Heflin, AL – Central-Clay’s boys retake the crown their title as Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic champions and Vols girls return home with the title of champion for the first time.
The Heflin Classic Holiday Hoops
WEDNESDAY
Girls
Central-Clay 41 Wadley 37
Vincent 40, Ranburne 39
Randolph County 43, Ohatchee 41
Cleburne County 65, Weaver 46
Boys
Central-Clay 71, Ranburne 38
Faith Christian 69, Vincent 60
Randolph County 59, Ohatchee 46
Weaver The 63rd Cleburne County 51
Thursday, June 3,
Girls
Ranburne 45, Wadley 37
Ohatchee 34 Weaver 26
Central-Clay, 45 Vincent 16
Randolph County 39, Cleburne County 34 2OT
Boys
Vincent 58, Ranburne 30
Cleburne County 59, Ohatchee 40
Central-Clay 67 Faith Christian 65, OT
Weaver at 61 Randolph County 34
FRIDAY
Girls
Wadley 40 Weaver 38
Vincent 60, Cleburne County 38
Ohatchee 46 Ranburne 42
Champions:Central-Clay 53, Randolph County 42
Boys
Ohatchee 47 Ranburne 43
Faith Christian 48, Randolph County 39
Vincent Chrissie 57 Cleburne County 55
Championship Central-Clay: 58, Weaver 52
By Joe Medley
HEFLIN Josh Giddens’ bench has gotten more stocked over the course of this season, while the depth was decisive during last Friday’s Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic final.
The most significant athlete Kevin Cherry scored 10 of his 11 points in the second period The Vols defeated the deficit of seven points at halftime to defeat Weaver by 58-52.
The win earned Central-Clay’s boys the chance to win a second title in Heflin. The win also allowed the Vols the chance to sweep, the girls beating Randolph County earlier Friday.
The boys improved their score to 11-1, while the girls improved to 11-3.
“It was really nice,” Cherry said. “We must keep going throughout the remainder of the season for the entire area and everything.”
Central-Clay’s boys grew more swollen this week. Kalvin Simmons returned from Tommy John surgery, and Cherry was able to recover from a broken collarbone.
“Kalvin Simmons had a ton of rebounds, as well as lots of blocked shots. He also was charged twice,” Giddens said. “We have to be very diligent about getting the ball out of the lane and taking on charges and Kalvin was able to do this. … The guy can jump very quickly and extremely high. It’s great to see Kalvin back.
“Kevin Cherry This is his third or second game since returning and he’s a skilled basketball player.”
Depth proved crucial in the second half, as Central-Clay won the most of it against Weaver (8-8) at the end of the period, winning the game by 13 points.
“They’ve had more players on the bench than we have,” Weaver coach Beau Winn declared. “I believed we played well. We had a lead of 10 at times at the end of second quarter. I think we managed our game well.
“Our live-ball turnovers were an important thing for us this evening. We tried to run at a high speed however, they were able to take us on and I believe we tried a more than we should have.”
KeShawn Allen was the top scorer for Weaver by scoring 13 points and Kaden Gooden scored 11 points by scoring three 3 pointers. Kaden Gooden’s final three points, in the left corner, brought Weaver within 53-50 with 2 minutes remaining.
Weaver defeated Cleburne County and Randolph County in the final.
“It was fantastic,” Winn said. “Like I said to the boys when we arrived this evening, ‘You’ve have all earned it. You’ve have earned your right. We did what we were supposed to do. It’s time to take what’s ours and we did it.
“We’ve committed a couple of mistakes it’s the first time that these boys have ever been under pressure situations such as this.”
Faith CHRISTIAN 48 RANDOLPH COUNTY 39Carson Harris was the leader with 18 points. Faith was 2-1 in its time in Heflin The only loss was the finalist 67-65 to Central-Clay, who won overtime in the game on Thursday.
Harris made four of Faith’s 10-pointers.
The Lions were 5-11 when they left and are ready to play in Class 1A’s Zone 10 game.
“It was a great week,”” Faith’s head coach Cory Hughes stated. “It was a great basketball game and we’re seeing progress. I’m extremely happy about this, particularly at this time of the year as we’re getting ready for many games in the area.”
Conner Richerzhagen continued his impressive performances in Heflin with 12 points on Friday which included three 3-pointers in addition to Colton Reese also hit three 3-pointers to earn 12 points.
“We possess more of chemistry absolutely,” Richerzhagen said. “We’ve demonstrated to ourselves that we still have the chemistry, as well as that the area and the past could be an option.”
OHATCHEE 47 RANBURNE 43: Ohatchee recovered after a deficit of 17 points during the third quarter to conclude its Heflin time on a positive note.
“We were capable of grabbing the entire court and apply pressure which allowed us to come back into the game after struggling scoring the ball in the beginning,” Ohatchee coach Kyle Wilson stated. “We performed well protecting the ball in the fourth quarter and held them to just four, and then knocked them down free throws near the close.”
Alston Carroll scored 11 points of 8 scores in the 2nd period with nine of them coming at the end of third quarter. He made one 3-pointer throughout the game.
Colby Hester added 14 points with a three-pointer. Galen Lower hit a three for eight points.
Seth McAdams from Ranburne hit three 3-pointers to score 19 of his game’s points.
Vincent 55, CLEBURNE COUNTY 55Skyler McCrimon was the top scorer for Vincent in scoring with 18 points with three 3-pointers. Taye Robertson made three threes, while scoring 14 points.
Jacob Cavendar paced Cleburne County with 17 points. He also hit three 3-pointers. Grey Freeman added 13.
Girls
Central-Clay 53, RANDOLPH COUNTY 42 Central Clay’s ladies have played regularly in the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic. Up until Friday they Vols were regular as-rans.
Let them be champions right now.
The most significant participant Mia Lindsey scored 10 points and Central-Clay (11-3) finished three consecutive wins in the 2023 edition of the tournament. They took this trophy to Lineville.
It was the Vols the second time they won a tournament championship of the season. They took home at the Tri-County Tournament.
“We’re creating history,”” Lindsey said. “This will be the third time that we’ve won at our school in history.”
Ramyah Billingsley was the leading scorer for Ramyah Billingsley led the Vols in scoring points on Friday with 22 points. She also hit four 3-pointers. Central-Clay did it using defense. The Vols were able to hold the three teams they faced in Heflin at an average 28.3 points.
“It is really satisfying being able to go to beat a team that is close and be a hard-working team,” Central-Clay coach Tyrell Bishop stated. “We’re working hard and trying to win hard games. I’m proud of them.”
OHATCHEE 46 RANBURNE 42:Tabi Davidson let her anger consume her at one point and then came back to her cool in the greatest moment of her life to assist Ohatchee get 2-1 at Heflin.
The Ohatchee senior slowed down following a technical foul in the fourth quarter. He made two free throws with 19.2 seconds remaining, giving the Indians the advantage for the duration of.
“It was quite stressful, however, I wasn’t thinking about it, there was no there was a game to play,” Davidson said. “I was thinking, ‘It’s a normal free throw. You can knock the ball down.’
“But in my head I knew that I needed to create these.”
Ohatchee had to stop the game following Davidson’s free-throws, and Kiana Garber sank two foul shots with 7.5 minutes remaining.
Davidson lead Ohatchee in scoring with 15 points, which included three-pointers. Lindsey Zurchin hit a three on the way to nine points.
They fought off a 15-point performance by the Ranburne’s Aubrey Anglin and 12 from Jadie Phillips.
Davidson “show an impressive amount of maturity in handling a challenging situation, get it cleaned up then step back and not let her emotions get in the way,” Ohatchee coach Aaron Jackson said. “I’m extremely happy for her. I’m proud of everyone but it was a great choice for her to make.”
Vincent 59 CLEBURNE COUNTY 38Fresh off of achieving the 2,000 career-points mark Faith Brown led Cleburne County by scoring 23 points and achieving 2,035 in her career. She made thirteen of her 14 free-throws.
Makayla Perkins was the star for Vincent and scored 25 points. Kinsley Perkins added 11 points.
WADLEY 40, WADLEY 38 WEAVER, 38 Mya Brown surpassed 1,000-career point mark while Wadley finished its time in Heflin by winning.
Brown had 14 points in the final game Brown finished with 14 points. Celeste Angel led the Bulldogs with 15 points. Angel scored three 3-pointers.
Aaliyah Marks was the leading scorer for Weaver in scoring with 16 points including two 3-pointers.
Cleburne County’s Faith Brown surpasses career milestone However, Randolph County girls advance to take on Central-Clay in the final. Central-Clay boys overcome overtime thriller in the company of Faith Christian to face Weaver in the boys final.
The Heflin Classic Holiday Hoops
WEDNESDAY
Girls
Central-Clay 41 Wadley 37
Vincent 40, Ranburne 39
Randolph County 43, Ohatchee 41
Cleburne County 65, Weaver 46
Boys
Central-Clay 71, Ranburne 38
Faith Christian 69, Vincent 60
Randolph County 59, Ohatchee 46
Weaver The 63rd Cleburne County 51
Thursday, June 3,
Girls
Ranburne 45, Wadley 37
Ohatchee 34 Weaver 26
Central-Clay 45. Vincent 16
Randolph County 39, Cleburne County 34 2OT
Boys
Vincent 58, Ranburne 30
Cleburne County 59, Ohatchee 40
Central-Clay 67 Faith Christian 65, OT
Weaver 60, Randolph County 34
FRIDAY
Girls
Wadley Vs. Weaver, 9 a.m.
Vincent vs. Cleburne County, noon
Ranburne against. Ohatchee, 3 p.m.
Champions:Central-Clay vs. Randolph County at 6 p.m.
Boys
Ranburne against. Ohatchee, 10:30 a.m.
Faith Christian vs. Randolph County at 12:30 p.m.
Vincent vs. Cleburne County, 4:30 p.m.
Championship: Central-Clay vs. Weaver, 7:30 p.m.
HEFLIN Cleburne County’s Faith Brown faced box-and-one and double-down defense from Randolph County during their girls Helflin Holiday Hoops Classic.
She was able to beat it and surpass an all-time record but Randolph County advanced to the final.
Brown reached 2 000 career points on the way to a 19-point game before going out during the second overtime however, Brantley Wortham scored five points from the foul line in the second overtime. Randolph County overcame Anna Grace Henderson’s foul in the first overtime and won 39-34.
Randolph County (7-7) advanced to the final on Friday against Central-Clay.
“It’s as I mentioned yesterday, the girls always find ways to get their way,” Randolph County coach Brady Phillips said. “They continue fighting and keep fighting, they continue fighting.
“At halftime the game was a slow game. I believe we were able to miss many points that we could have scored during the opening half. The halftime message was “Keep moving, work.”
Brown’s coast-to-coast bucket shots in the last minute of regulation made Cleburne County force overtime, and Hannah Turley hit the last three free throws in the final 3.2 seconds remaining at the end of regulation, to make the second overtime mandatory.
Wortham scored the entire Randolph County’s seven points during the second overtime, helping the Tigers over Henderson’s fouling. Wortham also made use of her dribble to cause Brown into committing a fifth foul during the second overtime, and also drew the attention of her earlier during the game.
In the case of Brown her, she went into the game with just seven points to get to the 2,000 mark. She scored six points at halftime, but was scoreless during the third quarter however, her drive from the baseline early in the fourth quarter got her past the mark.
Officials halted the game to give a short acknowledgment.
“I’m very happy,” Brown said. “A A lot of this is just need to declare that it’s God. This is what it is. It’s Him.”
The top performers of Randolph County:
—Anna Grace Henderson: nine points (one 3-pointer).
—Lakaiyah Baker: 13 points.
Cleburne County’s most successful performers:
– Faith Brown 19 points (two 3-pointers).
OATCHEE 34; Weaver 26Ohatchee used a box-and-1 defense against the high scoring Weaver guard Aaliyah Marks, and kept her score to just two points. Tabi Davidson played defense for Marks and Mollee Barnes was in charge when Davidson was off.
“That was the idea to limit her involvement,” Ohatchee coach Aaron Jackson explained. “I’ve observed what she’s capable of this season and we’ve tried to limit her touch.
“We performed well of executing this.”
Top performers from Ohatchee:
—Kiana Garber: nine points.
—Lindsey Zurchin: eight points (one 3-pointer).
Top performers of Weaver’s:
—D.J. Gibbs 16, points (one three-pointer).
—McKenley Davis: eight points (two 3-pointers)
Central-Clay 45, Vincent 16. The Vols held Vincent to just three points in each of the three final quarters. They were able to advance to Friday’s championship game with Vincent, Cleburne County-Randolph County champ.
Central-Clay will make its debut appearance at The Heflin Holiday Hoops Championship final.
“It’s an exciting time,” Central-Clay coach Tyrell Bishop declared. “I believe that this is our third year in the league and we’re usually defeated in the first game of on the first day. So it’s thrilling to be able to be a part of this championship.”
Central-Clay’s top performers
—Nariah Brock: 12 points.
– – Ramyah Billinsley 14 points (two 3-pointers).
Vincent’s best performers:
—Jakaylin McGinnis: 12 points.
Boys
WEAVER, 61. RANDOLPH COUNTY 33: D.J. Marbury made two 3-pointers in the way to scoring 15 points and Weaver made it to Central-Clay in the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic.
“If we’ve (made it to the semi-finals) this has been an extended time since we’ve made it,” Weaver coach Beau Winn stated. “I do not know if I have.
“We’ve put in a lot of effort to get this. The boys have accomplished a great job. We’ve kind of put this on our calendars.”
Weaver was 2-1 in the 2022 Heflin tournament, but was placed in finals on the opening day, following a tight defeat to the Cleburne County, the host. Cleburne County.
The top performers at Weaver’s Thursday.
– – D.J, Marbury: 15 points (two 3-pointers).
—Kaden Gooden: 14 points (two 3-pointers).
—KeShawn Allen: 11 points.
Top performers in Randolph County:
– – Avion Willis 17 points (two 3-pointers).
Central-Clay 67 FAITH CHRISTIAN 65 OTC:Central-Clay’s 67-65, overtime victory against Faith Christian in Thursday’s Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic was so impressive, every coach reached out to players from the other team to thank them following the game.
The Cental-Clay’s Josh Giddens came looking for Conner Richerzhagen from Faith, who had missed just in the last second of the game. Giddens located Richerzhagen who was leading Faith by scoring 22 points. He and embraced him.
“He’s a very good athlete,” Giddens said. “What I like about him is that is that some players, when the going gets difficult and the game gets closer they flinch and don’t want to play. He was always looking for the ball every single time.
“He took a number of big shots, and he also hit a few free throws. He’s an extremely skilled player.”
Faith’s coach Cory Hughes sought out Central-Clay’s Deshaun Gibbons, who was a guard for Richerzhagen down the stretch in a tense and lively game.
“I said to 15 players after the game that we would not be threatening you if we weren’t concerned about you and your safety,'” Hughes said. “That’s what you’re supposed to observe. It’s excellent basketball.”
Central-Clay’s top performers
—Kevin Cherry: 12 points.
—DeMauri Whetstone: 11 points.
The top Faith Christian performers:
—Richerzhagen: 22 points (three 3-pointers).
-+Carson Harris 18 points (two 3-pointers).
CLEBURNE COUNTY 59 OHATCHEE 40Up 33-29 at the end of the third fourth quarter Cleburne County increased its lead to unbeatable lead thanks to an impressive 21-5 streak.
“We performed better at the end of the game,” Cleburne County coach Josh Perry said. “We’ve been going up and down. We’re suffering from the same sickness as everyone other people and I’m hoping that we’re at the end of it. And we’re trying to complete the second quarter as well as we did in the first half.”
Cleburne County’s most successful performers:
– – Jacob Cavender 15 points (five 3-pointers).
—Grey Freeman: 11 points.
—Cavin Bates: nine points.
—James Cotton: nine points.
The top Ohatchee performers:
—Colby Hester: 10 points.
—Alston Carroll: 10 points.
– Hunter Brown 7 points (one 3-pointer).
Faith Christian boys display signs of a tough early schedule, which pays off with a win over Vincent to secure a shot at Central-Clay
Classic Heflin Holiday Hoops
WEDNESDAY
Girls
Central-Clay 41 Wadley 37
Vincent 40, Ranburne 39
Randolph County 43, Ohatchee 41
Cleburne County 65, Weaver 46
Boys
Central-Clay 71, Ranburne 38
Faith Christian 69, Vincent 60
Randolph County 59, Ohatchee 46
Weaver The 63rd Cleburne County 51
Thursday, June 3,
Girls
Wadley Vs. Ranburne, 9 a.m.
Ohatchee Vs. Weaver, noon
Central-Clay vs. Vincent, 3 p.m.
Randolph County vs. Cleburne County at 6 p.m.
Boys
Ranburne vs. Vincent, 10:30 a.m.
Ohatchee Vs. Cleburne County, 1:30 p.m.
Central-Clay vs. Faith Christian, 4:30 p.m.
Randolph County Vs. Weaver, 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Girls
TBD, 9 a.m.
TBD, 12 noon
TBD, 3 p.m.
TBD, 6 p.m.
Boys
TBD, 10:30 a.m.
TBD, 1:30 p.m.
TBD, 4:30 p.m.
TBD, 7:30 p.m.
HEFLIN Cory Hughes still has many questions to answer regarding this 3rd Faith Christian boys’ team.
For instance, how did the Lions commit 24 turnovers and scored the 69 points they scored in their 60-60 win over Vincent in the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic on Wednesday action.
One thing Hughes knows is that he’s not the only one. A record of 4-10 in an early schedule packed with better-ranked teams is a deception to the team’s potential.
He is able to see a team that features things that his two Northeast Regional teams didn’t.
“I’ve stated about this team since the beginning that I believe it has greatest positive aspects of any team I’ve played on,” Hughes said. “The challenge is that unlike other teams, we have several more players than the previous teams which means that more chemistry needs to be created.
“So far I’m thinking the problem isn’t finding the perfect combination of chemicals.”
It was successful enough that the class 1A Lions to defeat 2A Vincent the team that has reached the finals and also won the Heflin Holiday Hoops Classic.
Faith won a winner’s bracket game against the class of 5A Central-Clay on a Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Carson Harris led the way on Tuesday, scoring 21 points. Conner Richerzhagen, who had his younger brother Ethan and ex-Little Lions player Ethan sitting on the bench also scored 19 points.
Fatih never lost a battle against a fast-paced opponent.
“They ran a few times, and we proved that we have the ability to stop them and alter the pace, and we were able to work as a team,” Harris said. “We were struggling with that at first in the season. We weren’t playing together as a unit. I would say we performed as a unit today.”
Harris is a senior and is one of team’s top scorers with ease, Hughes said.
Richerzhagen is a freshman who is discovering what a big brother he has.
“Conner has had a difficult time finding his feet in the 19-pointer,” Hughes said. “If Conner settles down and gets comfortable, we’ll be good.”
Faith receives a second higher-class test on Thursday and has an opportunity to be in it to the Heflin Hoops Holiday Classic final.
“This team has more potential for success, and more upside than the previous two teams,” Hughes said. “We’ve just to find out.
“We displayed hints of this today. There were times when we were looking great and then we are, looking stupid. I’m not sure what we did to make 24 mistakes and still score the 69-point mark.”
WEAVER, 63 CLEBURNE CoUNTY 51Kaden Gooden as well as KeShawn Allen each scored 23 points each. Weaver made use of an impressive 28-point fourth quarter in order to win against tournament hosts Cleburne County.
The Bearcats had a big win following a sluggish start in their first game since returning from break.
“We experimented with something new the last time around,” Weaver coach Beau Winn stated. “We played 12 games over two weeks, we then took Christmas break and did not take part in any games. We merely practiced all the time.
“I was a bit nervous about what we’d accomplish, after that slow period, but I think we performed well.”
Gooden scored four 3-pointers, and Allen scored one. Other top performers for Weaver:
– – Gabe King: 7 points (one three-pointer).
—D.J. Marbury six points.
Cleburne County’s most successful performers:
– – Cade Shubert 22 points (one three-pointer).
— Nathan Adams 11 points (one 3-pointer).
RANDOLPH COUNTY, OHATCHEE 46Randolph County dominated the fourth quarter and separated from the 40-40 tie.
Winston had 10 of 17 points during the fourth quarter.
“We finally got into playing defensively,” Randolph County coach Rico Sims said. “They caused a few turnovers and we conceded several offensive rebounds in the beginning, and we began to box out and eliminating some of the shots they were receiving.”
Colby Hester and Alston Carroll lead Ohatchee in scoring with eleven points each.
Other top performers in Randolph County:
“We had a great time for three quarters and a half,” Ohatchee coach Kyle Wilson stated. “They were on a roll in the fourth. They stopped and were capable of pushing it into the transition.”
—Huddleston: 12 points.
—Avion Willis: 17 points
Other top performers for Ohatchee:
—Luke Vinson: nine points.
– – Hunter Brown: Six points (two 3-pointers)
Girls
CLEBURNE COUNTY 65, Weaver 46 Faith Brown scored an all-time high of 33 points in the game, just seven points short to becoming the only Cleburne County basketball player in the history of the school to score the mark of 2,000.
She’s likely to cross the milestone on Thursday, in the Tigers 6 p.m. match against Randolph County.
“I’m extremely excited,” the senior forward declared. “It was a long time to get here, and a amount of practice. I’m very thrilled.”
Brown’s Wednesday performance included three-pointer in the fourth quarter. She shot 4-for-6 free shots.
“I think she should have hit her free-throw tonight,” Cleburne County coach Todd Gable said. “She’d be a little closer.
“She began a bit slow this evening, but then she picked up speed. We hope that she will be able to complete it on the horizon tomorrow. If she behaves as she should, she may receive it.”
Gable stated that he will end the game and acknowledge Brown as she crosses the 2,000-point threshold.
Other top performers of Cleburne County:
—Hannah Turley: 24 points .
– – Macey East: 6 points (two 3-pointers).
The top performers at Weaver:
– – Aaliyah Marks 26, points (five three-pointer shots).
—Erionna Richmond: 13 points (two 3-pointers).
RANDOLPH County 43 OHATCHEE 41Anna Grace Henderson’s drive bucket placed Randolph County up ahead of an Ohatchee timeout with 7.9 seconds remaining.
Ohatchee ended up having an inbounds call with one second left, but then was able to turn it over after an unconfirmed five-second play.
“The most important thing was that we stayed together and did what we do best,” Randolph County coach Brady Phillips stated. “We sort of unprepared towards the time of the third period, however they came up with an opportunity to beat us.
“That’s the thing this team is all about. They’re a great bunch of girls, and they’re able to be successful.”
The Indians did not score during the first quarter and were down by 30-20 heading into the fourth. They made it to the mark thanks to Lindsey Zurchin hitting three 3-pointers and Mollee Barnes scoring two. The team rallied and ended up winning the game after Tabi Davidson discovered Emily Riddle under the basket for the winning score for a 41-39 score.
“We saw some of our youngsters take the initiative when they needed to” newcomer Ohatchee Coach Aaron Jackson said. “We were in foul trouble at first but I’d like to not have needed to run that route. We didn’t win and that’s my fault.
“If we don’t create the hole, we’ll be in a better spot in the conclusion of the game”
The top performers of Randolph County:
—Henderson: 14 points.
—Lizzie Milam: nine points (one 3-pointer).
Top performers from Ohatchee:
– – Zurchin 11 points (three 3-pointers).
– – Barnes 8 points (two three-pointers).
