matthew Clay 4 4-6, Jaden Harris 0 0-0 0, Kahlil Williams 2 0-0 4, Gavin Burrage 3 0-0 8. Totals 21 16-18 67.
PIEDMONT – Carl Myers 4 0-0 10, Kaedon Jenkins 1 0-0 2, Delo Foster 2 0-0 4, Silas Thompson 3 2-2 8, Alex Odam 5 5-7 17, T.J. Fairs 3 3-6 9, Jakari Foster 0 0-0 0, Sean Smith 1 0-0 3.
White Plains 16 20 11 20 – 67
Piedmont 14 9 7 23 – 53
3-point goals: White Plains 9 (Wilson, Chatman, Shadrix 2, Baker 2, Clay, Burrage 2); Piedmont 5 (Myers 2, Odam 2, Smith). Technical fouls: D. Foster. Fouled out: Myers. Total fouls: White Plains 16, Piedmont 16.
Ohatchee 48, Faith Christian 46
OHATCHEE – The seniors on the Ohatchee basketball program owed Trey Pesnell a debt of gratitude Thursday night.
Pesnell, a sophomore, sank two free throws with 1.1 seconds left to break a tie and give the Indians a 48-46 come-from-behind victory over Faith Christian on Ohatchee’s Senior Night.
“I wasn’t nervous,” Pesnell said. “It was a hard-fought game. It felt good to knock the winning free throws down to help us win.”
The Indians trailed by six at halftime and into the fourth quarter. Pesnell was 3-for-5 from the line in the fourth quarter, while Cameron Foushee, Bayley Tillison and Briley Hale each scored five.
“I thought Trey did a great job stepping up when we are down a couple starters,” Ohatchee coach Bryant Ginn said. “He is starting to do a good job attacking the basket and is a good shooter. He came up with those big free throws to give us the win.”
Pesnell finished with eight points. Hale and Foushee had 11 each for Ohatchee, which was playing without injured leading scorer Evan Keller and Nate Higgins.
Ohatchee 48, Faith Christian 46
FAITH CHRISTIAN – C.J. Gomez 2 2-2 6, Seth Cravens 3 1-1 7, Michael McGraw 2 4-6 10, Beau Conley 2 0-0 5, Chase Gibbins 1 0-0 3, Jacques Prater 3 0-0 9, Jacob Cleckler 3 0-3 6. Totals 16 7-12 46.
OHATCHEE – Parker Alexander 1 1-1 3, Trey Pesnell 2 4-9 8, Grayson Alward 3 2-2 8, Todd Dover 0 1-2 1, Cameron Foushee 4 1-1 11, Bayley Tillison 1 3-4 6, Briley Hale 5 1-2 11. Totals 16 13-21 48.
Faith Christian 16 16 4 10 – 46
Ohatchee 11 15 4 18 – 48
3-point goals: Faith 7 (McGraw 2, Conley, Gibbins, Prater 3); Ohatchee 3 (Foushee 2, Tillison). Fouled out: Cravens. Total fouls: Faith 16, Ohatchee 12. Officials: Burroughs, Miller, Yates.
Anniston 77, Clay Central 69 (OT)
LINEVILLE – Antonio Kite scored 19 points and Hunter Rouse went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final minute of overtime to lift the Bulldogs.
Rouse and Kwame Milton both scored 12 for Anniston. Theron Montgomery had 15 and Ladreka Hall 11. All four contributed in overtime after the teams played to a 61-61 tie in regulation.
Clay Central’s Micah Harris got behind the defense for a layup to tie the game with eight seconds to play. Kite drove the length of the floor and his pull up jumper at the buzzer hit the rim sending the game to overtime.
Alexandria 46, Saks 37 (OT)
Adam Young scored four of his eight points in overtime and Alexandria held Saks scoreless in the extra session to win. Landan Williams led the Valley Cubs with 13 points. Joe Tucker had 11. The teams played to a 37-37 tie at the end of regulation.
Alexandria 46, Saks 37 (OT)
ALEXANDRIA – Adam Young 3 2-2 8, Julian Wright 3 2-4 8, Joe Tucker 3 3-4 11, Romeo Dye 1 1-2 3, Jared Ponder 1 1-2 3, Khalil 0 0-0 0, Jalen Borders 0 0-0 0, Landan Williams 5 3-3 13. Totals 16 12-17 46.
SAKS – Tyler Smith 3 1-2 7, Zaejuan Johnson 3 0-0 8, Daveon Dukes 4 1-1 9, Zay Elston 3 3-4 10, Kyle Goedde 0 0-0 0, Patrick Williams 1 0-0 3, Jordan Cosper 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 5-7 37.
Alexandria 5 14 13 5 9 – 46
Saks 5 9 10 13 0 – 37
3-point goals: Alexandria 2 (Tucker 2); Saks 4 (Johnson 2, Elston, Williams). Technical fouls: Cosper. Fouled out: Smith. Total fouls: Alexandria 7, Saks 16.
Pleasant Valley 72, Ragland 68 (OT)
JACKSONVILLE – Josh Ballew scored five of his 27 points in overtime and the Raiders had four scorers in double figures to snap a six-game losing streak. Ballew hit six 3-pointers in the game. Ragland’s Josh Phillips had 29 points.
Pleasant Valley 72, Ragland 68 (OT)
RAGLAND – Travis Schall 2 2-5 6, Nathaniel Kelley 5 3-6 13, Josh Phillips 13 3-6 29, Hunter Day 1 1-2 3, Brody Bice 2 1-2 6, Elijah Ball 2 0-2 4, Jalen Byers 2 3-6 7, Totals 27 13-29 68.
PLEASANT VALLEY – Austin Johnson 5 1-6 11, Jake Malsy 4 4-8 13, Josh Ballew 8 3-6 27, Wyatt Ingram 1 0-0 3, Coleman Haynes 3 0-2 6, Garrett Cranmer 0 2-6 2, Colby Gaines 5 1-4 11. Totals 26 11-32 72.
Ragland 12 20 16 16 4 – 68
Pleasant Valley 17 10 20 17 8 – 72
3-point goals: Ragland 1 (Bice); Pleasant Valley 7 (Ballew 6, Malsy). Fouled out: Schall, Phillips, Byers. Total fouls: Ragland 24, Pleasant Valley 21. Officials: Bary, Watson, Ratliff.
Jacksonville 85, Wellborn 23
JACKSONVILLE – Donavon McCain scored 22 points, Hudson Harvey grabbed 11 rebounds and Yessman Green did not miss a shot all night as the Golden Eagles had their way with the winless Panthers.
McCain was 11-of-14 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds. Harvey had eight points to go with his boards. Green scored 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the floor and 3-of-3 accuracy at the free throw line. Jay Davis had 15 points, three assists and three steals for the Golden Eagles.
In a good sign for the future, Jacksonville’s junior high team beat Anniston to win the Calhoun County Big School Junior High Tournament.
Jacksonville 85, Wellborn 23
WELLBORN – Khavion Wesley 2-15 8-14 13, Lewis Patterson 3-5 0-0 6, Robert Brown 1-1 0-0 2, Logan Grubbs 1-2 0-1 2, Max Searcy 0-1 0-0 0, Justin Berry 0-3 0-0 0, Tae Traylor 0-1 0-0 0, Austin Gamble 0-0 0-0 0, K. Jackson 0-0 0-0 0, Harley Kendall 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 7-28 8-15 23.
JACKSONVILLE – Donavon McCain 11-14 0-2 22, Jay Davis 6-11 2-3 15, Yessman Green 4-4 3-3 11, Omarion Adams 3-5 3-3 9, Kyrie Maynor 4-7 0-0 9, Hudson Harvey 4-6 0-3 8, Nathan Barnwell 3-6 1-4 7, Luke Jackson 1-3 0-0 2, DeMarien Stewart 1-5 0-0 2. Totals 27-61 9-18 85.
Wellborn 8 10 3 2 – 23
Jacksonville 18 30 26 11 – 85
3-point goals: Wellborn 1-8 (Wesley 1-4, Patterson 0-2, Searcy 0-1, Berry 0-1); Jacksonville 2-8 (McCain 0-1, Davis 1-3, Maynor 1-2, Jackson 0-1, Stewart 0-2). Rebounds: Wellborn 13 (Patterson 2, Brown 2, Searcy 2); Jacksonville 48 (Harvey 11, McCain 8). Total fouls: Wellborn 13, Jacksonville 10.
Plainview 68, Sacred Heart 63
RAINSVILLE – Plainview hit seven 3-pointers in the first quarter – all its points in the quarter – and was 14-of-32 from behind the arc in the game to beat Sacred Heart for the second time this season.
Koby Tinker hit four 3-pointers in the game and finished with a team-high 19 points. Caden Millican hit three and had 17. In all, six Bears hit 3-pointers in the game.
Jayden Stone and Caleb Brown led Sacred Heart with 21 and 16, respectively. Stone was held to two points in the first half. Brown scored eight in the first quarter, 11 in the first half.
Plainview 68, Sacred Heart 63
SACRED HEART – Khalil Watkins 2 4-4 8, Jack Miller 2 0-0 4, Allen Marshall 1 202 4, Caleb Brown 6 2-2 16, Aaron Moore 2 0-0 4, Jayden Stone 8 1-2 21, Cade Landers 2 0-0 6. 23 9-10 63.
PLAINVIEW – Jackson Hosch 0 0-0 0, Cole Millican 2 0-0 6, Dane Haymon 4 1-2 10, Haden White 4 0-1 11, Caden Millican 6 2-2 17, Jonah Williams 1 0-0 3, Koby Tinker 5 5-6 19, Grant Sanders 1 0-0 2. Totals 23 8-11 68.
Sacred Heart 14 12 20 17 – 63
Plainview 21 17 12 18 – 68
3-point goals: Sacred Heart 8 (Brown 2, Stone 4, Landers 2); Plainview 14-32 (Haymon 1-2, Ca. Millican 3-6, Co. Millican 2-5, Tinker 4-9, White 3-9, Williams 1-1). Fouled out: Watkins. Total fouls: Sacred Heart 16, Plainview 10. Officials: Battles, Thomas, Rary.
Handley 72, Talladega 64
TALLADEGA – Graham Martin scored nine of his game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter and the Tigers were 8-for-9 from the line in the quarter as they came from behind to win. They were only 3-of-8 at the line through the first three quarters.
Martin hit all three of his 3-pointers in the first quarter as Handley took a 19-17 first-quarter lead, but Talladega led at halftime 31-30 and by seven with five minutes to play.
Chaztin Tanner led Talladega with 20 points, 13 in the third quarter. D’Corian Wilson and Kobe Simmons both had double doubles; Wilson had 13 points and 12 rebounds, Simmons had 12 and 12.
The Tigers, who had a 14-game winning streak earlier this year, will be looking to avoid ending their regular season on a three-game losing streak when they visit Clay Central Friday.
Handley 72, Talladega 64
HANDLEY – Jackson Martin 3 0-0 6, Graham Martin 9 3-4 24, Vontae Houston 3 3-6 9, Armonte Curtis 0 0-0 0, Dylan Brooks 5 3-5 13, Corey Bell 6 2-2 16, Josh Smith 2 0-0 4. Totals 28 11-17 72.
TALLADEGA – Chaztin Tanner 9 0-1 20, Aaron Green 2 0-0 5, Rontavious Barclay 6 0-0 12, D’Corian Wilson 5 3-4 13, Roderris Montgomery 1 0-0 2, J.Q. Wilson 0 0-0 0, Kobe Simmons 6 0-1 12, Keonte Funderburg 0 0-0 0. Totals 29 3-6 64.
Handley 19 11 13 29 – 72
Talladega 17 14 17 16 – 64
3-point goals: Handley 5 (G. Martin 3, Bell 2); Talladega 3 (Tanner 2, Green). Total fouls: Handley 11, Talladega 13. Officials: Oden, Robinson, Wright.
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