Bye Crook
- Updated: February 20, 2023
Ohatchee standout turns in final gem of her prep basketball career, but Plainview pulls away to advance in Northeast Regional
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE — Jorda Crook left those who have followed her special high school sports career with a memory Monday. It’s just hard to decide which memory should lead.
Were there too many times she outjumped three Plainview players to catch passes then maneuvered through to score for any one such time to stand out?
Or was it the reverse layup plus and-one against Plainview’s Gracie Rowell, not long after Rowell snuck behind her, blocked her shot and stared her down?
Crook’s 46-point, 12-rebound, seven-steal high school finale wasn’t enough for Ohatchee’s girls to overcome a Plainview team that puts “Family” for last names on its jersey. The Bears hit 10 3-pointers and more than withstood the one of these things who just wasn’t like the others, beating Crook-led Ohatchee 74-53 in the Class 3A Northeast Regional semifinals in Pete Mathews Coliseum.
From straight out of the life’s-unfair file, Crook’s basketball career ended at 15.4 seconds in the fourth quarter, with her grabbing for her right calf on the sideline, just in front of Ohatchee coach Bryant Ginn. He subbed for her, and she got well-earned applause from Ohatchee’s cheering section.
She can be forgiven a calf cramp. Her relentlessness Monday came after she played in an AAU volleyball tournament all weekend in Chattanooga.
From the that’s-appropriate file, her final play saw her lunge to tip a Plainview pass then come down out of bounds … hustle in a game that had long since slipped into hopelessness.
“I just wanted to win this game,” she said. “This is a team that I thought could go to state, and I wanted it to happen, and it just didn’t work out for us that way.”
Ohatchee finished 27-4, and Crook finished high school basketball second on the Alabama High School Athletic Association single-season scoring list with 1,188 points. Her 3,091 career points leaves her in 16th place all time.
“There’s probably not enough adjectives or adverbs … to describe how she’s played,” Ginn said. “I’m extremely proud of her. Her hard work has paid off. She’s an excellent player.”
Crook’s basketball dominance almost makes one forget her greater volleyball dominance. She cashed in 2,035 career kills, 873 digs, 345 blocks and 264 aces for a UAB scholarship.
Crook and Alexandria’s Kailey Dickerson, the Calhoun County 1A-3A and 4A-6A players of the year for 2022, were co-MVPs of The Rocky Top Sports Complex “Queen of The Court” tournament this past weekend.
In both sports, Crook plays bigger than her list height of 5-foot-9. She jumps highly enough to hit downhill in volleyball and moves well enough to handle the ball against a press.
She’s strong enough to gain position on high school triple teams.
“She essentially said, ‘I’m going to get the ball every time, and I don’t care if you all double me,’” Ginn said. “That’s a testament. Not many people do it. I’ve never seen a girl do it. I’ve seen maybe a handful of guys be able to do it.”
Plainview coach Luke Griggs, who called Crook “Air Jorda,” acknowledged that he utilized boys to simulate Crook in practice. His 6-foot son, Ty Griggs, a junior on Plainview’s boys team, did his best.
“I think we needed better boys in practice,” he said. “I should’ve gotten grown man in there, instead of my son.”
Upon hearing what Plainview did to simulate her, Crook tried to find a compliment in it all.
“It really doesn’t do anything but make me mad,” she said. “They got on my nerves so much, but I’ll take it.”
The moment to remember came not long after Crook stared up from the floor at Jackson, who stared down at her after slipping behind her to block a layup.
Crook caught the ball on one side of the basket, battled through multiple defenders and scored a reverse layup with a foul from Rowell.
Crook hit the free throw.
Crook was enough to keep Ohatchee close until Plainview found its 3-point range late in the second quarter. Sawyer Kate Hulgan hit back-to-back threes, and Ali Price added another to turn a 25-24 game into a 34-24 game in 46 seconds.
Ohatchee closed to within 34-27 by the half and 51-46 headed into the fourth quarter, but Plainview scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter and continued to build the lead.
The final margin was the game’s biggest.
Crook still has track season to add to her credits as a high school athlete. She took state in javelin in 2022 but missed out on other strong events because she had to play another travel volleyball tournament.
“She better run track,” joked Ginn, also Ohatchee’s track coach. “Go win three state championships.”
CLASS 3A NORTHEAST REGIONAL
GIRLS SEMIFINALS
PLAINVIEW 74, OHATCHEE 53
PLAINVIEW (31-3) – Ali Price 2-2 0-15, Kami Sanders 2-6 1-2 5, Saydi Jackson 7-10 1-2 15, Sawyer Kate Hulgan 10-20 4-4 29, Lauren Jimmerson 3-6 0-0 7, Zanna Ferguson 0-0 2-2 2, Graidin Haas 1-1 0-0 2, Gracie Rowell 3-8 0-0 9. Totals 28-53 8-11 74.
OHATCHEE (27-5) – Tabi Davidson 0-3 0-0 0, Whitney McFry 0-3 1-1 1, Kiana Garber 0-2 1-2 1, Jorda Crook 18-35 10-13 46, Alyssa Davis 1-7 0-0 2, Lindsey Zurchin 1-4 0-0 3. Totals 20-54 12-16 53.
Plainview 11 23 17 23 – 74
Ohatchee 14 13 19 7 – 53
3-point goals: Plainview 10-28 (Price 1-1, Sanders 0-1, Hulgan 5-15, Jimmerson 1-3, Rowell 3-8); Ohatchee 1-10 (Davidson 0-2, McFry 0-1, Garber 0-1, Crook 0-1, Zurchin 1-4). Total fouls: Plainview 17, Ohatchee 16. Fouled out: Jimmerson, Garber Officials: Southerland, Matthews, Sowards.
SUSAN MOORE 70, GLENCOE 42: Jaxson Moore scored 18 points to lead Glencoe in its first regional appearance since 2019, but a tough first quarter against Susan Moore’s relentless press proved too much to overcome.
The Yellow Jackets committed 12 of their 20 turnovers in the first quarter and trailed 18-5. Six of those turnovers came in the first 2:33.
“I’ve not seen a press like that my whole high school career,” Sizemore said. “They really get after you.”
Susan Moore (28-3), the reigning Class 3A state runner up, got 16 points from Cali Smallwood and nine from Lani Smallwood and outscored Glencoe 16-3 in points off of turnovers.
Glencoe finished 19-11 and will lose four seniors, including Sizemore.
“It’s been a few years since we got out of area, and that was the goal,” Glencoe coach Blake Badgett said. “I told them I thought we were a 20-win basketball team and had a chance to go to Jacksonville (regional site).
“We ended up with 19 wins, and we got here.”
Susan Moore will face Plainview in Thursday’s 3A regional final at 9 a.m.
CLASS 3A NORTHEAST REGIONAL
GIRLS SEMIFINALS
SUSAN MOORE 70, GLENCOE 42
SUSAN MOORE (28-3) – Lacey Floyd 5-10 0-0 12, Kaitlyn Hill 2-3 0-0 6, Lani Smallwood 7-14 0-0 16, Marisa Bryan 3-7 0-0 7, Cali Smallwood 9-14 2-4 23, Kadence Standridge 0-1 0-0 0, Cesa Hernandez 1-4 0-0 2, Kirsten Ingram 0-1 0-0 0, Mallorie Holland 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 29-58 2-4 70.
GLENCOE (19-11) – Madalyn Amberson 1-2 0-0 3, Autumn Greene 0-3 1-3 1, Kinslee Gray 4-8 0-0 11, Alli Jo Amos 1-3 0-1 2, Jaxson Sizemore 6-14 6-7 18, Hailey Hanners 3-9 0-0 7. Totals 15-39 7-11 42.
Susan Moore 18 22 9 21 – 70
Spring Garden 5 15 7 15 – 42
3-point goals: Susan Moore 10-28 (Floyd 2-4, Hill 2-3, L.Smallwood 2-5, Bryan 1-4, C.Smallwood 3-7, Holland 0-2); Glencoe 5-14 (Amberson 1-2, Gray 3-5, Sizemore 0-2, Hanners 1-5). Total fouls: Susan Moore 15, Glencoe 10. Fouled out: none. Officials: Morris, Frazier, Wood.
Cover photo: Ohatchee’s Jorda Crook attacks the rim on the way to a 46-point performance against Plainview in Monday’s Northeast Regional semifinals in Pete Mathews Coliseum. (Photo by Greg Warren)
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