Clamping down
- Updated: February 7, 2020
Defensive effort lifts White Plains past Cherokee County in 4A Area 10 tournament; Jacksonville swamps Hokes Bluff
By Shannon Fagan
Special to East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE — Will Smith knew there was a strong possibility he would leading the Cherokee County Warrior basketball team in their Class 4A, Area 10 tournament opener against White Plains.
The Warriors’ head baseball and assistant basketball coach filled in for first-year head basketball coach Caleb Hays Thursday night after Hays’ wife Hope gave birth to healthy baby girl Callie earlier this week.
Smith prepared the Warriors as best he could under the circumstances, but the Wildcats used their defense to keep Cherokee County sharpshooters Slade Alexander and Connor Elrod at bay much of the game to earn a 59-42 victory.
The victory moves White Plains (20-11) into Friday’s championship game against top-seeded host Jacksonville, a 68-37 winner over Hokes Bluff.
“They did a few things they haven’t done to us before, and they built a lead,” Smith said. “We had some defensive breakdowns early, but once we finally settled down, we made a game of it.
“If you would have told me we held White Plains to under 60 points, I would have told you we’d have won the ball game. We just had trouble putting the ball in the hoop, and that’s the name of the game.”
White Plains coach Chris Randall said the Wildcats didn’t deviate from their game plan against the Warriors (11-15). They wanted to make Alexander and Elrod earn their points, and they did just that.
Elrod led the Warriors with 11 points. Alexander had eight. Neither connected on a 3-pointer.
“We really focused on those two guys,” Randall said. “They’re going to score because they’re going to take a high volume of shots. They’re attackers, which I love, and we knew they were going to get some points. We just had to make them work for everything.”
The Wildcats went on an 11-3 run to begin the game to set the tone. They led 17-10 after one and built a 29-17 edge by halftime.
The frustration continued for the Warriors in the second half, as Alexander, Elrod and Warrior junior center Nas Diamond all fouled out.
“We had six chances to take charges, and we were 4-for-6; Jaden (Chatman) took four,” Randall said. “He was in the right spots in gaps. We have rules we go by, and our guys didn’t break them for the most part. Sometimes guys are going to make tough shots against you. If we give up a tough shot and they score – and they did that some – then that’s OK, but I thought our defense was really stellar, the difference in the game.”
The Warriors got no closer than 10 points in the second half, and that came with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter on an Alexander basket.
Walker O’Steen led the Wildcats with 20 points. Brody Baker had 13, Quin Wilson tallied nine and Chatman finished with six.
Shannon Fagan is sports editor of the Cherokee County Herald and a frequent contributor to East Alabama Sports Today.
Jacksonville 68, Hokes Bluff 37
JACKSONVILLE – Top-seeded Jacksonville pulled away from a tied game by holding Hokes Bluff to two points in the second quarter and then overran the Eagles in the second half.
Yessman Green led the Golden Eagles with 15 points and six rebounds. He was the only Jacksonville scorer in double figures, but all 13 players who got in the game scored. Ten players attempted at least one 3-pointer and eight made one.
Ashton Gulledge and Jordan Presley led Hokes Bluff with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Between games the area schools recognized outgoing Hokes Bluff coach Jeff Noah for his years of service and contributions to the sport.
CLASS 4A AREA 10 BOYS BOX SCORES
White Plains 59, Cherokee County 42
CHEROKEE COUNTY (11-15) – Dylan Culver 0 1-2 1, Walton Green 1 0-0 3, Matt Johnson 2 1-2 6, Nas Diamond 2 3-4 7, Jason McSpadden 1 0-0 3, Slade Alexander 2 4-10 8, Cade Hopper 1 0-0 3, Connor Elrod 3 5-5 11, Courtlin Brooks 0 0-0 0, Malachi Horton 0 0-0 0, Charles Ramsey 0 0-0 0, Tristen Starr 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 14-23 42.
WHITE PLAINS (20-11) – Coleman Messer 3 0-0 6, Rico Aguire 0 0-0 0, Quin Wilson 1 6-8 9, Jaden Chatman 1 4-8 6, Jacob Wheeler 1 2-2 5, Landon Senciboy 0 0-0 0, Brody Baker 4 4-6 13, Carson Wright 0 0-0 0, Walker O’Steen 9 2-2 20, Kahlil Williams 0 0-0 0, Garrett Wilson 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 18-27 59.
Cherokee Co. 10 7 10 15 – 42
White Plains 17 12 11 19 – 59
3-point goals: Cherokee Co. 4 (Green, Johnson, McSpadden, Hopper); White Plains 3 (Q. Wilson, Wheeler, Baker). Technical fouls: Elrod. Fouled out: Diamond, Alexander, Elrod. Total fouls: Cherokee Co. 24, White Plains 17. Officials: Battles, Kelley, Smith.
Jacksonville 68, Hokes Bluff 37
HOKES BLUFF – Ashton Gulledge 4-6 3-4 12, Jordan Presley 4-9 0-0 11, Tucker Marsh 1-1 2-4 4, Caleb McGinnis 1-7 2-2 4, Payton Lemons 1-1 1-3 4, Connor Faulkner 1-2 0-0 2, Jalen Robinson 0-1 0-0 0, John Preston Fairel 0-1 0-0 0, Jackson Millander 0-0 0-0 0, Dylan Day 0-0 0-0 0, Sam Green 0-0 0-0 0, Coby Latham 0-2 0-0 0, Dustin Rainey 0-1 0-0 0, Cole Turner 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 12-32 8-12 37.
JACKSONVILLE – Yessman Green 4-5 6-8 15, Donavon McCain 3-3 2-2 9, Ron Wiggins 3-4 0-0 7, Q Long 2-8 2-3 7, Kyrie Maynor 3-11 0-1 6, Jaden Barksdale 2-3 0-0 5, Cam Johnson 2-8 0-0 4, John Broom 1-4 0-0 3, Caden Johnson 1-3 0-0 3, Jalen Morton 1-1 0-0 3, Hudson Harvey 1-4 0-0 2, Nathan Baarnwell 0-0 2-2 2, Jacob McCarley 1-1 0-0 2. Totals 24-55 12-16 68.
Hokes Bluff 13 2 10 12 – 37
Jacksonville 13 11 20 24 – 68
3-point goals: Hokes Bluff 5-18 (Gulledge 1-1, Presley 3-8, McGinnis 0-4, Lemons 1-1, Faulkner 0-1, Fairel 0-1, Latham 0-1, Rainey 0-1); Jacksonville 8-20 (Green 1-1, McCain 1-1, Wiggins 1-1, Long 1-3, Maynor 0-5, Barksdale 1-2, Cm. Johnson 0-2, Broom 1-2, Cd. Johnson 1-2, Morton 1-1). Rebounds: Hokes Bluff 19 (Robinson 4); Jacksonville 41 (Green 6, McCain 6). Total fouls: Hokes Bluff 13, Jacksonville 11.
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