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- Updated: February 17, 2025
Barksdale’s 18 points leads the way as Graves’ Titans advance in Northeast Regional, earn shot at Oxford for the regional title.
By Joe Medley
East Alabama Sports Today
JACKSONVILLE — Ralpheal Graves considered taking his Gadsden City team to play in Oxford’s Larry & Connie Davidson Classic earlier this season but said he couldn’t work out a one-for-one home game for the Titans in return.
So what did the Anniston native tell his team?
“I said, you know what, let’s just not play that game,” he said. “If we want to play them, play them in the regional championship for all of the marbles,”
Former Jacksonville High standout Devin Barksdale led his new team with 18 points Monday, and Gadsden City downed Huffman 60-46 in the Northeast Regional semifinals in Pete Mathews Coliusem,
The victory earned the Titans an upset of 6A top-ranked Huffman (26-5) but also a berth in Thursday’s Class 6A regional final. Gadsden City will play Oxford at 2:15 p.m.
Gadsden City will play in a regional final for the first time since 2016.
Monday’s game marked a return home for Barksdale, who played three seasons at Jacksonville. He was part of Jacksonville’s Class 4A state-title teams in 2022 and 2023.
Barksdale transferred to Gadsden City and plays for Graves, his God father.
Monday’s game was Barksdale’s first in the Northeast Regional since 2023.
“It felt good to be back here,” he said. “Last year, I missed out, lost in the subregional game. I really did miss the atmosphere at JSU, knowing that I’m going to come and play, that I love playing here.”
Graves, who coached Sacred Heart to four consecutive Class 1A state titles and six Final Fours from 2014-19, coached in his first Northeast Regional game since the 2020 regional final. He got his first win in the Northeast Regional since 2019 regional final.
Graves coached at Mae Jemison before going to Gadsden City. The Anniston High grad in his second season coaching the Titans, which lost in the area tournament last year.
“We missed the playoffs last year, and that was kind of tough,” Graves said. “I love being in the playoffs, because I love getting to see the pressure on everybody. You get to see who can handle the pressure, from the coaches, the fans, the players being under those circumstances.
“It boils my blood a little bit. That adrenaline gets to going.”
After missing out a year ago, Graves took a few pages from his Sacred Heart playbook.
‘With me being here a lot of times before, I had to reevaluate what was going on when I first got here (at Gadsden City) last year,'” Graves said. “I said, ‘You know what? What were some of those success things that I did when I was at my previous school?
“I said, ‘You know what? It’s the offseason.’ I had a better offseason than everybody, so I was like, we have to implement that at Gadsden City. Our kids bought into, and here we are.”
The Titans got 17 points and 10 rebounds from Jakobi Sharp and 13 from Kai Franklin on Monday to overcome 14 points from Huffman’s Peyton Wiggins and 13 points and 20 rebounds from Kevon Walker.
Clinging to a 44-42 lead with 4:37 to play, Gadsden City went on an 8-0 spurt to take control of the game. Barksdale’s three free throws made it 52-42 at 3:02.
Barksdale’s free throws came after a kickout pass to the corner from Sharp.
Photo gallery by Joe Medley
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