Riding the wave
- Updated: December 14, 2022
Tuesday boys roundup: Weaver takes a three-game winning streak into its two-week Christmas break, Oxford dominates Fort Payne in third quarter, includes scores and highlights of games in and around Calhoun County
TUESDAY’S GAMES
Alexandria 82, Glencoe 75 (OT)
B.B. Comer 72, Ashville 50
Cedar Bluff 51, Woodville 46
Cherokee County 46, White Plains 41
Faith Christian 57, Cleburne County 42
Gaylesville 42, Coosa Christian 36
Jacksonville 82, Gadsden City 56
Munford 64, Pleasant Valley 57
Oxford 71, Fort Payne 49
Spring Garden 57, Sand Rock 51
Sylacauga 72, Lincoln 52
Weaver 54, Ohatchee 36
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
OHATCHEE – Basketball is starting to be fun again for Tristan Brown and the Weaver basketball team.
The Bearcats, who crammed 15 games into this early part of their season, get to take a season-best three-game winning streak into their upcoming break before Christmas after taking down Ohatchee 54-36 Tuesday afternoon.
It feels so much better around the program than did mired in a nine-game losing streak this current streak supplanted.
“It feels good, especially coming off a losing streak,” Brown said. “We’re definitely playing a lot more as a team. We were playing selfish basketball at the beginning of the season and we kind of changed it up.
“We definitely feel way more confident, more happy to play, just excited to play. When you’re on a losing streak you’ve gotta feel down and you’ve got to get that off of you. We finally did and now we feel a lot better.”
“It’s always better when you’re winning, but I felt like we’ve learned a lot more in losing than we did in winning these three games,” Bearcats coach Beau Winn said.
The biggest difference in the two streaks is during the winning streak the Bearcats (5-10) have gotten off to super-quick starts. During the winning streak, they have started the games with first-quarter leads of 22-15, 28-6 and 15-7. They averaged trailing by five after the first quarter during the losing streak.
It’s all been a matter of approach, Winn said.
“Instead of focusing on trying to win ballgames, we’ve just been focused on trying to win quarters,” he explained. “Instead of looking at the big picture, let’s win the first quarter, take care of the second quarter, come out and win the third. Kind of chunking that up allowed us to not be so overwhelmed.
“We’ve got 11 seniors on the team and there’s a lot riding on their shoulders and I think sometimes they get to where they feel a little overwhelmed and they try to do too much. That’s been the big statement for us, trying to focus on winning quarters instead of trying to win games.”
The Bearcats’ first-quarter lead eventually grew to 22-9, 30-14 and 37-16. They hit five 3-pointers to fuel their first 37 points.
Armane Burton helped get the Bearcats their early lead with six consecutive points for his team midway through the first quarter. Brown was steady throughout the game, but hit two 3-pointers and had eight of his game-high 19 in the second quarter to take it to a 30-16 game at halftime.
Jeffrey Miles (13) and Dawson Brooks (11) also scored in double figures for Weaver.
The Bearcats are off until they play Cleburne County Dec. 27 in the first round of the Heflin Holiday Classic.
WEAVER (5-10) – Tristan Brown 7 3-4 19, Elijah Smith 0 0-0 0, Jeffrey Miles 6 0-0 13, Dawson Brooks 4 0-0 11, Payton Martin 1 0-0 2, Jackson Williams 0 0-0 0, Zach Garner 0 0-0 0, Armane Burton 4 1-3 9. Totals 22 4-7 54.
OHATCHEE – Eli Teem 2 0-0 6, Jake Roberts 0 0-0 0, Jesse Baswell 3 0-0 7, Austin Carroll 2 0-0 6, Colby Hester 1 0-0 3, Jake Roberson 1 0-2 2, Nathan Dover 2 0-0 4, Kelbe Crook 3 1-3 8. Totals 14 1-5 36.
Weaver 15 15 11 13 – 54
Ohatchee 7 9 9 11 – 36
3-point goals: Weaver 6 (Brown 2, Miles, Brooks 3); Ohatchee 7 (Teem 2, Baswell, Carroll 2, Hester, Crook). Total fouls: Weaver 10, Ohatchee 9. Officials: Burroughs, Howell, Nelms.
JACKSONVILLE 82, GADSDEN CITY 56: Jaleik Long, starting in place of injured point guard Devin Barksdale, scored 10 points and was among four Golden Eagles scoring in double figures. John Broom led Jacksonville with 26 points and came within one rebound and one assist of a triple double. He also blocked four shots. Caden Johnson had 18 points, five rebounds and three steals, while his twin brother Cam had 15 points, five rebounds and two steals.
“Jaleik has been doing a really good job at that,” Jacksonville coach Tres Buzan said of the senior after Saturday’s second straight start against B.B. Comer. “He’s been a good energy guy. He’s playing better and better on defense. We’re really proud of him. When Devin couldn’t start he knew he had to step into a bigger role and he did.”
JACKSONVILLE – John Broom 9-17 6-6 26, Caden Johnson 8-14 0-2 18, Cam Johnson 5-13 3-4 15, Jaleik Long 4-8 0-0 10, Dee Prothro 2-3 1-1 5, Jaquan Ervin 1-3 0-0 3, Kydric Fisher 1-2 0-0 3, Imoree Young 0-1 2-2 2, Ethan Duke 0-0 0-0 0, DaMonte Sinclair 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-61 12-15 82.
GADSDEN CITY – Qwon Bridges 6-10 1-2 13, Jackson Veasy 3-3 0-1 6, K. Curry 3-8 0-0 6, Jakobi Sharp 2-5 1-2 6, Khalil Hughley 2-6 2-2 6, Lashun Harris 3-3 0-0 6, Jordan Walker 2-4 0-0 5, John Hiller Roberts 1-2 1-2 4, Braydon Mayes 0-7 2-3 2, Malik Deramus 1-3 0-0 2, Elijah Dunn 0-0 0-0 0, R Green 0-0 0-0 0, C Higgin 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-51 7-12 56.
Jacksonville 15 22 24 21 – 82
Gadsden City 16 14 14 12 – 56
3-point goals: Jacksonville 10-23 (Broom 2-4, Cd. Johnson 2-4, Cm. Johnson 2-7, Long 2-5, Ervin 1-1, Fisher 1-2); Gadsden City 3-12 (Curry 0-2, Sharp 1-2, Hughley 0-2, Walker 1-1, Roberts 1-1, Mayes 0-4). Rebounds: Jacksonville 37 (Broom 9); Gadsden City 29 (Bridges 7). Total fouls: Jacksonville 13, Gadsden City 16.
OXFORD 71, FORT PAYNE 49: The Yellow Jackets came out of the halftime dressing room sharp on both ends of the floor, outscoring the Wildcats 24-1 in the third quarter to overcome a five-point halftime deficit and pull away for an area victory.
Jaylen Alexander had 10 of his team-high 23 points and Jayden Lewis had nine of his 11 in the third quarter. Alexander was 8-of-10 from the free throw line in the second half. Lewis scored all of his points in the second half. T.J. Allen hit six of the Jackets’ nine 3-pointers on his way to 20 points.
“Our pressure caught them by surprise and we finally got some easy opportunities off our defense,” Oxford coach Joel VanMeter said of the third quarter. “The energy level was the difference.”
The Yellow Jackets head to the War Eagle Classic at Woodward Academy this weekend. They play SW Atlanta Christian Friday and Mt. Pisgah Saturday.
FORT PAYNE – Ethan Evett 1 0-0 3, Luke Stephens 4 0-0 10, Jake Barnes 1 0-0 2, Nolan Fowler 1 0-0 2, Carter Tinker 4 0-0 9, Ben Guice 0 0-0 0, Alan Harcrow 3 1-2 9, Jackson Banks 3 1-1 7, Connor Kinsley 0 0-0 0, Marcus Ledford 2 0-0 5, Bennett Blanks 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 2-3 49.
OXFORD – Jaylen Alexander 7 9-12 23, Caleb Sanders 1 0-0 2, Dashaun Callaway 2 0-0 4, T.J. Allen 7 0-0 20, Chase Truitt 0 0-0 0, Jordan Kelley 0 0-0 0, Brock Reaves 1 0-0 3, Jayden Lewis 4 3-5 11, Marcus Perry 3 0-0 8, Elijah Malone 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 12-17 71.
Fort Payne 17 17 1 14 – 49
Oxford 13 16 24 18 – 71
3-point goals: Fort Payne 7 (Evett, Stephens 2, Tinker, Harcrow 2, Ledford); Oxford 9 (Perry 2, Reaves, Allen 6). Technical fouls: Stephens. Fouled out: Stephens. Total fouls: Fort Payne 15, Oxford 9. Officials: Batey, Railey, Wood.
MUNFORD 64, PLEASANT VALLEY 57: Sylvester Smith returned from his trip to the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Football Game and scored 24 points to lead the Lions to victory. He hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored 14 points in the third quarter as the Lions extended a four-point halftime lead.
Bryce Smith hit six 3-pointers for Pleasant Valley and led the Raiders with 24 points. He hit three in the second quarter and three in the fourth.
PLEASANT VALLEY – Jaden Sparks 2 0-2 4, Jesse Gannaway 4 2-2 11, Hunter Sparks 3 1-5 7, Caleb Stallings 0 0-0 0, Freeman 1 0-0 2, Kolby Battles 2 1-2 5, Shane Cramer 1 0-0 2, Braxton Williams 1 0-0 2, Bryce Smith 8 2-2 24. Totals 22 6-13 57.
MUNFORD – Demetrius Norwood 1 2-3 4, Sylvester Smith 10 2-6 24, Keyshawn Castleberry 0 0-0 0, Alex Petty 0 0-0 0, Lathan Stephens 5 1-2 11, B.J. Anderson 3 4-4 11, Austin Wyatt 2 1-2 6, Kelby Tucker 2 0-0 4, Javion White 2 0-2 4. Totals 25 10-19 64.
Pleasant Valley 12 16 11 18 – 57
Munford 19 12 22 11 – 64
3-point goals: Pleasant Valley 7 (Gannaway, Smith 6); Munford 4 (Smith 2, Anderson, Wynn). Total fouls: Pleasant Valley 16, Munford 16. Officials: Allen, Hale, Richards.
CHEROKEE COUNTY 46, WHITE PLAINS 41: Jackson Amos, the little guy who was big on the football field for the Warriors this fall, was big for them on the hardwood, too, with nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter to hold off the Wildcats. Amos was 4-for-4 from the line in the quarter. Landon Caldwell scored nine of his 12 points in the second quarter as the Warriors took a 20-15 halftime lead. Luke Bussey led White Plains with 11 points.
WHITE PLAINS – Paul Laube 0 1-2 1, Z.J. Rosario 4 0-0 8, Silas Hines 1 0-0 3, Josh Wheeler 2 0-0 5, Daniel Williams 3 0-0 7, Luke Bussey 4 0-0 11, Carter Johnson 3 0-0 6. Totals 17 1-2 41.
CHEROKEE COUNTY – Jackson Amos 4 4-4 15, Malachi Horton 2 1-2 5, CadeHopper 2 0-2 5, Jacob Cornejo 0 2-4 2, jaden Wilson 1 0-0 2, Landon Caldwell 5 2-4 12, Eli Martin 1 0-0 2, Jackson Neyman 1 0-0 3. Totals 16 9-16 46.
White Plains 11 4 13 13 – 41
Cherokee County 8 12 9 17 – 46
3-point goals: White Plains 6 (Hines, Wheeler, Williams, Bussey 3); Cherokee County 5 (Amos 3, Hopper, Neyman). Total fouls: Cherokee County 8, White Plains 12. Officials: Baker, Hall, Tillery.
FAITH CHRISTIAN 58, CLEBURNE COUNTY 42: Thomas Curlee went for 32 points, including 13 of 15 from the free throw line, and the Lions got all their scoring from the starters. Tyler Bell had 10 points and four assists and Conner Richerzhagen had nine points.
B.B. COMER 72, ASHVILLE 50: Chris Wilson scored 21 points, Kamore Harris 16 and Zack Carpenter 13 as B.B. Comer gave coach Marcus Herbert his first win in the program.
The Tigers led by five at halftime, then pulled away in the second half. Wilson had 17 points and Harris 10 in the second half
“It’s nice to get a W, but we have a lot of work to do,” Herbert said. “It’s a confidence builder going into Friday against Fayetteville, the first area game.”
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 87, COOSA CHRISTIAN 56: Ethan Fair hit seven 3-pointers on the way to a 33-point, 11-rebound double-double Monday night. Braxton Brown added 11 points and five assists, Cooper Bates had 10 and Cam Moses nine for the Thunder (6-3).
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