Milestones and 3s
- Updated: January 5, 2021
Boys roundup: Anniston turns back Handley to take upper hand in area; PV’s Ballew passes 1,000-point mark, White Plains rains 3s, Oxford winning streak hits 10 and more
TUESDAY’S BOYS SCORES
Alexandria 64, Cherokee County 57
Anniston 58, Handley 52
Oxford 61, Oak Mountain 46
Pleasant Valley 95, Gaston 57
Saks 72, Wellborn 17
Spring Garden 62, Cleburne County 49
Weaver 61, Munford 52
White Plains 76, Pell City 52
Winterboro 50, Faith Christian 48
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Anniston took a big step towards clinching the No. 1 seed in their competitive area race, but without the efforts of three specific players it might not have happened.
Tadyn Jones gave the Bulldogs some big shots because Malcolm Carlisle wasn’t hitting. Kam Sandlin gave them a presence against the Tigers inside muscle and Antonio Kite, well, Spoodie was just Spoodie.
Kite scored 25 points and most importantly made five free throws in the final two minutes – four in the final 40 seconds – to help Anniston hold off Handley 58-52 and sweep the season series from one of the biggest threats to its area lead.
The win lifted the Bulldogs (12-1) to 6-0 in their area, while leaving Handley to battle White Plains for the second and third spots in the league. Anniston has already beaten White Plains once, while the Wildcats and Handley have yet to play.
“I thought Tadyn played phenomenal and I thought Kam played phenomenal tonight for us,” Anniston coach Torry Brown said. “And Antonio looked more like the old Antonio tonight; the shots he took looked more like the old Antonio.
“He hasn’t shot the ball well all season. I told him last Friday he hadn’t shot the ball well all year, but who got the last shot against Oxford in the county championship game last year. He couldn’t remember. He got the last shot and I said to him you hadn’t shot it well this year but I’m going to put you in that same situation. If it ever came down to a last shot, no matter if we’re down two and you took a 3, we’re going to live and die with your decision.
“No matter if you’re hitting shots or not we’re going to always put the ball in your hands and we’re going to live and die with what you do. I thought he was phenomenal all night long, I really did, with as many minutes as he played and all that they threw at him.”
And in the end, of course, Kite was the deciding factor.
The Tigers had Anniston on the ropes when the teams played a couple weeks ago and the Bulldogs needed a fourth-quarter rally to escape with a win. And it took a lot out of the them; less than 18 hours later they traveled in the opposite direction and suffered its only loss of the season (to Thompson).
It was just as tight this time although the Bulldogs never trailed. Kite got them going with three 3-pointers in the first quarter and they led by seven at halftime. Handley continued to attack the basket and every time it threatened in the third quarter Jones was there to bury a 3-pointer to keep the Tigers at bay. Jones scored all 12 of his points on 3-pointers.
A three-point play by Jaquavious Robinson got Handley within one with 3:05 to play, but the Tigers never scored again, ending the game with five empty possessions. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, put the ball in Kite’s hands and the No. 1 junior in the state did his thing. He got to the foul line, extending the lead with a free throw with 1:49 left, another at 38.1, two at 21.5 and the final one with 12.7 seconds to play.
“There’s no pressure, I’ve been there before,” Kite said. “I work on my free throws a lot in practice and out of practice. I played good, but I’ve got to give it to my teammates. Tadyn Jones, he shot the lights out of it, and that opened it up for everybody.”
Anniston 58, Handley 52
HANDLEY – Ian Mosley 0 0-0 0, Christian Jones 3 1-2 7, Graham Martin 7 1-2 19, Daquavious Lawrence 0 0-0 0, Jalen Herren 1 3-4 5, Jaquavious Robinson 2 2-3 6, Maurice Cameron 2 1-2 5, Dylan Brooks 4 0-3 8, Tydrick Treadwell 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 8-16 52.
ANNISTON (12-1) – Mark Toyer 1 1-2 3, Antonio Kite 6 9-14 25, Malcolm Carlisle 2 2-2 6, Troy Hall 0 0-0 0, Miciah Myles 3 0-1 6, Tadyn Jones 4 0-0 12, Kam Sandlin 2 2-6 6. Totals 18 14-25 58.
Handley 9 13 14 16 – 52
Anniston 15 14 18 11 – 58
3-point goals: Handley 4 (Martin 4); Anniston 8 (Kite 4, Jones 4). Fouled out: Herren. Total fouls: Handley 19, Anniston 15.
Ballew clears milestone
JACKSONVILLE – Josh Ballew cleared the 1,000-career point barrier like a pole vaulter with plenty of room to spare and did it with a flourish.
The Pleasant Valley senior scored 37 points and reached the milestone with a dunk in the second quarter while leading the Raiders to a 95-57 home victory over Gaston.
Ballew needed 21 points after trimming 14 off his target in his long-delayed season debut Monday. He scored 11 in the first quarter, 14 in the second and 12 in the third (all on 3s) before retiring with six minutes left in the quarter. He hit eight of the Raiders’ 13 3-pointers in the game.
He now has 1,016 points for his varsity career that didn’t start in earnest until the middle of his 10th-grade year.
“It was my goal to get to 1,000 before my high school career ends and I got it tonight,” Ballew said.
He didn’t plan on scoring the milestone points on such a flamboyant play. It was something that “just happened.”
“I honestly had no idea where I was at,” he said. “I picked a pass off, ran down. I didn’t miss the first (chance to dunk earlier in the game), but I lost the ball and just had to lay it in. I got a second try and I got it the second time. I didn’t know it was my 1,000thuntil somebody told me.
“I thought I might (get it tonight), but I just came out there to try to play as I normally do and it worked out in my favor tonight. All my shots were falling.”
They were falling for all the Raiders. Eleven PV players scored in the game.
Ballew is the first Raiders boys player to reach the milestone since Clint Roper in 2006. Now that he’s reached the main milestone he has another number to shoot for before he’s finished.
“Fifteen hundred, that’s the goal,” he said. “We don’t have many games, so I just have to play my best each game and try to get my goal.”
Pleasant Valley 95, Gaston 57
GASTON – Josh Campbell 2 0-0 4, Nick Lewis 5 2-4 15, Will Bagley 3 5-6 12, Rickey Moore 4 0-0 8, Kendall Blackwell 2 1-2 5, Brock Bagley 1 0-2 2, Justin Waters 0 0-1 0, Brett Scott 1 2-4 4, Joseph Lockridge 0 0-0 0, Kendrick Blackwell 3 1-2 7. Totals 21 11-21 57.
PLEASANT VALLEY – Michael Glass 3 0-2 6, Garrett Cranmer 2 1-2 7, Jacob Teal 1 1-3 3, Josh Ballew 14 1-2 37, Brayden Robinson 2 0-0 4, Oliver Young 3 0-1 7, Kolby Battles 0 2-2 2, Zeke Johnson 3 0-0 8, Samuel Palmer 1 2-4 4, Pelham Parris 2 0-0 4, Justin Winningham 5 3-5 13. Totals 36 10-21 95.
Gaston 13 22 12 10 – 57
Pleasant Valley 25 32 29 9 – 95
3-point goals: Gaston 4 (Lewis 3, W. Bagley); Pleasant Valley 13 (Cranmer 2, Ballew 8, Young, Johnson 2). Total fouls: Gaston 17, Pleasant Valley 17.
Wildcats rain 3s on Pell City
White Plains went 10-of-14 from 3-point range in the second half and shot 58 percent from beyond the arc in the game to shoot down visiting Pell City 76-52.
Five Wildcats combined to hit 14 3-pointers in the game. Jacob Wheeler hit six for all 18 of his points and his cousin, Jesse Hubbard, hit three for all nine of his points – all in the fourth quarter. The cousins combined for eight 3s in the second half. The teams combined to hit 21 3s in the game.
“Our ball movement was much better and the bucket looked huge for us in the second half,” White Plains coach Chris Randall said. “The work is paying off. We spent a ton of practice time working on it. I wasn’t surprised. Hard work pays off.”
White Plains 76, Pell City 52
PELL CITY – Evan Watson 2 2-3 7, David Keith 0 0-0 0, Baylor Smith 2 2-2 8, My Malloney 0 2-2 2, Jack Lowe 5 2-4 14, Blake Anderson 3 0-0 7, Jaden Coleman 2 0-1 4, Braylin Hathorn 1 0-0 3, Treslarn Hines 0 0-0 0, Braedan Brewis 1 0-0 2. Michael Snow 2 1-2 5. Totals 18 9-14 52.
WHITE PLAINS – Tucker Pearson 2 0-0 4, Quin Wilson 2 4-4 10, Jaden Chatman 2 3-4 8, Jacob Wheeler 6 0-0 18, Brody Baker 7 0-0 16, Jesse Hubbard 3 0-0 9, Walker Osteen 2 1-1 5, Kahlil Williams 2 2-3 6, Garrett Wilson 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 10-12 76.
Pell City 6 13 14 19 – 52
White Plains 12 10 27 27 – 76
3-point goals: Pell City 7 (Watson, Smith 2, Lowe 2, Anderson, Hathorn); White Plains 14 (Q. Wilson 2, Chatman, Wheeler 6, Baker 2, Hubbard 3). Total fouls: Pell City 17, White Plains 17.
Oxford streak hits 10
OXFORD – The Yellow Jackets (14-2) used a tight defense to score seven easy baskets and hit six 3-pointers to get past a solid 7A Oak Mountain team, 61-46.
It was Oxford’s tenth straight win that has included wins over 7A No. 1 Hoover, 6A No. 1 Hazel Green, 6A No. 5 Buckhorn and 6A No. 9 Mortimer Jordan.
“The best thing about our team is our bench,” Oxford coach Joel Van Meter said. “We’ve got nine of 10 guys that can have a big night for us.”
Three of them scored in double figures on this night – Rylan Houck (11), Bakari Dailey (13) and Justin Moore (14). Roc Taylor had nine and Cordell Chatman seven. Taylor had eight rebounds and Moore had seven. Dailey hit three 3-pointers in the second half.
The Jackets fell behind early 10-3, but a couple of baskets by Moore chopped the margin to one by the end of the quarter. They took control in the third quarter with five steals and breakaway layups that put them up by 19 entering the fourth quarter.
“I don’t think we played particularly well tonight,” said Van Meter. “But we were playing a very good team and that had something to do with it. At half we made some adjustments.” – Brant Locklier
Oxford 61, Oak Mountain 46
OAK MOUNTAIN (12-6) – Cam Whitaker 0 0-0 0, Noah Young 4 2-2 11, Brady Dunn 3 2-2 9, Wilder Evers 3 2-2 8, Cam Atkinson 0 0-0 0, Colin Patrick 2 0-0 4, Jahki Mullen 1 0-0 2, Ryan Giegel 2 0-1 4, Ean Gove 1 0-0 3, Matt Heiberger 2 0-0 5, Gavin Nelson 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 6-7 46.
OXFORD (14-2) – Avelon Bush 0 0-0 0, Cordell Chatman 2 2-2 7, Rylan Houck 5 1-2 11, Peyton Watts 0 0-0 0, Mike McGraw 1 1-2 4, Roc Taylor 3 2-4 9, Bakari Dailey 5 0-1 13, Justin Moore 7 0-0 14, Josh Johnson 0 0-0 0, Josh Patton 1 0-0 3, Zurrell Garrett 0 0-0 0, Aaron McFarland 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 6-11 61.
Oak Mountain 12 6 11 17 – 46
Oxford 11 15 22 13 – 61
3-point goals: Oak Mountain 4 (Young, Dunn, Grove, Heiberger); Oxford 7 (Chapman, McGraw, Taylor , Dailey 3, Patton). Total fouls: Oak Mountain 15, Oxford 13. Officials: Taylor, Pratt, Calkins.
WEAVER 61, MUNFORD 52: Jeffrey Miles broke out with 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as the Bearcats kept the Lions at arm’s length. Kohl Perry scored all 11 of his points in the second quarter as the Bearcats turned a three-point deficit into a five-point halftime lead. Weaver placed four scorers in double figures. Munford’s Jaquan Anderson led all scorers with 22 points.
Weaver 61, Munford 52
WEAVER – Brendyn Knight 4 2-6 10, Kyle Knight 3 5-6 11, Kohl Perry 5 0-0 11, Briley Carter 0 0-0 0, Dawson Brooks 2 0-3 4, Jeffrey Miles 9 0-2 19, Tristan Brown 1 5-6 7, Elijah Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 12-23 51.
MUNFORD – Jaquan Anderson 9 2-4 22, Rashard Russell 6 0-4 12, Ron Ervin 1 0-0 3, Connor Morgan 2 6-7 11, Alex Petty 1 0-0 3, Kyler Gibson 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 8-15 52.
Weaver 8 18 15 20 – 61
Munford 10 11 13 18 – 52
3-point goals: Weaver 1 (Perry); Munford 6 (Anderson 2, Ervin, Morgan 2, Petty). Technical fouls: Anderson. Total fouls: Weaver 12, Munford 16.
SAKS 72, WELLBORN 17: Sean Parnell scored 10 of his 16 points in the first quarter and the Wildcats held their hosts scoreless while opening a 25-0 lead. Jordan Cosper (10) and Shon Elston (11) also scored in double figures for Saks.
Saks 72, Wellborn 17
SAKS – Jordan Cosper 4 2-2 10, Patrick Williams 2 0-0 4, Will Mixson 2 0-0 4, Shon Elston 5 0-0 11, Sean Parnell 8 0-0 16, Jalen McCants 3 0-3 6, Connor Martin 1 0-0 3, Kelvin Boldin 3 0-0 8, C.J. Graham 1 0-0 2, Kyree Woods 1 0-0 2, Jamari McBride 1 0-0 3, Jacob Wills 0 1-2 1. Totals 31 3-7 72
WELLBORN – Lewis Patterson 2 0-2 4, Messiah Moore 3 0-0 8, Nathan Sanders 2 0-2 4, Trey Downs 0 0-2 0, Zaybien Willis 0 1-2 1, Ethan Tidwell 0 0-2 0. Totals 7 1-10 17.
Saks 25 15 19 13 – 72
Wellborn 0 3 7 7 – 17
3-point goals: Saks 5 (Elston, Martin, Bolden 2, McBride); Wellborn 2 (Moore 2). Total fouls: Saks 5, Wellborn 6. Officials: Kelley, Jarrett, Hollingsworth.
SPRING GARDEN 62, CLEBURNE COUNTY 49: Weston Kirk scored 18 of his game-high 26 points in the second half as the Panthers pulled away from a one-point halftime deficit. Kirk hit both of his 3-pointers and all six of his made free throws in the half. Ben Casey helped stake the Tigers to a 27-26 halftime lead with 15 of his 23 in the first half.
Spring Garden 62, Cleburne County 49
SPRING GARDEN – Weston Kirk 9 6-14 26, Cooper Austin 3 4-4 11, Andrew Floyd 1 0-0 3, Ryley Kirk 1 0-0 3, Luke Welsh 2 0-0 4, Chapel Pope 2 0-0 5, Cameron Welsh 5 0-0 10. Totals 23 10-18 62.
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Rico Jordan 2 0-0 5, Ben Casey 9 3-3 23, Brody Higgins 1 0-0 2, Kyle Downey 3 0-0 8, Grant Harcrow 1 0-0 2, Trey Brown 1 0-0 2, Dee Prothro 3 1-4 7, J.J. Cosby 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 4-7 49.
Spring Garden 13 13 17 19 – 62
Cleburne County 16 11 10 12 – 49
3-point goals: Spring Garden 6 (W. Kirk 2, Austin, Floyd, R. Kirk, Pope); Cleburne County 5 (Jordan, Casey 2, Downey 2). Fouled out: Higgins. Total fouls: Spring Garden 6, Cleburne County 15. Officials: McCareeth, Railey, Hughes.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login