E.A. Sports Today

Oxford streak at 7

Updated girls roundup: Lady Jackets finish strong to extend winning streak, JCA wins a close one and more

Oxford’s Kaleah Taylor (5) drives through the Pell City defense to get to the basket Tuesday night. (Photos by B.J. Franklin)


TUESDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Alexandria 47, St. Clair County 19
Anniston 62, White Plains 34
Coosa Christian 65, Faith Christian 36
Jacksonville 49, Cherokee County 40
Jacksonville Christian 54, Weaver 52
Ohatchee 69, Piedmont 55
Oxford 56, Pell City 49
Pleasant Valley 68, Munford 26
Ranburne 46, Horseshoe Bend 43
Spring Garden 72, Gaston 12

By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today

OXFORD – Freshman Xaionna Whitfield and junior Kaleah Taylor took charge in the last two minutes with four points apiece to help lead Oxford to its seventh straight victory, 56-49 over area foe Pell City.

Pell City rallied in the fourth quarter to jump ahead 49-48 with a little over two minutes to go in the game. Lauren Ellard then fed Whitfield a nice in-bounds pass to give the Lady Jackets (15-4) the lead and Taylor nailed two free throws to make it 52-49. Taylor added two more free throws and Whitfield another field goal as the Jackets went on an 8-1 run to end the game.

The fast start was a stark contrast to the way the game started. Both teams started slow. Ellard drilled a 3 to start the game and Whitfield closed out the quarter with a bucket as the Lady Jackets held an 8-6 lead.

“We’ve got to quit starting out so slow,” said Oxford coach Melissa Bennett. “Pell City was killing us early with their press, but we found a way to win and our defense played well down the stretch.”

Oxford finally got its full court press going late in the second quarter, creating six turnovers, and the Lady Jackets scored eight straight points to pull ahead. The Jackets made 13 of 18 free throws to pull out to a 29-23 halftime margin. Taylor and Justice Woods had six points apiece in the second quarter. Kyla Torok had six points in the quarter for the Panthers.  

Oxford pulled ahead by seven points as five different Jackets scored in the quarter. Pell City kept hanging around as Torok scored four points to chop the lead to 42-38 after three quarters.

Taylor finished the game with 14 points and McGrue added 10 points and nine rebounds for the Lady Jackets.

The seven-game winning streak is the best in Bennett’s run as the Lady Jackets’ coach. It’s coming at a time when the games are growing in importance and the team needs to playing at its best.

“Competition is only getting better and better,” she said. “We still haven’t hit consistent good basketball; it’s coming in spurts.

“We are trying to not be ‘better.’ Just better will get you beat later in the season. We want to be great and playing to our full capabilities.”

Oxford 56, Pell City 49
PELL CITY –
Madison Farris 0 2-2 2, Bekah Hooks 1 2-2 4, Heaven O’Neal 3 1-2 7, Reagan Tarver 3 0-0 7, Kristen Kurzejeski 1 0-0 2, Lorika McCoy 3 3-3 9, Kyla Torok 6 0-0 12, Tori Winslett 2 0-0 4, Addy Simmons 0 0-0 0, Nyla Trepton 0 0-0 0, Janzara Elm 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 8-9 49. 
OXFORD (15-4) –Justice Woods 2 1-1 6, Xaionna Whitfield 4 1-3 9, Lauren Ellard 2 3-5 9, Lamaya McGrue 2 6-8 10, Kaleah Taylor 2 10-14 14, Emma McCullough 0 0-0 0, Lisa Montgomery 2 2-2 7, Ashley Paulson 0 1-3 1, Jamea Gaston 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 24-36.
Pell City  6   17   15  11    –  49
Oxford     7   21   19    9   –   56
3-point goals: Pell City 1 (Tarver); Oxford 4 (Woods, Ellard 2, Montgomery).

ALEXANDRIA 47, ST. CLAIR COUNTY 19: Ashley Phillips hit five 3-pointers and scored 19 points to lead the Lady Cubs. She hit four of the 3s in the second half. The Lady Saints hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, but were held to only three field goals the rest of the game and none in the fourth quarter.

Alexandria 47, St. Clair County 19
ALEXANDRIA –
Ashley Phillips 7 0-2 19, Jordyn Walker 3 0-0 7, Jill Cockrell 1 0-0 3, Kirsten Heathcock 1 0-0 2, Sarah Pelham 3 0-0 7, TyShica Woodgett 2 0-0 4, Christian Hess 0 0-0 0, Chloe Gattis 2 1-3 5. Totals 19 1-5 47.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY –Kensley Harrell 2 0-0 4, Jaden Thomas 1 0-0 3, Kenya Miller 0 0-2 0, Makayla Swindall 1 0-0 3, Sydne Pope 2 4-8 9. Totals 6 4-10 19.
Alexandria          9   12   14   12   –  47
St. Clair County   9     4     4     2   –  19
3-point goals: Alexandria 8 (Phillips 5, Walker, Cockrell, Pelham); St. Clair County 3 (Thomas, Swindall, Pope). Total fouls: Alexandria 10, St. Clair County 10.

ANNISTON 62, WHITE PLAINS 34: The teams played even in the first quarter, but the Lady Dawgs turned up the defense in the second quarter and outscored White Plains 19-2, holding the Lady Wildcats without a field goal, to pull away. Asia Barclay led Anniston with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Serena Hardy had 13 points and Allasha Dudley had 12 points, six steals and five assists. Shiwanna Jackson had seven points and 11 rebounds. The Lady Dawgs also shot 16-of-20 from the free throw line.

Anniston 62, White Plains 34
ANNISTON –
Allasha Dudley 3 6-6 12, Alisia Person 2 0-0 5, Serena Hardy 5 1-1 13, Charliese Simmons 0 0-0 0, Shiwanna Jackson 2 3-3 7, Aaliyah Henson 0 0-0 0, Tiauna Thomas 0 0-2 0, Akayla Perrry 3 1-2 7, Tykeria Smith 1 2-2 4, Asia Barclay 5 3-3 13, Tanaja Winsley 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 16-20 62.
WHITE PLAINS –Callyn Martin 1 2-2 4, Cheyenne Cochran 0 0-0 0, Hallie Williams 1 0-0 3, Shaniyah Calloway 0 0-0 0, Camden Wilson 2 0-0 4, Lily Ponder 4 0-0 10, Adriana Sotelo 3 0-0 9, Angel Bozarth 2 0-1 4, Emma Howard 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 2-3 34.
Anniston           12  19   10    21   –  62
White Plains    12    2     7     13   –  34
3-point goals: Anniston 4 (Person, Hardy 2, Perry); White Plains 6 (Williams, Ponder 2, Sotelo 3). Total fouls: Anniston 12, White Plains 16.

COOSA CHRISTIAN 65, FAITH CHRISTIAN 36: Bella Millirons scored 24 points, Chloe Davidson scored 21 and they combined for eight 3-pointers as the Lady Conquerors won their ninth straight game and completed a three-game sweep of Calhoun County’s 1A private schools over the last four days.

Coosa Christian 65, Faith Christian 36
FAITH CHRISTIAN –
Ona Marple 0 0-0 0, Anna Strautman 4 2-2 11, Serenity Pate 0 0-0 0, Alligrace Emerson 3 0-0 7, Joeelle Tillery 2 0-0 6, Erin McVeigh 0 0-0 0, Megan Ford 3 0-0 6, BabaT Aremu 3 0-0 6. Totals 15 2-2 36.
COOSA CHRISTIAN –Bella Millirons 10 1-3 24, Chloe Davidson 7 2-6 21, Caitlin Cates 3 0-0 8, Erin Snow 3 2-2 8, Malaina Ellen 0 0-0 0, Katherine England 0 0-0 0, Katie Ellen Davis 0 0-0 0, Emma Justus 1 0-0 2, Kailah East 0 0-0 0, Gemma Littlejohn 1 0-0 2, Macy Martin 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 5-11 65.
Faith Christian                          9     5  16     6   –  36
Coosa Christian                      15   17  22   11   –  65
3-point goals: Faith Christian 4 (Strautman, Emerson, Tillery 2); Coosa Christian 10 (Millirons 3, Davidson 5, Cates 2). Total fouls: Faith Christian 10, Coosa Christian 6.

JACKSONVILLE 49, CHEROKEE COUNTY 40: Kayla Broom scored 12 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had five assists and three steals to lead Jacksonville to an important area victory. Patience Carr had 11 points and Amiyah Buchanan had eight points and nine rebounds. With the win, the Lady Golden Eagles now needs to win at Etowah Thursday to force a coin toss for the area’s top seed. 

Jacksonville 49, Cherokee County 40
CHEROKEE COUNTY –
Audrey Green 5-18 1-2 12, Mary Johnson 4-16 2-3 10, Karlee Perry 3-13 0-3 8, Emily Allen 1-2 0-0 3, Audrey Haygood 1-1 0-0 3, Ella Garmany 1-1 0-1 2, Sidney Johnson 0-3 2-4 2, Carson Coley 0-0 0-0 0, Grayson Tucker 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 15-54 5-13 40.
JACKSONVILLE –Kayla Broom 5-13 2-3 12, Patience Carr 3-8 5-10 11, Amiyah Buchanan 4-5 0-1 8, Maggie Anderson 2-4 0-0 6, Amarie Curry 2-2 0-0 4, Rebekah Gannaway 1-3 1-2 3, Ashley Grant 1-5 0-0 3, Bree Edmonson 1-5 0-0 2, Carmen Prater 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-45 8-16 49.
Cherokee County    12    7  14    7    –   40
Jacksonville              19   11   9  10    –  49 
3-point goals: Cherokee County 5-26 (Green 1-7, M. Johnson 0-5, Perry 2-11, Allen 1-1, Haygood 1-1, S. Johnson 0-1); Jacksonville 3-15 (Broom 0-3, Anderson 2-4, Gannaway 0-1, Grant 1-5, Edmonson 0-2). Rebounds: Cherokee County 34 (Garmany 9, Allen 8); Jacksonville 38 (Broom 11, Buchanan 9). Fouled out: Garmany. Total fouls: Cherokee County 19, Jacksonville 13.

Jorda Crook (23) and Tori Vice combined for 44 points, 28 in the decisive middle two quarters, for Ohatchee Tuesday night. (Photo by Beverly Franklin Wright)

OHATCHEE 69, PIEDMONT 55: Jorda Crook and Tori Vice combined for 28 points in the middle two quarters as the Lady Indians outscored Piedmont 45-17 after falling behind 20-16. Crook led all scorers with 23 points. Vice had 21, with 15 coming in the first half. Ava Pope led Piedmont with 20.

Ohatchee 69, Piedmont 55
OHATCHEE –
Gracyn Snow 1 0-0 2, Lyda Elders 0 0-0 0, Tori Vice 8 3-4 21, Morgan Foushee 1 3-4 6, Gracie George 2 0-1 4, Millie Rainwater 4 0-0 11, Jorda Crook 10 3-4 23, Alyssa Davis 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 9-13 69.
PIEDMONT –Ava Pope 8 1-2 20, Lele Ridley 5 1-5 12, Cayla Brothers 1 1-2 3, Armoni Perry 0 1-2 1, Gracie Naugher 1 1-2 4, Z’Hayla Walker 2 0-1 4, Emily Farmer 3 2-4 10. Totals 20 7-17 55.
Ohatchee       16   25   20    8   –  69
Piedmont       20     8     9  18   –  55 
3-point goals: Ohatchee 6 (Vice 2, Foushee, Rainwater 3); Piedmont 7 (Pope 3, Ridley, Naugher, Farmer 2). Total fouls: Ohatchee 14, Piedmont 11. Officials: Calkins, Hollingsworth, Barber.

Ohatchee’s Tori Vice (10) keeps an eye on Piedmont’s Ava Pope as she plots her move to the basket. (Photo by Beverly Franklin Wright)

PLEASANT VALLEY 68, MUNFORD 26: Rylee Haynes led three starters in double figures with 16 points as the Lady Raiders scored their second victory of the season. Macey Roper had 13 points and Lily Henry had 12.

Pleasant Valley 68, Munford 26
PLEASANT VALLEY –
Lily Henry 4 3-4 12, Rylee Haynes 7 2-6 16, Marlie Wright 0 1-2 1, Chloey Williams 1 0-0 2, Gracie Hood 3 1-2 9, Macey Roper 4 5-9 13, Anna Worthy 3 1-2 7, Erin Rose 4 0-0 8. Totals 26 13-25 68.
MUNFORD –Layla Tyus 3 0-2 6, Ryleigh Keith 2 0-2 5, Kelsey Goodson 0 0-0 0, Mekiah Mosely 0 0-0 0, Matilda Geffen 0 0-0 0, Abrielle Meadows 4 0-2 9, Kaylyn Turner 3 0-0 6. Totals 12 0-6 26.
Pleasant Valley  16   19   20   13   –   68
Munford               8   12     4     2   –   26
3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 3 (Henry, Hood 2); Munford 2 (Keith, Meadows). Fouled out: Mosely. Total fouls: Pleasant Valley 10, Munford 21. Officials: Elston, Hayes.

JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 54, WEAVER 52: Rebekah Carter’s 3-point play gave JCA a four-point lead in the fourth quarter and the Lady Thunder held on. Carter scored nine points in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five steals. Mia Morales and Karli Barnwell scored 12 each and Kara Grace grabbed eight rebounds. Weaver’s Haley Homesley led all scorers with 28 points.

Jacksonville Christian 54, Weaver 52
WEAVER –
Naveah Hawkins 0 0-0 0, Iyanna Wright 1 2-6 5, Madison Atchley 2 0-0 4, Haley Homesley 14 0-0 28, Tiana Lawrence 4 0-0 8, Taylor Lawrence 1 0-0 3, D.J. Gibbs 2 0-2 4. Totals 24 2-8 52.
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN (3-8) –Rebekah Carter 6 3-7 16, Erin Prater 1 0-0 3, Kara Grace 1 2-2 4, Kirsten Walker 0 0-0 0, Mia Morales 5 0-4 12, Karli Barnwell 4 1-2 12, Abbie Stovall 2 0-0 4, Hannah Clayton 1 0-0 3. Totals 20 6-15 54.
Weaver  13   10   18   11    –   52
JCA         7   16   18   13    –   54
3-point goals: Weaver 2 (Wright, Ta. Lawrence); JCA 8 (Carter, Prater, Morales 2, Barnwell 3, Clayton). Fouled out: Hawkins. Total fouls: Weaver 17, JCA 7. Officials: Howell, Dickeson, Wise.

RANBURNE 46, HORSESHOE BEND 43: The Lady Bulldogs went 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter and after missing their first free throw of the game hit 13 in a row to hold off their hosts. Briley Merrill led the way with 21 points and 13 rebounds, going 6-for-6 from the line. Abigail Howle hit both of her 3-pointers in the second quarter when the Lady Bulldogs went on a 12-3 run to take the lead.

Ranburne 46, Horseshoe Bend 43
RANBURNE –
Autumn Phillips 1 0-0 2, Briley Merrill 7 6-6 21, Julianna Merrill 1 3-4 5, Kayli Olds 0 2-2 2, Abigail Howle 2 2-2 8, Natalie Merrill 1 0-0 2, Auburn Rollins 3 0-0 6, Crimson Rollins 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 13-14 46.
HORSESHOE BEND –Abigail Cheatham 5 1-2 11, Reagan Taylor 2 3-6 7, Jahia Jennings 2 1-6 5, Kate Lewis 1 0-0 2, Olivia Hanson 0 0-0 0, Caly Carlisle 2 5-7 9, Nadia Brooks 3 0-0 9. Totals 15 10-21 
Ranburne                   10   12  12   12   –   46
Horseshoe Bend       12     3  13   15   –   43
3-point goals: Ranburne 3 (B. Merrill, Howle 2); Horseshoe Bend 3 (Brooks 3). Total fouls: Ranburne 13, Horseshoe Bend 13. Officials: Williams, Parks, Hardnett.

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