Calhoun County in AL – Girl roundup: Ranburne beat Pleasant Valley to win top seed in Class2A Area 9; Oxford takes a share in its area.
FRIDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Clay Central 51, Jemison 24
Cleburne County 47. Woodland 43
Collinsville 68, Gaylesville 21
Glencoe at Faith Christian
Handley 45, Anniston33
Jacksonville Christian 51, Wellborn 44
Ohatchee 69, Alexandria 36
Oxford 70, Gadsden 31
Ranburne 68; Pleasant Valley 58
Randolph County 61, Dadeville 31
Southside 70, Lincoln 33
Spring Garden 81, Ider 29
Talladega at Munford
Weaver 49, Saks 47
White Plains 41, Piedmont 35
Winterboro 72, Wadley 61
St. Clair County Tournament
Moody
Moody 72, Victory Christian 28,
By Al Muskewitz
Briley Merrill and Marcus Harrell never cared about coin flips. It was about taking control of your destiny and not allowing anything to happen. Merrill stated that they were to be avoided “at all cost.” But the Ranburne girls’ basketball team won against Pleasant Valley 68-58 to secure the No. Ranburne will be seeded in the Class 2A Area 9 tournament, and will automatically qualify for the subregion tournament.
PV would have won the tournament’s top seed and hosting right. This would have opened the doors for traditional resolution of the most difficult tiebreakers in the three-team Class 2A area. The tiebreaker that involves outside competition within a team’s class and which is apparently being embraced by some coaches, might have not been as deep. The Lady Bulldogs are now able to relax thanks to Merrill’s quick start and big second half that turned back the Lady Raiders once they were back in it.
Harrell stated, “I don’t want to take 50-50 shots on anything if it’s possible.” It would have been difficult to leave it up for a flip. It’s a difficult place to be in, but it is also a challenging environment. Their team is very tough and a great team. It’s a great thing that the tournament is returning to our area. “Lanett’s girls won a coin toss last season and we lost. We had to go to their house and ended up losing. I don’t like to let things happen. We should be able to control our destiny.
Brylee Bailey, Jadie Phillips and Jadie Phillips made it happen quickly with their scoring and rebounding. Harrell’s Lady Bulldogs took a 14 point lead at the half-way mark. Pleasant Valley rallied behind Macey and Rebekah Gannaway, to pull within three to five point on several occasions in the second period. Merrill was there to stop them from getting too close every time. With 1:55 remaining in the third quarter, PV was within five. Merrill responded with two free throws, a bucket and the assist on Aubree Anglin’s 3-pointer to bring the lead back up to 12. [read more…]
OXFORD 70. GADSDEN CITY 31, Oxford lead 33-18 at halftime. Oxford blew the game open with a 26-point quarter. This set Oxford up for a tiebreaker that will determine which team will host the Class 6A, Region 13 tournament.
Gadsden City was without center Jaedyn Smart, who had a minor injury and was unable to play. Oxford beat Gadsden City earlier in the season. Oxford won the Calhoun County tournament this week for the second consecutive year.
Coach Melissa Bennett of Oxford said that the team’s defensive intensity was very high tonight. “We had a good amount of defense that led into offense, so it was very important for what we’re doing. “We stuck to our game plan and shut them off offensively. We also made sure that when they scored, it was off of offensive rebound.” Oxford also hosted Senior Night ceremonies for Shaniya Calloway and Keziah McGrue. Joe Medley
WEAVER 49 SAKS 47 Aaliyah Marks was the leader for Weaver with three 3-pointers and 17 points. Madison Atchley scored 11 points with a 3 Both scored five points during the 16-point fourth quarter rally that saw the Lady Bearcats win the area.
Saks received a game-high 18 from Saniya angel, who scored two 3. Meorri English scored 10. Jamie Burns, Weaver coach, said that “We played strongly defensively in half two and finally had some buckets fall.” “(D.J.) Gibbs was a great defensive player tonight. It was a team effort to keep them at bay and fight for the lead.
White Plains 41, PIEDMONT 35: After being dominant in the third quarter White Plains rallied for victory in the fourth. Cooper Martin scored eight of her 17-point game-high in the fourth quarter. She also made 5-of-8 free throws as the Lady Wildcats beat Piedmont 19-3. Jaycee Glover made both her 3-pointers in quarter three as the Lady Bulldogs defeated White Plains 17-4. This gave them a 31-22 lead going into the fourth quarter. Piedmont’s 16-point lead was held by Lele Ridley.
