Turning a corner
- Updated: January 14, 2021
Girls roundup: PV stuns streaking Coosa Christian for its second straight win, J’ville pulls into tie for its area lead, and more
THURSDAY’S GIRLS SCORES
Childersburg at Saks
Cleburne County 44, Munford 8
Donoho 47, Faith Christian 39
Gaston 46, Westbrook Christian 38
Handley 64, White Plains 30
Jacksonville 59, Etowah 36
Jacksonville Christian 62, Wellborn 26
Ohatchee 52, Weaver 25
Oxford 57, Southside 31
Pleasant Valley 69, Coosa Christian 54
Ragland 67, Victory Christian 32
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE – Pleasant Valley coach Colton Morris was just about at the end of his rope and running out of options. But it was nothing a soul-searching meeting could solve.
The Lady Raiders had team meeting at the start of the week to try to put a reset on their season. They’ve played much better in the three games since, winning their second in a row Thursday night with a stunning 69-54 victory over Coosa Christian (15-3) that snapped the Lady Conquerors 10-game winning streak.
“We got after it by far (the best) of all the games we’ve played this year,” Morris said. “I feel like we’re finally getting into our own, figuring ourselves out, and with that they’re playing faster and with more confidence and it continues to roll over.
“It’s just different now. We can finally see who we are and it’s been fun to watch. Up to this week I was about ready to pull what little hair on my head out; I was running out of options. We had a heart-to-heart chat five days ago and when we walked out of that hour meeting things changed and it’s been different since.”
Macey Roper led the Lady Raiders, 3-10 after an 0-8 start, with 27 points. Rylee Haynes had 17, including 6-of-7 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Marlie Wright hit two of her three 3-pointers in the first quarter to get them in a rhythm they never lost. The defense held Coosa’s Bella Millirons and Chloe Davidson to 23 and 16, points respectively.
“Rylee put us in everything; she opened up our entire offense tonight,” Morris said. “f not for the way she played, we wouldn’t have been able to score like we did.
“She’s one of the kids I really challenged, her and Marlie Wright. I told them unless they get going and lead this team we’re not going to do anything. They took the challenge and turned it up a notch.”
The Lady Raiders will look to make it three in a row Friday against Victory Christian and then move into the Calhoun County Tournament Saturday against Jacksonville Christian.
Pleasant Valley 69, Coosa Christian 54
COOSA CHRISTIAN –Bella Millirons 8 4-8 23, Chloe Davidson 6 3-6 16, Caitlin Cates 1 0-0 2, Erin Snow 2 0-2 4, Kailah East 1 0-0 2, Gemma Littlejohn 2 2-3 7. Totals 20 9-19 54.
PLEASANT VALLEY (3-10) –Lily Henry 2 4-6 8, Rylee Haynes 5 7-9 17, Marlie Wright 3 0-0 9, Gracie Hood 3 0-0 8, Macey Roper 11 4-5 27, Kianna Hester 0 0-0 0, Erin Rose 0 0-0 0, Anna Worthy 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 15-20 69.
Coosa Christian 12 17 12 13 – 54
Pleasant Valley 19 16 15 19 – 69
3-point goals: Coosa Christian 5 (Millirons 3, Davidson, Littlejohn); Pleasant Valley 6 (Wright 3, Hood 2, Roper). Fouled out: Millirons, Wright Total fouls: Coosa Christian 19, Pleasant Valley 17.
JACKSONVILLE 59, ETOWAH 36: Patience Carr scored 15 points and three players grabbed double-digit rebounds as the Lady Golden Eagles pulled into a first-place tie with Cherokee County and forced a coin toss to determine area No. 1 seed.
Jacksonville outrebounded the Lady Blue Devils 55-33. It had 23 offensive rebounds, which led to 23 second-chance points – one-third of its offense. Amiyah Buchanan grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked three shots, while Kayla Broom and Amarie Curry had 10 rebounds each. Broom also had nine assists and three blocked shots. Nine of their 10 players scored.
“We had to come up with two big wins this week to force a coin flip,” Jacksonville coach Tres Buzan said. “I told the girls at the beginning of the week you have a shot to host the area and they did their part. I’m proud of them. They definitely all contributed. It wasn’t a one-man show.”
Jacksonville 59, Etowah 36
JACKSONVILLE –Patience Carr 7-11 0-0 15, Maggie Anderson 3-9 0-0 9, Kayla Broom 3-13 0-0 8, Bree Edmonson 2-4 3-4 8, Amiyah Buchanan 2-5 2-4 6, Amarie Curry 2-6 1-3 5, Ashley Grant 2-9 0-0 5, Rebekah Gannaway 0-1 2-4 2, Autumn Carr 0-0 1-2 1, Kierra LaCount 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-58 9-17 59.
ETOWAH –Jaleigh DeVine 5-17 0-2 11, Kynzlon Gibbs 3-5 0-1 7, Abbi Martin 2-6 3-8 7, Zniya Manning 2-8 0-1 4, Anna Jones 1-1 1-3 3, Laura Wood 1-10 0-0 2, Vanessa Roden 0-1 2-2 2, K. Roden 0-1 0-0 0, Ranyiah Dupree 0-0 0-0 0, Chloe Kelley 0-0 0-0 0, Katie Hyde 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 14-50 6-17 36.
Jacksonville 18 15 15 11 – 59
Etowah 11 9 11 5 – 36
3-point goals: Jacksonville 8-23 (P. Carr 1-4, Anderson 3-8, Broom 2-4, Edmonson 1-2, Grant 1-5); Etowah 2-8 (DeVine 1-4, Gibbs 1-1, Martin 0-1, Manning 0-1, Woods 0-1). Rebounds: Jacksonville 55 (Buchanan 13, Broom 10, Curry 10); Etowah 33 (Woods 5). Total fouls: Jacksonville 18, Etowah 13.
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 62, WELLBORN 26: Karli Barnwell scored a season-high 19 points and Kara Grace had a double-double (13 points, 11 rebounds) to lead the Lady Thunder to their second straight victory and third in the last four games.
Barnwell hit the first shot of the game – one of her three 3-pointers – and it was on. She had 12 points in the first quarter as JCA (4-8) opened a 23-9 lead.
“I’ve been doing a lot better in practice so I wanted to put it in the game,” Barnwell said. “I hit a 3 at the beginning and once I start making my shots it makes everything fall. I start feeling a lot better.”
It was her second straight game scoring in double digits. She had 12 in JCA’s win over Weaver Tuesday night. She’s been averaging eight points a game since coach Katy Bryant returned to the bench following the birth of her daughter.
“My shots were not falling at all when she wasn’t there and I don’t know what I was doing wrong,” Barnwell said. “Once Katy started coming back she told me I’m not shooting right and finishing right, and once I fixed it, it started falling better. Cindy (Fair, assistant coach) is a great coach, I just could not get anything to fall. I love both my coaches very much. They have helped me so much.”
Jacksonville Christian 62, Wellborn 26
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN (4-8) –Rebekah Carter 5 1-3 13, Erin Prater 0 1-2 1, Kara Grace 6 1-4 13, Kirsten Walker 3 0-2 8, Mia Morales 2 0-0 4, Karli Barnwell 8 0-4 19, Abbie Stovall 0 0-0 0, Hannah Clayton 2 0-0 4. Totals 26 3-15 62.
WELLBORN –Brook Singleton 0 1-2 1, Mikayla Williams 1 0-0 2, Taniya Traylor 0 0-0 0, Cloie Adkison 8 0-4 16, Calla Hayes 1 0-0 2, Anna Odon 2 1-2 5, Annelies Boot 0 0-0 0, Makaiyah Amberson 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 2-8 26.
Jacksonville Christian 23 16 15 8 – 62
Wellborn 9 8 6 3 – 26
3-point goals: Jacksonville Christian 7 (Carter 2, Walker 2, Barnwell 3). Technical fouls: Odon. Fouled out: Singleton, Traylor. Total fouls: Jacksonville Christian 9, Wellborn 19. Officials: Batey, Stubbs, Morehouse.
OXFORD 57, SOUTHSIDE 31: The Lady Jackets (16-4) went on a 39-4 run over a 10-minute span late in the second quarter, creating an amazing 19 turnovers, as they rolled over the Panthers for their eighth straight victory.
The Lady Jackets overcame another slow start as Southside played a tight zone and they just could not get inside. The Jackets only had six points with three minutes left in the second quarter and trailed 11-6.
Lisa Montgomery put a rebound in for a bucket and Emma McCullough came off the bench and nailed a 3-pointer and all of a sudden the Jackets were rolling. A 12-4 run ended the half as the press created a few turnovers and the Lady Jackets took an 18-15 lead.
The Lady Jackets scored the first 27 points of the third quarter off 15 Southside turnovers created by a torrid Oxford press. Lynnsey Hunt’s 3-pointer with eight seconds to go in the third quarter were the only points the Panthers scored.
“We have got to show up and play defense the whole game like we played in the third quarter,” Oxford coach Melissa Bennett said. “We cannot continue to play one quarter a game and think we can go anywhere in the playoffs.”
Kaleah Taylor led the Jackets with 17 points. Mya McGrue added 16 and Xai Whitfield had 12 points and seven rebounds. No Southside players scored in double figures. – Brant Locklier
Oxford 57, Southside 31
SOUTHSIDE –Kynsey Marble 0 0-0 0, Lexy Cline 1 2-2 4, Mallory Brooks 0 0-0 0, Sydney Yancey 1 0-3 2, Lynnsey Hunt 3 0-1 7, Sara Yancey 1 0-0 3, Ziniah Hardy 1 1-3 3, Jovi Marble 0 0-0 0, Allyson Gilliand 3 0-0 6, Madison Shaw 2 2-2 6, Lexi Darnell 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 5-11 31.
OXFORD (16-4) –Justice Woods 0 0-0 0, Xaionna Whitfield 5 1-3 12, Lauren Ellard 1 1-1 3, Lamaya McGrue 6 4-6 16, Kaleah Taylor 6 4-5 17, Emma McCullough 1 0-0 3, Lisa Montgomery 2 0-2 4, Ashley Paulson 0 0-0 0, Jamea Gaston 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 10-17 57.
Southside 7 8 3 13 – 31
Oxford 6 12 27 12 – 57
3-point goals: Southside 2 (Hunt, Yanceey); Oxford 3 (Whitfield, Taylor, McCullough). Fouled out: Ellard.
DONOHO 47, FAITH CHRISTIAN 39: Anastasia and Victoria O’Neill scored 16 and 15 points, respectively, and combined to hit seven 3-pointers to lead the Lady Falcons to an area victory. Victoria O’Neill hit all three of her 3-pointers and scored 13 points and Julie Cleckler scored 11 of her 13 in a 28-point second quarter that gave Donoho a 34-22 halftime lead.
Donoho 47, Faith Christian 39
FAITH CHRISTIAN –Ona Marple 0 0-0 0, Ari Arevalo 3 4-8 14, Anna Strautman 1 0-0 2, Serenity Pate 1 0-0 3, Alligrace Emerson 2 0-0 4, Joelle Tillery 2 1-2 7, Erin McVeigh 1 0-0 2, Megan Ford 0 0-0 0, BabaT Aremu 5 1-4 11. Totals 15 6-14 39.
DONOHO – Victoria O’Neill 6 0-0 15, Anastasia O’Neill 6 0-0 16, Janie Sills 1 1-2 3, Julie Cleckler 5 3-4 13, Anna Grace Jones 0 0-0 0, Amelia Baker 0 0-0 0, Cailin Campbell 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 4-6 47.
Faith Christian 10 12 11 7 – 39
Donoho 6 28 16 3 – 47
3-point goals: Faith Christian 3 (Pate, Tillery 2); Donoho 7 (V. O’Neill 3, A. O’Neill 4). Fouled out: Arevalo. Total fouls: Faith Christian 11, Donoho 9. Officials: Douthitt, Horn, Robinson.
CLEBURNE COUNTY 44, MUNFORD 8: Brooklyn McDaniel scored 14 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and had six steals in leading the Lady Tigers to an area victory. Faith Brown (12) and Haley Price (10) also scored in double figures for Cleburne County.
Cleburne County 44, Munford 8
MUNFORD –Layla Tyus 0 1-2 1, Ryleigh Keith 1 0-0 2, Kelsey Goodson 0 0-0 0, Mekiah Mosely 0 0-0 0, Matilda Geffen 0 0-0 0, Abrielle Meadows 1 1-2 3, Kaylyn Turner 1 0-2 2. Totals 3 2-6 8.
CLEBURNE COUNTY –Faith Brown 5-9 1-2 12, Makenzie Frames 2-6 0-3 4, Olivia McDaniel 0-2 0-0 0, Haley Price 3-13 3-3 10, Brooklyn McDaniel 6-12 2-2 14, Haven Freeman 1-6 0-0 2, Kaydence Wright 0-1 0-3 0, Libby Altman 0-3 0-0 0, Julie Wilkerson 0-0 2-2 2, Chloe Kerr 0-1 0-1 0. Totals 17-53 8-15 44.
Munford 3 3 2 0 – 8
Cleburne County 16 12 12 4 – 44
3-point goals: Cleburne County 2-12 (B. McDaniel 0-1, Brown 1-3, Price 1-5, Frames 0-2, Altman 0-1). Rebounds: Cleburne County 23 (B. McDaniel 11). Total fouls: Munford 14, Cleburne County 9.
HANDLEY 64, WHITE PLAINS 30: Grace Rittenhouse scored 13 of her 15 points in the first quarter as the Lady Tigers established control, then Teanna Watts outscored had her 12 in the middle two quarters as they pulled away. Lily Ponder led White Plains with 10 points
Handley 64, White Plains 30
WHITE PLAINS – Callyn Martin 2 2-3 6, Cheyenne Cochran 1 0-0 3, Hallie Williams 2 0-0 5, Shaniyah Calloway 2 0-0 6, Camden Wilson 0 0-0 0, Lily Ponder 3 3-3 10, Adriana Sotelo 0 0-0 0, Angel Bozarth 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 5-6 30.
HANDLEY –Takeira Tucker 1 0-0 2, Ariana Kyles 2 2-2 4, Jamiya Heard 2 0-0 4, Akia Brown 0 0-0 0, Teanna Watts 6 0-0 12, Iyanna Norman 2 0-0 4, Grace Rittenhouse 7 1-2 15, Takeriauna Mosley 1 0-0 2, Emelia Askew 2 3-6 7, Jayla Trammell 2 0-0 4, Shaniah Allen 3 2-2 8. Totals 28 8-12 64
White Plains 13 4 4 9 – 30
Handley 18 17 17 12 – 64
3-point goals: White Plains 5 (Cochran, Williams, Calloway 2, Ponder). Total fouls: White Plains 7, Handley 10.
OHATCHEE 52, WEAVER 25: Jorda Crook led a balanced Ohatchee scoring attack with 11 points. All 11 Ohatchee players who got in the game scored. Alyssa Davis and Millie Rainwater added seven apiece for the Lady Indians.
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