Heflin Hoops Classic
- Updated: December 28, 2024
Welsh answers Ohatchee comeback with bucket to give Spring Garden’s boys tournament title, keep Panthers undefeated.
Heflin Holiday Hoops Tournament
THURSDAY
Girls
Piedmont 48, Randolph County 24
Central-Clay 41, Ranburne 38
Ohatchee 56, White Plains 22
Cleburne County 47, Weaver 39
Boys
Central-Clay 49, White Plains 39
Spring Garden 77, Weaver 64
Ohatchee 63, Ranburne 38
Faith Christian 67, Cleburne County 61
FRIDAY
Girls
Ranburne 45, Randolph County 6
White Plains 37, Weaver 28
Central-Clay 40, Piedmont 34
Ohatchee 45, Cleburne County 27
Boys
Weaver 60, White Plains 46
Cleburne County 61, Ranburne 48
Spring Garden 58, Central-Clay 55
Ohatchee 69, Faith Christian 43
SATURDAY
Girls
Randolph County 40, Weaver 10
Piedmont 44, Cleburne County 12
Ranburne 62, White Plains 25
Championship
Central-Clay 57, Ohatchee 39
Boys
White Plains 63, Ranburne 22
Central-Clay 69, Faith Christian 37
Weaver 81, Cleburne County 72
Championship
Spring Garden 56, Ohatchee 55
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
HEFLIN — Spring Garden’s boys came into the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic undefeated and left that way, but the Panthers got something out of their stay in Heflin.
They got tested.
John Welsh’s bucket with 13 seconds left put Spring Garden back ahead after Ohatchee rallied from 13 points behind to lead, and the Panthers’ staved off two Ohatchee shot attempts on the final possession to win Saturday’s championship game, 56-55.
The Class 1A Panthers’ one-point victory over 3A Ohatchee (11-3) came a day after they beat Class 5A Central-Clay 58-55 to earn a berth in the eight-team tourney’s title game.
Spring Garden had two other three-point victories this season, over North Sand Mountain (91-88) and Donoho (60-57).
“It’s good, because we started and had some good wins, but it’s like we talked about,” Spring Garden coach Levi Hatcher said. “We need some of those close games.
“We need some of those close games. We need the athletic games and the physical games and the ones where we’ve got to fight through adversity, because it will pay off down the road.”
Welsh scored a game-high 25 points, and Jacob Welsh scored 22 as Spring Garden built a 31-23 lead at halftime and 48-37 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The lead edged to 13 points.
Led by Ashton Carroll’s 16 points, 15 from Jake Roberson and 14 from Brayden Collins, Ohatchee rallied and took a 55-54 lead on Roberson’s transition bucket on Collins’ steal and pass with 1:10 to play.
Colby Hester took a charge to end Spring Garden’s ensuing possession.
Collins missed two free throws with 26 seconds left, setting the stage for Spring Garden’s game-winning possession. John Welsh improvised, dribble-driving when Ohatchee cut off a passing lane for Jaylen Baker-Brown.
“I just had to make a play,” Welsh said. “Our guys trust me. I trust them to let me get the ball in the hoop, so that’s what I did.”
Hatcher expects no less from Welsh.
“He got to a spot and finished it,” Hatcher said. “It was John being a playmaker, is what it was.”
Ohatchee had one final possession, Collins missed a 3-point try from top-right, and Jacob Welsh blocked Hester’s attempt at a putback.
“I wanted to call a timeout, but sometimes, you’ve just got to let them play,” first-year Ohatchee coach Quintarius Hutchison said. “They bring us all the way back letting them play, so hey.
“We got a good look. We got a wide-open three and didn’t make it.”
As for Ohatchee’s comeback, it happened despite Roberson playing with four fouls. The Indians’ post had to stop playing defense aggressively in the fourth quarter.
The comeback is evidence that the Indians are responding in year one under Hutchison.
“My boys, they fight,” Hutchison said. “We’ve been in a couple of tough games and lost them, but they showed they can fight.
“In practice, I put them down 20, 30 points every practice. If you lose, you run. They’ve come back every practice, and they showed it today.”
Other boys’ games
WHITE PLAINS 63, RANBURNE 22: A major offensive adjustment produced a good day for a young White Plains team.
The Wildcats made 14 3-pointers, finishing with more 3-point field goals than 2-point field goals (nine). Caleb Lynch hit a game-high five 3-pointers to account for his 15 points. Crew Martin, Bryson Cheatwood, Will Graham and Ethan Turner hit two threes apiece, and Harper Hall hit one.
Cheatwood finished with 11 points, Graham and Turner 10 apiece.
Seth McAdams paced Ranburne with nine points.
CENTRAL-CLAY 69, FAITH CHRISTIAN 37: Kevin Cherry hit two 3-pointers on the way to a game-high 19 points, and the Vols finished the tournament with a win.
Taylor Boyd scored eight of his 12 points in the first quarter, and Zion Newell hit two treys on the way to eight points.
Faith’s Colin Anderson hit two 3-pointers on the way to 17 points, and Dylan Rogers’ eight points included two treys.
WEAVER 81, CLEBURNE COUNTY 72: Harper Williams hit 12 of 16 free throws on the way to a game-high 30 points, and Weaver went on a 10-0 run late to gain separation.
The Bearcats also got 24 points from Keshawn Allen and 18 from Kaden Gooden, who hit three 3-pointers.
They overcame a 24-point showing Cleburne County’s Lyric Ware, who hit five 3-pointers … four in the first quarter as the Tigers took a 31-20 lead. Noah Turley hit both of his 3-pointers in the first quarter and finished with eight points.
Noah Turley scored 12 points.
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