Riding out the Wave
- Updated: November 24, 2020
Kite, Carlisle help Anniston ride out Green Wave, Oxford playing for tournament title after OT win, Wilson lifts White Plains in its consolation game
TUESDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Jacksonville Thanksgiving Tournament
Jacksonville 74, Glencoe 39
Cleburne County 39, Faith Christian 32
Lincoln Round Robin Classic
Anniston 75, Leeds 68
Lincoln 80, Talladega Co. Central 49
Sneaky Pete’s Rebel Classic
Semifinals: Oxford 60, Oak Mountain 58 (OT)
Spain Park Jag Classic
Third-place game: White Plains 60, McGill-Toolen 52
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
LINCOLN – Anniston coach Torry Brown drew three ‘X’s on the board in the locker room after the game. They represented the three types of games a basketball team will fall into during a season.
There’s a good, a bad and – we’re not going to say it – an OK.
If you win the games you play well in, most of the ones you play OK in and a decent amount when you play bad, there just might be a state championship at the end of the tunnel.
Brown’s Bulldogs got by with winning a game they played OK in Tuesday, holding off Leeds 75-68 on the second day of the Lincoln Round Robin.
There were some things they did well in the game and some things that were a bit lacking, but the bottom line is they made a few more plays in the end to remain undefeated against a team that came to the game with a lot of energy.
“What determines whether or not you have a good season is can you win the games you play OK and win the games you bad,” Brown said. “I think tonight was one of those games we played OK and won the game.”
Malcolm Carlisle wasn’t so generous. He thought it was a bad game. If that’s the case, they got one in that column.
Of course with the game on the line, everything for the Bulldogs went through Antonio Kite and Carlisle, either as planned or within their own mindset. When it was over Kite had 32 points and Carlisle had 22, but, as usual, there was so much more they did to fuel the victory.
When it came to passing out grades, Brown said Carlisle was kind of average but to the senior’s credit he found a way to get it done in the end. And as for Kite, he was, well, typical Spoodie.
The junior guard had 16 points in each half. He also had seven rebounds, four assists and a couple of steals. Carlisle’s shot was off early, but in the stretch when the Bulldogs took final control of the game he was right there.
“It’s good to have both of them,” Brown said.
When things were going good, the Bulldogs led by 13 early in the third quarter. But then one of those lapses hit and the Green Wave climbed back into it and the teams traded the lead on six straight possession before Anniston took it back for good.
The Green Wave closed to within 62-61 and called time with 3:02 to play. Over the next two minutes, the Bulldogs went on a 9-0 run to move comfortably back ahead. And their two stars were right in the middle of it.
Kite got it started with a coast-to-coast layup. After forcing a turnover, Carlisle stood at midcourt milking some clock then fired a sharp diagonal pass into the deep right corner that Tadyn Jones converted into a 3-pointer.
Leeds answered with two free throws, then in the next two possessions Carlisle drove the lane hard for a layup, then made a steal and finished it off with a thunderous dunk. That quickly, Anniston was back on top 71-63 with 1:02 to play.
There was an 8-0 run midway through the first half after Leeds tied the game at 26, Kite converted two of steals into layups and finished off a Carlisle steal for another basket.
“I wasn’t hitting tonight and he was,” Carlisle said. “It’s either going to go through me or it’s going to go through him or it’s going to go through both of us.”
Tight games like that “just make me go harder,” Kite said. “Towards the end of the game that’s when I usually kick in another motor if the other team’s close.”
And that motor what’s driving the Bulldogs to another victory.
In the second game, Brian Garrett scored 25 points and host Lincoln hit 11 3-pointers to swamp Talladega County Central 80-49.
Garrett scored 17 in the first half as Lincoln opened a 41-20 halftime lead. The Golden Bears really opened it up in the second half, hitting nine of their 3-pointers. Garrett, JR Proctor and Tripp Ward hit multiple 3s in the half.
Anniston and Lincoln close the tournament today at 2 p.m.
Lincoln Round Robin
Anniston 75, Leeds 68
ANNISTON (3-0) – Mark Toyer 3 0-0 6, Antonio Kite 10 11-12 32, Jacques Thomas 0 0-0 0, Alex Teague 0 0-0 0, Malcolm Carlisle 7 5-6 22, Troy Hall 1 1-2 4, Miciah Myles 4 1-2 9, Tadyn Jones 1 0-0 3, Taishun Hall 0 0-0 0, Jakobe Collins 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 18-22 75.
LEEDS (2-4) – Jamal Jordan 6 7-9 21, Chris Davidson 6 3-4 16, Josh Ruff 4 1-2 10, Dee Clark 3 0-2 6, Tanner Chambers 1 0-0 2, Patrick Taylor 0 0-0 0, Mehki Jones 2 5-6 11, Ford Barnes 1 0-0 2, Charlie Martin 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 16-23 68.
Anniston 21 22 11 21 – 75
Leeds 13 20 19 16 – 68
3-point goals: Anniston 5 (Kite, Carlisle 3, Jones); Leeds 6 (Jordan 2, Davidson, Ruff, Jones 2). Technical fouls: Kite. Fouled out: Hall, Myles, Jordan, Davidson. Total fouls: Anniston 24, Leeds 19. Officials: Askew, Ware, Wilson.
Lincoln 80, Talladega Co. Central 49
TCC – Cameron Swain 2 6-9 10, Bobby Tuck 5 4-5 15, Patrick Dosius 4 5-6 13, Kenard Jemison 0 0-0 0, Kavon Moten 2 1-2 5, Jamieon Garrett 1 2-4 4, Jamier Duncan 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 18-26 49.
LINCOLN – Brian Garrett 9 4-5 25, Korry Davis 4 2-2 10, Chris Curry 2 0-0 5, Lamare Hampton 1 1-2 3, Isaiah Ashley 0 0-0 0, Siete Garrett 0 0-0 0 J.R. Proctor 5 0-0 15, J.D. Davis 2 0-0 4, Tripp Ward 3 0-0 8, Tre Hines 5 0-0 10. Totals 31 7-9 80.
TCC 6 19 14 10 – 49
Lincoln 26 15 25 14 – 80
3-point goals: TCC 1 (Tuck); Lincoln 11 (B. Garrett 3, Curry, Proctor 5, Ward 2). Fouled out: S. Garrett. Total fouls: TCC 12, Lincoln 21. Officials: Morriss, Smith, Poss.
Jackets to play for title after OT win
BIRMINGHAM – Rylan Houck scored four of his 21 points in overtime to send Oxford past Oak Mountain 60-58 and into the championship game of the Sneaky Pete’s Rebel Classic.
The Yellow Jackets will play undefeated host Vestavia Hills for the title Wednesday at 6 p.m. Oxford last won a regular-season tournament title two years ago in the Carrollton (Ga.) Christmas Tournament.
“I think it’s great for us,” Oxford coach Joel VanMeter said. “We’re a team that didn’t bring back a whole lot of experience. Tonight’s game went into overtime with a really good team and … you just have to figure out ways to win the game. I thought it was great for us.
“To just be able to compete against them and win the game, it says a ton about our guys. It showed our guys what we are capable of if we play with the energy and effort and togetherness that we need to play with.”
The Eagles tied the game with about 20 seconds to play, but the Jackets had a chance to win it in regulation. Twice they retained possession on balls knocked out of bounds, one after a Justin Moore rimmed out.
They got the ball around to Peyton Watts in the right corner for a shot that looked as pure as any as it was leaving his hand but missed the mark. Watts finished with 13 points, as did Justin Moore.
Cordell Chatman had a big basket for Oxford in overtime. Houck had a big finish at the rim down the stretch after the Jackets made two defensive stops and Houck made a couple free throws to win it.
Oxford 60, Oak Mountain 58
OXFORD – Avelon Bush 1 0-0 3, Cordell Chatman 1 0-0 2, Rylan Houck 9 2-2 21, Peyton Watts 4 2-2 13, Mike McGraw 0 0-0 0, Kyler Wright 3 0-0 8, Justin Moore 6 0-3 13, Jarek Burroughs 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 4-7 60.
OAK MOUNTAIN – Cameron Whitaker 0 0-0 0, Evan Smith 8 3-2 19, Noah Young 7 2-2 16, Cameron Atkinson 0 0-0 0, Colin Patrick 3 2-4 18, Jahki Melvin 0 0-0 0, Ean Gove 0 0-0 0 William Shaver 6 0-1 13, Matthew Heiberger 0 0-0. Totals 24 7-9 58.
Oxford 20 15 7 10 8 – 60
Oak Mountain 15 10 15 12 6 – 58
3-point goals: Oxford 8 (Bush, Houck, Watts 3, Wright 2, Moore); Oak Mountain 2 (Smith, Shaver).
Wildcats third in Jag Classic
BIRMINGHAM – Quin Wilson scored half of his 14 points in the final minute of the game to lift White Plains over McGill-Toolen 60-52 in the third-place game of the Spain Park Jag Classic.
The Wildcats led after each of the first three quarters, but the Yellow Jackets made it interesting at the end. Wilson gave his team a cushion with a basket, but the dagger came when he hit a wide-open 3 with 30 seconds left after Brody Baker rebounded a missed free throw. He then sank two free throws in the closing seconds for the final margin.
“It’s definitely a confidence builder for us,” White Plains coach Chris Randall said. “We just really wanted to stretch ourselves. When you’re in an area with Anniston and Handley, you better get used to playing the highest level competition you can find.”
Wilson really saved them. The Wildcats missed six free throws and a point-blank layup in the fourth quarter, but made enough defensive stops to win the game.
“It wasn’t like we played perfect,” Randall said. “But we played good enough and tough enough in spots, defensively especially and on the glass” to get the job done.
The Wildcats beat Homewood, lost to eventual undefeated tournament champion Spain Park and then beat McGill-Toolen.
Jacksonville Tournament
JACKSONVILLE – John Brown hit 11 of 13 shots from the field for 23 points and had five steals as Jacksonville won its second game in its Thanksgiving tournament.
Broom, Cam Johnson (17) and Quinn Long (12) all scored in double figures for the Golden Eagles, shooting a combined 24-of-38 from the floor. The Golden Eagles shot 50 percent for the game as a team.
Broom also had five steals and three assists. The Golden Eagles forced Glencoe into 28 turnovers, off which they scored 28 points.
Cleburne County edged Faith Christian in the second game of the night, 39-32. The Tigers didn’t attempt a free throw, but they did hit five 3-pointers.
Ben Casey and Kyle Downey had 10 points each for Cleburne County. Faith’s Ethan Richerzhagen led all scorers with 16 points. Richerzhagen also had nine rebounds.
Jacksonville 74, Glencoe 39
GLENCOE – Dakota Smith 6-10 2-3 16, Hayden Smith 2-4 0-0 5, Levi Long 2-3 0-0 4, Garrett Gaskin 2-3 0-0 4, Alex Moman 1-1 0-0 3, Cameron Atchley 1-1 0-0 2, T.J. Peeples 1-1 0-0 2, Aiden Cornutt 1-3 0-1 2, Braylen Smith 0-4 1-2 1, Andrew Greene 0-1 0-0 0, Reid Drenner 0-4 0-0 0, Colby Yocum 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 16-36 3-6 39.
JACKSONVILLE – John Broom 11-13 0-1 23, Cam Johnson 7-10 2-2 17, Quinn Long 6-15, 0-2 12, JaeTaj Morris 3-3 0-0 6, Caden Johnson 2-3 0-0 4, Ethan Duke 1-3 1-2 3, Julian Hill 1-9 1-2 3, Coby Zackery 1-5 0-2 2, Jaylon Prater 1-4 0-0 2, Tavarea Veasley 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 34-67 4-11 74.
Glencoe 12 6 12 9 – 39
Jacksonville 16 19 15 24 – 74
3-point goals: Glencoe 4-13 (D. Smith 2-4, H. Smith 1-1, Moman 1-1, Cornutt 0-2, Greene 0-1, Drenner 0-3, Yocum 0-1); Jacksonville 2-10 (Broom 1-1, Cm. Johnson 1-2, Long 0-3, Cd. Johnson 0-1, Hill 0-2), Veasley 0-1). Rebounds: Glencoe 31 (Long 6, Greene 6); Jacksonville 32 (Zackery 6). Total fouls: Glencoe 8, Jacksonville 6.
Cleburne County 39, Faith Christian 32
FAITH CHRISTIAN – Nic Goodgame 3 0-2 6, Jacque Prater 0 0-0 0, Thomas Curlee 2 4-5 8, Ethan Richerzhagen 3 9-11 16, Brody Dodson 0 0-0 0, Yashua Arevalo 0 0-1 0, Colton Pahman 1 0-0 2, Damian Arevalo 0 0-0 0. 9 13-20 32.
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Rico Jordan 3 0-0 7, Ben Casey 4 0-0 10, Brody Higgins 0 0-0 0, Kyle Downey 4 0-0 10, Manney Rollins 1 0-0 2, Grant Harcrow 1 0-0 2, Trey Brown 2 0-0 4, Dee Prothro 2 0-0 4. Totals 17 0-0 39.
Faith Christian 9 6 10 7 – 32
Cleburne County 7 10 12 10 – 39
3-point goals: Faith 1 (Richerzhagen); Cleburne County 5 (Jordan, Casey 2, Downey 2). Total fouls: Faith 6, Cleburne County 14.
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