Thunder finds lightning
- Updated: December 18, 2020
JCA hits season-high 15 3-pointers in area win over Faith, Oxford pulls away from Hazel Green, Faith girls rally past JCA
Boys Games
Jacksonville Christian 72, Faith Christian 42
Oxford 72, Hazel Green 60
Girls Games
Faith Christian 57, Jacksonville Christian 46
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
If people thought Jacksonville Christian’s cupboard was bare after the senior-laden lineup that produced the Thunder’s magical run to the Final Four last year left, they have another thing coming.
The names might be different, but they’re producing similar results. This year’s Thunder team is now 7-1 after dismantling Faith Christian 72-42 Friday night. It’s a start that in some ways has even surprised coach Tommy Miller.
“Here’s the biggest difference,” he said. “Last year’s team at this point would beat this team solidly – at this point. But last year’s team had been together for three or four years – some of them longer than that – and they literally knew when a guy was going to roll, when he was going to break, when he was going to shoot. They knew that like a book. It was amazing. But it was from playing together so well.
“This team is coming together as a team. We haven’t gotten that point, but you could see we’re headed that way. To think we had nothing left would be a mistake. To think we had a major rebuild would be truthful. They’re trying their best to do what we want them to do. In doing that they’re getting better.”
Miller went into Friday night’s game expecting a battle down to the wire. But the Thunder had this one in hand early because they continue to be hot from 3-point range.
| 3 FOR ALL A look at JCA beyond the arc | |
| Opponent | 3s |
| Faith | 15 |
| Wellborn | 13 |
| Ragland | 13 |
| Donoho | 12 |
| Weaver | 4 |
| West End | 5 |
| Valley Head | 10 |
| Ranburne | 10 |
They hit a season-high 15 3s against Faith – scoring more points from outside the arc that the Lions did the entire game – and have nailed 53 of the bonus jumpers in the last four games.
They were 15-of-28 against the Lions. Landon Wills was 7-of-11 on his way to 26 points. Tanner Wilson (17 points) was 3-of-6 and Ethan Burrage (12) was 4-of-6. Tavian Alexander hit their other one. Alexander also grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds, Wills had 10 rebounds and Wilson had nine assists.
Ten of JCA’s first 12 baskets came from behind the arc and at one stretch of the first half the Thunder hit eight of nine attempts.
“We’ve all been practicing shooting every day; it just comes natural after a while,” Wills said. “We’ve put in a lot of work and it was a good game.”
Each time a Thunder player would hit a 3, one of the team fathers would make the sound of a human weather warning. It was so realistic and the Thunder was hitting 3s with such regularity, it sounded like there was a tornado outbreak in town.
There’s a story going around that one time a referee actually asked if there were storms in the area.
“I remember the first game he did that,” Willis said. “I thought it was someone with an actual siren. I like that noise, though.”
The Thunder used their torrid shooting to open a 28-7 lead early in the second quarter. They led by 29 at halftime. Wilson got hot in the third quarter (14 points) and helped extend the lead to 65-29 going into the fourth.
“This was an unusual night, really,” Miller said. “That team last year, I thought Kobe Messer was the best pure shooter in the county and Nash (Messer) and Eli (Fair) both shot the 3 decent. Tanner shot the 3 decent last year. Even Chase (Vinson) hit the 3.
“Now this team has improved. We’re just not there yet. Tonight, you wouldn’t know that, though. I was as surprised as anybody.”
Jacksonville Christian 72, Faith Christian 42
JCA (7-1) – Tanner Wilson 5 4-6 17, Ethan Fair 0 1-2 1, Ethan Burrage 4 0-2 12, Emmanuel Kidd 0 0-0 0, Tyler Doggrell 1 0-0 2, Tavian Alexander 4 0-0 9, Landon Wills 9 1-3 26, Drake Shew 0 0-0 0, Mason Johnson 0 0-0 0, Braxton Brown 0 0-0 0, Cam Moses 2 1-3 5, Brodie Clay 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 7-16 72.
FAITH (3-5) – Nic Goodgame 1 0-0 2, Jacque Prater 2 5-5 9, Thomas Curlee 1 0-2 2, Ethan Richerzhagen 7 2-5 16, Brody Dodson 3 0-0 8, Yashua Arevalo 1 0-0 2, Seth Abston 1 1-2 3. Totals 16 8-14 42.
JCA 25 19 21 7 – 72
Faith 7 8 14 13 – 42
3-point goals: JCA 15 (Wilson 3, Burrage 4, Alexander, Wills 7); Faith 2 (Dodson 2). Total fouls: JCA 13, Faith 11. Officials: Wright, Poss, Brown.
Oxford 72, Hazel Green 60
OXFORD – The Yellow Jackets got back on the floor and picked up right where their left off.
Roc Taylor led three Oxford scorers in double figures with 23 points as the Jackets got back on the floor for the sitting out for COVID contact tracing concerns and beat Hazel Green in a game they put together two days ago.
Taylor, Justin Moore and Peyton Watts scored six points apiece in a 24-point third quarter that produced a 16-point lead. Moore finished with 15 points and Watts had nine (all on 3-pointers). Rylan Houck scored 14 points.
Earlier in the day the Jackets (9-2) were installed as the No. 2 seed in next month’s Calhoun County Basketball Tournament.
Oxford 72, Hazel Green 60
HAZEL GREEN – Nehemiah Grandberry 0 0-0 0, Anthony Harbin 0 0-0 0, Jaden Myers 3 2-2 8, Tiavian Scruggs 6 5-6 19, Carter Wray 0 0-0 0, Rashawn Knox 0 1-2 1, Silas Allen 3 0-0 7, Jaylen Curry 8 1-1 17, Will Stidham 4 0-2 8. Totals 24 9-13 60.
OXFORD (9-2) – Cordell Chatman 3 0-0 6, Rylan Houck 5 3-5 14, Peyton Watts 3 0-0 9, Mike McGraw 0 0-0 0, Roc Taylor 9 2-4 23, Justin Moore 5 4-10 15, Jarek Burroughs 1 2-2 5, Zyrrell Garrett 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 11-21 72.
Hazel Green 16 14 14 16 – 60
Oxford 20 12 24 14 – 72
3-point goals: Hazel Green 3 (Scruggs 2, Allen); Oxford 9 (Houck, Watts 3, Taylor 3, Moore, Burroughs). Fouled out: Harbin. Total fouls: Hazel Green 18, Oxford 12. Officials: Howell, Wise, McCareeth.
Girls Games
Arevalo powers Faith
Ariana Arevalo dominated on the low block, scoring a season-high 29 points and grabbing 14 rebounds to lead Faith Christian over JCA 57-46.
Arevalo came into the game averaging nine points a game and had scored a total of 20 in her previous three games combined. But she was 12-of-19 from the floor, 7-of-8 in the second half, and 17 of her points came directly off put-backs.
She scored seven straight points during a run late in the second quarter that brought the Lady Lions from an 11-point deficit to within two at halftime.
Rebekah Carter and Erin Prater led JCA with 14 points each. Prater hit four 3-pointers.
Faith Christian 57, Jacksonville Christian 46
JCA (1-5) – Rebekah Carter 5 4-6 14, Erin Prater 5 0-0 14, Kara Grace 6 0-2 12, Kirsten Walker 0 0-0 0, Mia Morales 3 0-2 6, Riley Saanders 0 0-0 0, Abbie Stovall 0 0-0 0, Hannah Clayton 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 4-10 46.
FAITH (4-2) – Ona Marple 3 0-0 6, Ariana Arevalo 12 5-5 29, Serenity Pate 4 0-0 8, Erin McVeigh 0 0-0 0, Megan Ford 3 0-2 6, Anna Strautman 1 0-0 2, Alligrace Emerson 3 0-0 6. Totals 26 5-7 57.
JCA 12 11 9 14 – 46
Faith 6 15 15 21 – 57
3-point goals: JCA 4 (Prater 4). Total fouls: JCA 8, Faith 11. Officials: Poss, Wright, Brown.
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