Detour
- Updated: February 8, 2025
Anniston’s boys hold off subregional challenge from Indian Springs, will play in a regional other than the Northeast Regional for the first time ever.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
ANNISTON — Ja’korie Carr’s big regional dreams, watching Anniston greats Antoinio Kite and Malcolm Carlisle play in the Northeast Regional in Pete Mathews Coliseum.
“I said I couldn’t wait to go up there,” Carr said.
Carr played at Jax State in the Calhoun County Tournament, but his regional hoop dreams will take a two-and-a-half-hour detour to Montgomery. Tariq Judkins’ 11 points and Carr’s 10 helped Anniston’s boys survive their Class 4A subregional game against Indians Springs on Saturday, 52-44.
The Bulldogs’ secured the program’s 21st regional appearance but not in the Northeast Regional, the destination for their first 20 regional appearances. Quirks of realignment sent them to the Central Regional at Alabama State University.
Anniston (21-4), winner of 18 of its last 19 games, will play the Trinity Presbyterian-Bibb County winner Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
While Calhoun County is home to Jacksonville State University and The Pete, it’s not unheard of for teams from here to play in another regional. It’s unheard of for Anniston.
Not only have Anniston’s boys played all 20 of their regional appearances at Jax State, but the girls have played all 19 of theirs in The Pete. Anniston’s girls will play in Montgomery this time, as well.
“We’re happy to still be playing, but we’d much rather be playing at Jacksonville State, 20 minutes from home, instead of driving two hours,” Anniston coach Torry Brown said. “Hopefully, our fan base will still come out like they normally do at Jacksonville State.”
Brown said he’s never gotten an explanation of how Anniston wound up aligned to go to the Central Regional in the current realignment cycle. The Bulldogs are aligned in an area with Handley, Munford and Talladega. Their neighboring 4A area includes Alexandria, Cherokee County, Cleburne County and White Plains.
Cleburne County’s football program is aligned in a region with Handley, Munford and Talladega. Anniston’s football team aligns with Alexandria, Cherokee County and White Plains.
“As far as our school, football is in the north,” Brown said. “Baseball is in the north. Volleyball is in the north.
“Basketball is the only sport that’s south.”
For a time Saturday, Indian Springs (14-11) threatened to leave Anniston with no regional destination. Dyllan Heald led all scorers with 26 points, including three of the visitors’ eight 3-pointers, and they led 38-33 with three minutes to go in the third quarter.
Anniston switched to full-court man-to-man defense and fed off of Carr’s energy to produce a 10-0 run, and the Bulldogs outscored the Springs 19–6 the rest of the game.
“We put Ja’korie in with 3:33 left in the third quarter, and he gave us a big–time spark,” Brown said. “We got out of our zone and went full-court man and pressured them a little bit … and we actually found something that worked for us a little bit.
“We got some turnovers, a few easy ones, and when Ja’korie got the steal about the foul line and hit a layup to put us up one, from that point forward we had momentum.”
Indian Springs earned its sub–regional berth by upsetting Pleasant Grove in the Area 7 tournament.
“We have our size issues, and a lot of teams would cave to that,” Indian Springs coach Jeff Zanotti said. “We beat a lot of stereotypes coming out of that area, where you have Pleasant Grove and Fairfield, but our guys have heart.
“The shots didn’t fall today, but I hope it puts our team on the map as far as giving some people who want to be in a basketball program that’s going to see success in the future.”
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