Make it 4
- Updated: January 28, 2025
Oxford’s girls absorb Jacksonville’s best, pull away to win fourth consecutive Calhoun County basketball championship.
Tournament results
FRIDAY, Jan. 17
No. 6 Ohatchee 39, No. 11 Pleasant Valley 29
No. 12 Faith Christian 39, No. 13 Wellborn 33
SATURDAY, Jan. 18
No. 5 Alexandria 57, Faith 17
MONDAY, Jan. 19
No. 7 Piedmont 54, No. 10 Jacksonville Christian 37
No. 9 Weaver 46, No. 8 White Plains 39
No. 3 Anniston 45, Ohatchee 34
Alexandria 61, No. 4 Saks 50
SATURDAY, Jan. 25
No. 2 Jacksonville 54, Piedmont 24
No. 1 Oxford 75, Weaver 10
MONDAY, Jan. 27
Semifinals
Jacksonville 53, Anniston 27
Oxford 67, Alexandria 37
TUESDAY, Jan. 28
Championship
Oxford 58, Jacksonville 40
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE — Oxford’s girls won their first three Calhoun County basketball championships since 2006 with a special player in Xai Whitfield, and the team she left behind found their way to a fourth consecutive county title.
Most valuable player Shay Montgomery led the way with 16 points, and top seed Oxford asserted its county supremacy once again Tuesday, beating beating No. 2 seed Jacksonville 58-40 in Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Oxford (18-8) claimed its 10th county title in the 47-year history of the girls’ tournament. They three in a row with Whitfield, now freshman playing for Tennessee State University, and won Monday with the group she left behind.
“I hope it goes to our work ethic,” said Melissa Bennett, Oxford’s head coach throughout its run of four consecutive county titles. “I hope that you don’t define a program on one player.
“Yes, Xai is one to hang your hat on, and she did great things here, but she did a great job of setting the example … . Just having a day-in, day-out work ethic and building to this all season is huge testament to our girls and what they’ve put in every day.”
Oxford also got 13 points from Ava Thomas, 12 from Bri Wilson and 11 from Takayvia Boyd. Wilson was the tournament’s most outstanding offensive player.
“This proved that we all work together as a team, and we’ve been working hard,” Montgomery said. “We lost an important piece of our team, but we’re having to play as a team together and not just play with one person.”
Montgomery, Wilson and Thomas were among regulars who played around Whitfield last season. Wilson has stepped into he point-guard role that Whitfield occupied.
“Shay Montgomery has always had the intangibles, but she has dominated the paint,” Bennett said. “We take such advantage of her being that rim protector for us.
“Ava Thomas is averaging right under a double-double, 9.3 rebounds and 12 points a game, so those that’s kind of our three-headed monster, Bri, Ava and Shay, and every night, either Takayvia (Boyd) or My’kynlei (Mosley) is filling that fourth spot.”
Alexis Phillips led Jacksonville (20-7) with 13 points and was the tournament’s most outstanding defensive player.
The Yellow Jackets began to separate with a 9-0 run after Jacksonville took a 16-15 lead in the second quarter. Oxford led 26-19 at halftime and pulled away in the third quarter.
“We came out, and the girls were a little bit nervous, big stage, big lights,” Jacksonville coach Corey Mize said. “They knew how big the game was. We called timeout and got them settled down, and we went on a little bit of a run. We settled in our defense and turned them over pretty well. …
“Their height just got to us in the end.”
Jacksonville reached the county final for the first time since 2015 and was seeking its first county title since 2012.
Mize, in his third year as Jacksonville’s head coach and coaching in his fourth county tournament, got to showcase his team’s progress and, perhaps, tease a deep postseason run.
“I think we can play with anybody,” Mize said. “We turned Oxford over 35 times, and that’s not a shot at them. I think that our press, if we can just convert on the back end of them, we can play with anybody.”
All-Tournament team
MVP: Shay Montgomery, Oxford.
OFFENSIVE MVP: Bri Wilson, Oxford.
DEFENSIVE MVP: Alexis Phillips, Jacksonville.
Alexandria: Sumira Duncan, Charlee Parris.|
Anniston: Liberty Lewis.
Jacksonville: Neveah Nicholson, Ontarriah Braxton.
Ohatchee: Emily Riddle, Payten Walker.
Oxford: Ava Thomas, Mi’kynlei Mosley.
Piedmont: Cayla Brothers.
Saks: Madison Turner.
Weaver: Aaliyah Marks.
Photo gallery
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