Oxford, AL – Revenge is a meal best served cold. Jacksonville serves it for Oxford to wreak havoc on the team that defeated them in the previous two Calhoun County Tournament finals
By Al Muskewitz
The result of the last two finals of the county tournament has been a sour taste for the Jacksonville basketball team over the past two seasons. The team that has the greatest lineup of talent in the town was predicted to win each year, but and then be defeated during the championship game by Oxford each time. They Golden Eagles got their revenge the night before on Friday.
Refreshed and energized in the wake of a post-game discussion that was a personal one and in a different way than how they performed in the two county finals The Golden Eagles crushed Oxford on their home court, 82-44, in the final contest of the regular season. They defeated Oxford 82-44. Yellow Jackets beat Jacksonville in both of the two county finals: just two weeks ago, 43-40, while they beat the Bluejays 64-62 at home in 2022. Jacksonville was seeded as the no. one seed in both seasons. “The final at the county level, we felt that we didn’t get an opportunity to demonstrate our values and I think most of the players thought about it and tonight, it showed what we are as a team,” Jacksonville coach Tres Buzan stated. “That was a very good performance and that’s exactly what we’d like to accomplish. “We’re performing well right now. It’s a bummer that we didn’t do it in our county tournament, but it’s definitely great to be able to play that way prior to the start of the playoffs … The team played four quarters of excellent basketball, and I believe it was evident in the game that tonight.”
Following a visit to the team’s locker room by Jacksonville graduate as well as MLB veteran Shed Long, and then with the former Samford players Chris Weaver who is helping the team, following an uninspired 21-point loss to 5A No. 1 Ramsay The Golden Eagles have crushed three superior opponents by 26-21 or 38 points. The first game in the series was against the state’s No. one team from the State. “Since when we played in the Ramsay game, where we did not perform at our best and did not put in the effort or the spirit that we needed for us to compete (with) We’ve been playing with this mindset that we’re just going to show up every day and grind hard,” Buzan said. “When we take to the floor , we’ll engage in a fight, so we’re going to not allow ourselves take it easy anymore. We’ll continue to keep the fight all night long.”
Oxford Coach Joel Van Meter agreed the Golden Eagles took the fight to his team. Van Meter said that they appeared “way better prepared” in the Jackets”zone” that they were in the final in Oxford. They also tackled a variety of zones. “I thought we didn’t have much combat,” Van Meter said. “I would not discredit them in any way since I think their game took the fight from us. They did a fantastic job of bringing the pace according to their preferences and also they hit shots. I don’t think we did a good job in defending them, but they were able to make the shots, so you need to give them the full credit. “I was not expecting 43-40. Trust me. I went through everything. I knew what had happened (with) Shed Long coming into their locker room. I could tell that she ignited them which they reacted to beating (Plainview) pretty well. They also beat Alexandria. I was aware that we had defeated them in the previous two years at the county championship. And they were covered in blood on their tongues. I was disappointed that we didn’t get more fight and I wasn’t sure there was any fighting.” It was a shame. Continue reading…]
