Rested and rocking
- Updated: February 8, 2020
After a week off, Oxford jumps out quickly, dispatches Albertville to win area tournament; hosts Lee next
By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today
OXFORD – The week off from play really did the Oxford Yellow Jackets some good as they came out on fresh legs and bolted to a 25-point lead midway through the third quarter before taking a 71-61 victory from 10th-ranked Albertville.
The win, their second over the Aggies in two weeks, gave the eight-ranked Yellow Jackets (20-8) the Class 6A Area 13 title. They now host No. 6 Lee-Huntsville (16-9) in the sub-region round of the state tournament Tuesday night. Albertville (24-5) travels to No. 2 Mae Jemison (26-2).
It was a stunning start for the Jackets (20-8) as Rylan Houck buried a 3 from the corner, had an assist on Roc Taylor’s basket-and-one, and hit another 3. Zondrick Garrett knocked down a bucket and then a 3, forcing the Aggies to call time down 14-0 just two minutes into the game.
“They came out in a zone and we shot them out of it in a hurry,” Oxford coach Joel Van Meter said.
“That was good as it gets, the way they played that first quarter,” Albertville coach Patrick Harding said. “Nothing much we could do about it.”
Albertville’s 6-9 junior Trinity Bell slammed the first of his four first quarter dunks to put the Aggies on the board. Taylor then banged in three baskets and a 3 as the Jackets led 27-8 after one quarter.
Bell had another dunk and three more baskets in the second quarter, cutting Oxford’s lead to 16 at the half. Taylor and Garrett combined for 11 Yellow Jacket points as Albertville had no real answer for low-post tandem. Bell had 16 first-half points, but was held to five in the second before fouling out.
The second half started out started out with a fury as guard Justin Moore and Garrett slammed down dunks to lead a 13-4 run and give the Jackets a 53-28 lead.
Four Yellow Jackets scored in double figures. Garrett had 22, Taylor 18, Houck 12 and Moore 10.
“Our kids played great tonight,” Van Meter said. “Rock and Z inside. Justin made some big shots. Kobe (Warren) ran things out there. Rylan was huge for us and Mont (McClendon) made some big plays.”
There was no quit in Albertville. Givenchy Dorival caught fire by scoring eight points and the Aggies went on a 12-3 run to narrow the gap to 16 points entering the fourth quarter. The Aggies got hot from the outside, knocking down four 3-point baskets down the stretch and got the lead down to 10 a couple of times, but could get no closer.
“We threw some big punches at them, but they showed what kind of team they are and the fight they have in them the way they battled after getting so far behind early,” Van Meter said. “This was a game between two teams that could win a state championship.
“We have all the respect in the world for those guys. They have two big men in Bell and (Dane) Harding and they have great guard play and they play hard. Just a tough team to beat.”
An Oxford win over Lee will most likely send it to meet top-ranked Pinson Valley (25-3) in the Northeast Regional semifinals. Third-ranked Huffman (28-3) also will be a factor in the region play. Six of the top 10 teams in the state are in the Northeast Region this season.
“We have gone everywhere and played everybody that would play us and had only played four home games until this last week,” VanMeter said. “I think that has made us a better fourth-quarter team as the year has went on. We just need to go out and continue to practice hard and get ready to play on Tuesday.”
CLASS 6A AREA 13 TOURNAMENT
Championship Game
Oxford 71, Albertville 61
ALBERTVILLE (24-5) – Drake Bearden 1 1-2 3, Chi Jordan 1 0-1 2, Dane Harding 4 2-3 11, Ben Allen 1 0-0 3, Givenchy Dorival 5 3-3 15, Chase Kitchens 0 0-0 0, Kobe Atchley 0 0-0 0, Elijah Moss 2 0-0 6, Trinity Bell 10 1-2 21, Cayden Blount 0 0-0 0, J.C. Baker 0 0-0 0, Jyhno Charles 0 0-0 0, Zion Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 7-11 61.
OXFORD (20-8) — Cordell Chatman 0 0-0 0, Zondrick Garrett 7 6-10 22, Rylan Houck 4 2-2 12, Mont McClendon 3 0-0 7, Kobe Warren 0 2-4 2, Roc Taylor 8 1-3 18, Bakari Dailey 0 0-0 0, Justin Moore 4 2-2 10, MIlas Jackson 0 0-0 0, Ethan Page 0 0-0 0, Avelon Bush 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 13-21 71.
Albertville 8 16 16 21 – 61
Oxford 27 13 16 15 – 71
3-point goals: Albertville 6 (Harding, Allen, Dorival 2, Moss 2); Oxford 7 (Garrett 2, Houck 2, Taylor 2, McClendon). Fouled out: Bell, Moore.
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