Calhoun County, AL Calhoun County, Alabama The winners of eight have emerged, but a an updated schedule based on the forecast of dangerous winter weather dominates discussion on the second day.
Joe Medley Joe Medley
The possibility of dangerous winter weather on a Tuesday has prompted officials for the 73rd Calhoun County basketball tournament to change the tournament’s schedule to include no games on Tuesdays.
The most interesting aspect of the updated schedule is that it will require two boys’ semifinalists for two times on Thursday, and should they make it to Friday’s finals, three times in just two days.
No. 1 seed Oxford and No. fourth seeds Alexandria are the top seed to meet that dilemma.
“Play,” Oxford coach Joel Van Meter said. “Nothing you can do about it. The team with the best record usually ends up with the top spot.
“Appreciate the team for their hard work to plan it.”
Times, days, and pairings (revised)
Calhoun County Tournament
At Pete Mathews Coliseum
BOYS
Saturday, Jan. 13
No. 11, Faith Christian 71, No. 14 Jacksonville Christian 58
No. 12 Ohatchee 59 No. 13 Wellborn 31
Monday, Jan. 15
No. 7 Weaver 52 No. 10. Pleasant Valley 35
No. 8 Saks 46, No. 9 Donoho 36
No. 6. Piedmont 56 Faith 49
No. 5. White Plains 66, Ohatchee 32
Wednesday, Jan. 17
No. 2 Anniston against. Weaver, 1:30 p.m.
No. 3 Jacksonville vs. Piedmont, 4:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 17
No. 1 Oxford vs. Saks, noon
No. 4 Alexandria vs. White Plains, 1:30 p.m.
Semifinals, 2 vs. 3 bracket, 4:30 p.m.
Semifinals, 1 vs. 4 bracket, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 19
Championship, 8 p.m.
GIRLS
Saturday, Jan. 13
No. 11 Weaver 53 No. 6 Saks 50
Monday, Jan. 15
No. 10, Ohatchee 44 7, White Plains 35
No. 9 Wellborn 64 No. 8 Jacksonville Christian 36
No. 4 Piedmont 48 No. 13. Pleasant Valley 21
No. 5 Alexandria 56, No. 12. Faith Christian 21
Wednesday, Jan. 17
No. 2. Oxford Vs. Ohatchee, noon
No. 1 Anniston Vs. Wellborn, 3 p.m.
No. 3 Jacksonville vs. Weaver, 6 p.m.
Piedmont vs. Alexandria, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 18
Semifinals, 2 vs. 3 bracket, 3 p.m.
Semifinals, 1 vs. 4 bracket, 6 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 19
Championship, 6 p.m.
Game updates
White PLAINS-OHATCHEE GIRLS
1Q End: Ohatchee, White Plains tied 7-7.
Halbtime: Ohatchee leads White Plains 20-12.
End of 3Q: Ohatchee leads White Plains 29-22.
Final: Ohatchee wins, 44-35.
OHATCHEE 44 35: Emily Riddle scored 15 points while Peyton Walker and Tabi Davidson scored nine each to aid No. 10 Ohatchee beat No. 7. White Plains and hand the first-year Coach Aaron Jackson a victory in his first county championship game as a new coach.
“It’s always thrilling to win winning here in the Pete,” Jackson said. “It’s an amazing location. County and JSU always do a great job of organizing this event.”
Jackson was elevated following Bryant Ginn returned to Alexandria where he was a graduate of the university.
“We’re an upcoming team and Walker sees the potential,” Walker said.
A depleted injury-prone White Plains suffered its 12th consecutive loss. The Wildcats were unable to replace centre Bella Higgins to a season-ending knee injury earlier in the season. Cassidy Arnold missed her second game due to injuries to her knees in Cherokee County last week.
Cooper Martin and Addi Bradley were the top scorers for Bradley and Cooper Martin led the Wildcats in scoring with 10 points each. Martin hit two 3-pointers.
“We saw 24 turnovers,” first-year White Plains coach Clay Sprayberry said. “I’m sure they threw us with the boards. I’m sure it there was a 25-to-5 difference on offensive and defensive rebounds.
“It’s difficult to win games if you’re outrebounded and you’re unable to score.”
AFFORDABLE VALLEY-WEAVER BOYS
End 1Q: Weaver leads PV 18-12.
Halftime: Weaver leads 25-19.
End of 3Q: Weaver leads Pleasant Valley 35-32.
End of the line: Weaver wins, 52-35
Simple Value 52 WEAVER 35:No. 7. Weaver recorded 22 points of the last 25 points in the second half after No. 10. Pleasant Valley took a 32-30 advantage and took a shot against No. 2. Anniston on Tuesday at 4:45 p.m.
The final score of the game came when Bearcats head coach Beau Winn called timeout.
“I I hope that no one had a camera at the time,” Weaver coach Beau Winn stated. “I do not think I spoke anything inappropriate however I was enthusiastic.
“I was concerned about getting up at 10:10 am. We went through a lot of ups and downs but we accomplished the job we had to and I’m proud their efforts.”
Kaden Gooden was the leading scorer for Weaver by scoring 18 points with four three-pointers. He made three 3-pointers in the first quarter.
KeShawn Allen scored 16 points, including a three.
Bryce Freeman led Pleasant Valley with eight points. Cooper Dougal added six.
“The most awful thing that happened was we had a two-point lead,” Pleasant Valley coach Brad Hood said. “That’s the message I was giving the players. Weaver did not do anything differently during the second half of the game.
“We tied the ball up and then was up two, they responded, and we came down and tossed the ball away to that 3-1. It was a problem we worked through, did our best to work on it over the last few games. We knew the key to winning the game was to attack the 3-1 halfcourt.”
JCA WELLBORN GIRLS
The end of 1Q: Wellborn leads JCA 14-11.
Halftime: Wellborn leads JCA 33-11.
End of 3Q: Wellborn leads 54-18.
End of the line: Wellborn wins 64-36.
WELLBORN 64 JACKSONVILLE Christ 36No. 9 Wellborn’s Anna Odom wasn’t trying to beat No. 9. Jacksonville Christian on Monday, but she did look at the scoreboard and the scoring leaders at least a couple of times.
“I did a quick scan and was thinking”hmm,” she said.
Odom ended up scoring 35 points, which was one of the competition’s best individual performances of the tournament with 16 points, as Wellborn beat JCA 19-1 in the crucial second quarter leading 33-14 at halftime.
“I’m very proud of Anna,” the first year Wellborn Coach Ashlon Dempsey told the media. “What I like about Anna is that she can be with a vengeance and score every point however she’s also one of my most effective group players.”
Wellborn also received the 14-point mark from central Calla Hayes, and 10 points from Mikayla Williams. They also earned an opportunity to play in the second round against the top seeds Anniston on Tuesday, at 6 p.m.
Addy Lee was the top scorer for JCA by scoring 16 points while Katie Beth Hudson added 16.
“Wellborn is gaining a lot of improvement and the Coach is performing a excellent job,”” JCA coach Katy Bryant stated. “Anna Odom is just someone you would want to have to be on the team.”
SKS DONOHO BOYS
The end of 1Q Saks outscores Donoho, 13-10.
Halftime: Saks leads Donoho 27-15.
3Q – End: Saks leads Donoho 35-20.
Final: Saks wins, 46-36.
SAPS 46 DONOHO 36 Christian Smith led the way with 11 points and Josh Todd added nine as the No. 8 Saks got a chance to play the top seed Oxford in the noon quarterfinal on Thursday.
“Our children are, to me, going to be a difficult matchup against Oxford,” Saks coach Wes Ginn said. “They’re big. They’re physical. They’ve got players who score.
“Our aim is to get out to play and be a hard-core player, making the game difficult on them and to improve in that game to make us better in the future.”
Jordan Cameron led Donoho with 17 points, which included scoring 11 in the final quarter. Bryce Downey added 10 points.
The game was Donoho’s the head coach Korielle Beavers’ most recent effort against the school he attended as a child. He was with Charles Burkett at Saks and played in the Wildcats achieve Northeast Regional titles in 2005 and 2006.
He added that there’s something unique about the opportunity to go into a match against Saks.
“For me personally, it will be,” he said. “We are determined to win the best of them. The double overtime game was played when we first faced them this year and now that. We just keep repeating the same mistakes. It’s determination and strength.”
PiEDMONT-PLEASANT GIRLS
1Q: End: Piedmont leads PV 14-3.
Halftime: Piedmont leads PV 26-5.
End of 3Q: Piedmont leads Pleasant Valley 34-13.
The final: Piedmont wins, 48-21.
PiEDMONT 48, Pleasant Valley 21:Ava Pope scored score of 18 points and Cayla Brothers added 12 points as the No. four Bulldogs (12-7) progressed to the 7:15 p.m. quarterfinal match against the winner of Alexandria-Faith Christian.
“Defensively in the opening second, the first half we performed really, extremely excellently,” first-year Piedmont coach Shane Morrow said. “That helped propel our offense. Our defense facilitated our offense. Our defense was key.”
Alexa Cranmer was the leading scorer for Pleasant Valley with seven points to lead Pleasant Valley. The Raiders had five shots from the field, which included one Cranmer 3-pointer.
“The initial halftime, we scored just 2 for 25 on the field,” first-year Pleasant Valley coach Blake Muncher said. “You won’t be able to win like that. I’m thinking we shot 13 percent overall, 5 for 39 within the paint.
“We got quality looks. Fundamentally speaking, when it comes to our work in terms of our feet and all, we were able to do better. I was extremely proud of it. Our effort was excellent. We struggled to score.”
PEDMONT-FAITH CHRISTIAN BOYS
Final 1Q: Piedmont leads Faith 25-8.
Halftime: Piedmont leads Faith 36-22.
End of 3Q: Piedmont leads Faith 46-37. Faith has gotten it to 42-37.
The final: Piedmont wins, 56-49.
Piedmont 56, FAITH CHRISTIAN 49:Jaylen Brown was the only one of three Piedmont players who scored double figures, scoring 16 points. the No. six Piedmont (12-7) defeated No. 11 Faith after dominating the opening half.
“That was an extremely difficult decision,” first-year Piedmont coach Matt Glover said.
Piedmont that also scored fifteen points off Ishmael Bethel, and 13 points by Colton Procter, led 25-8 in the first quarter, and 36-22 at halftime.
Faith was the force that drove the eventual champion Oxford in a 55-49 defeat in the same tournament a year ago, fought to win the second quarter. The team was led by Conner Richerzhagen’s 17 points and 14 points from Carson Harris, the Lions came the score at 52-47 with just four minutes remaining and 57-53 at the 1 minute mark.
“That first quarter is what kills the team.” Faith Coach Corey Hughes stated. “We are aware of this. We’ve been preaching throughout the year, the game is 32 minutes long. For us, we could get eight off here as well as four. I’d estimate that about half of our losses this season have been a result of just a quarter of the time.”
Glover was the most recent first-year coach who won the first Calhoun County tourney game, alongside the Ohatchee’s Kyle Wilson (boys) and Aaron Jackson (girls), Saks’ Wes Ginn (boys) and Wellborn’s Ashlon Dempsey (girls).
“Growing as a child, I was awed by this place.” told Glover, who was a long-time Piedmont assistant prior to his promotion in the month of May the previous year. I’ve always come here as a kid taking in the sights so it’s special.”
ALXANDRIA-FAITH CHRISTIAN GIRLS
Finish 1Q Alexandria score the 16 first points, and leads Faith 20-2.
Halftime: Alexandria leads, 29-13.
End 3Q: Alexandria leads, 45-19.
Final: Alexandria wins, 56-21.
ALEXANDRIA 56 FAITH CHRISTIAN 21:No. 5. Alexandria scored the game’s opening 16 points, and then cruised to the quarterfinals against Piedmont on Wednesday, 7:15 p.m.
“We started off with an excellent beginning, but we went down a amount in the third and second period,” Alexandria coach Craig Kiker explained. “That’s the message I gave the players. We don’t have to worry about the score. We have to be focused throughout the day.”
Samira Duncan was the top scorer in Alexandria in scoring with a score of 14 and Allyssa Hunt scored 13 points.
Anna Kate Robertson led Faith with six points. The Lions committed 26 errors.
On the bright side, Ally Folsom made her first game appearance of the season recovering from knee injuries sustained in the tournament for state volleyball.
“We’re trying to limit her time slightly,” Faith coach La’Ray Williams explained. “She’ll be back into a rhythm. Then she’ll rebound. It will take period of time before she gets back the point she’s supposed to be.”
The game on Monday also marked Williams the latest player to join Jax State, where he played football. Williams will be remembered for catching the crucial two-point conversion pass during the Gamecocks winning their 2010 game against Ole Miss.
“It is everything to me,” Williams said. “It’s Jacksonville State. I’m an alumnus of Jacksonville State. It’s where I was for four years on the field of football evidently, but also here on the campus the environment, the people and the environment. I love coming back and play.”
PLAINS WHITE-OHATCHEE BOYS
1Q: End: White Plains leads Ohatchee 12-4.
Halftime: White Plains leads Ohatchee 34-13.
End of 3Q: White Plains leads Ohatchee 54-23.
Final: White Plains wins with a score of 64-32.
White Plains 66 OHATCHEE 32:Cam Almon and Carter Johnson played a well-balanced game with 10 points each and No. five White Plains punched its ticket to the quarterfinals, and the chance to play No. 4 Alexandria on Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
Because of the risk of dangerous winter weather and a revised schedule the two winners of Thursday’s quarterfinal matches will be required to play in the semifinals on Thursday.
It was the one thing White Plains coach Chris Randall didn’t anticipate when he battled to be the fifth seeded team at the seeding ceremony, meaning the Wildcats must play before the quarterfinals. The top four seeds get an automatic bye to quarterfinals.
“We hosted the seeding session … ,” said the man. “I’m in charge of the meeting, and I’m wondering”Who is the two. The coach (Matt) Glover at Piedmont says that White Plains is required to be two. I replied”Oh, no not really We’re the five.
“I was looking forward to this game. I wanted to make one run in the floor prior to when we played the fourth seed.”
In regards to the new plan and playing two times in one day, and play two games over the span of three days Randall stated, “We’ll take it.
“This will be my 23rd time time as an instructor in the tournament for county teams, which has not occurred in the time I’ve lived here” the coach said. “We have had to do the same thing twice in Woodland in the past, when Larry Strain was running the Christmas tournament some years back. In the past in a row, we had to win two games in one day, but it happens it every day. Sometimes, you can play as many as four games in a single day.
“You simply do it and it’s great fun.”
In the game played on Monday, Colby Hester led Ohatchee with 13 points. the Indians were unable to win the first tournament for county teams as the first team under Head Coach Kyle Wilson.
“It was a wonderful experience for our players to participate in this type of environment,” Wilson said. “Obviously it’s a great way to prepare for regional tournaments and learning the skills to win, and playing great teams.”
