Tuesday Basketball in Calhoun County

Calhoun County in Alabama – roundup: Spring Garden, Oxford win Thanksgiving tournament titles for girls, Ohatchee’s Crook closes within 3 out of 2,000 career point and more

TUESDAY’S SCORES Regular season

Boys Games

Plainview 53, Jacksonville 50

Jacksonville Christian 53, Gaston 39

Games for Girls

Gaston 37, Jacksonville Christian 47

Pleasant Grove Thanksgiving Tournament

Anniston girls vs. Bessemer City

Champions Girls Thanksgiving Classic

Seventh place: Ohatchee, Ranburne 55

Fifth-place game: Alexandria 46, Jacksonville 37

Consolation game: Southside 41, Hokes Bluff 8

Champion game: Spring Garden 64 in Cherokee County 31

Glencoe Thanksgiving Tournament

Games for Girls

Fort Payne vs. Faith Christian

Glencoe 44; Weaver 29

Boys Games

Fort Payne 81 Faith Christian 54

Glencoe 82; Weaver 56

Handley Girls Thanksgiving Tournament

Consolation game: Randolph County vs. Woodland

Championship game: Oxford, 69, Handley 44

Fairfield Heritage Classic

Blount 50, Oxford 60

Lincoln Round Robin Classic

Games for Girls

Talladega 56, Talladega Co. Central 10

Oneonta 43; Lincoln 38

Boys Games

Talladega Co. Central vs. Talladega

White Plains 65; Lincoln 57

By Al Muskewitz

FAIRFIELD- Oxford basketball coach Joel VanMeter surveyed the floor Tuesday afternoon, and saw a bright future that required him to wear sunglasses.

A 10th-grader scored 20 points, while a ninth-grader scored 10 and an eighth-grader 12 respectively to help the Yellow Jackets beat Blount 60-50 at the Fairfield Heritage Classic consolation bracket.

Jayden Lewis, a 10th-grader, had 20. Jaylen Alexander, a ninth-grader, had 10. Marcus Perry, eighth grader, was the surprise with 12.

VanMeter stated that 6A coaches have the privilege of getting Alexander, an eighth-grader, one year and Alexander the next. They are a testament to their ability to play at such a high level in these types of games at that age.

Perry, the son and former Anniston and Nebraska star Marcus Perry took over for T.J. Allen. He hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, two in each quarter, as the Jackets (2-3), jumped to an 18-4 lead against a team coached former Oxford assistant Demarcus Moley. In the game, seven 3-pointers were made by the Jackets.

VanMeter stated that he can shoot it really well and has great feel. His biggest plays are when he goes on the road to Plainview. He has five defensive rebound. He finds the ball, which is an amazing attribute for a child his age. He will be a great player for our team, just as Jaylen and Jayden.

Brock Reaves was also a major player for the Jackets. Senior scored 16 points for Oxford, with 14 in the first period, and all four of his 3-pointers.

VanMeter stated, “I spoke with him before the game and then one after the match that good things happen offensively when your defense is locked in defensively. I believe he saw that today.” He made some defensive plays, he was a better rebounder today, and suddenly you see that he has 16 points. He is capable of doing that, but he hasn’t played much and he is learning.

VanMeter said that the fast start of the team was due to them being “locked in completely” in less than 18 hours after their loss to Midfield in their tournament opener.

He said, “We showed a lot resilience as a young group.” We didn’t think that we played well. I was pretty confident about it. But then, we discussed it. I told them that we are a very successful program, and that we will approach this in the right way.

It says a lot about them (to bounceback) because you can’t be focused when you’re young and don’t have much experience. But that’s not how they do it and that’s what we do. We were focused, we were focused, and we felt a sense urgency.

OXFORD 60 BLOUNT 50

OXFORD (2-3 – Jaylen Alex 2 6-7 10, Caleb Sanders 0 0-0 2, Dashaun Calloway 0 0-0 02, T.J. Allen 0 0-0 0 Brock Reaves 6 0-0 16, Jayden Lee 8 4-8 20, Marcus Perry 1-4 12, Cristian Gibson 0 0-0 0 Anthony Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 11-17 60.

BLOUNT- Nick Dixon 9 0-0 20, Joseph Paige 5 2 12 Laquince McCants 1 1 0-0 2, William Rembert 1 0-0 0, Jerry Brand 3 1 0-0 6, Antoinne Holding 0 1 0 0, Javarous White 3 1 7 Rydarrian Locke 1 0-0 0. Totals 22 3-4 50.

3-point goals: Oxford 7; Perry 3, Reaves 4, Perry 3; Blount 3, Dixon 2, Jackson 2. Dixon fouled out. Total fouls: Oxford 14, Blount 20, Officials: Cochran, Bradford, James.

Champion of the Spring Garden Champions

Spring Garden’s third dominant performance in the tournament, led by MVP Ace Austin, saw it defeat county rival Cherokee County 64 to 31 to win the Champions Girls Thanksgiving Tournament.

The Lady Panthers (3-0), averaged 68 points during their three tournament wins while allowing a total score of 71.

Ricky Austin, Garden coach, said that he liked the defense and thought it set the tone. It allowed us to get transition points which is something we haven’t had for years. From that perspective, our transition defense is as strong as it’s been in years.

“After five seniors were lost, we didn’t know what was ahead. There were girls who had never played together before, and one girl had never played in a varsity game. So we didn’t know what we could expect. We are obviously happy at this point, but after three games we now know what we need to improve on. Although it’s still early, we have a good starting point.

Austin was the Lady Panthers’ leading scorer with 22 points. She also had seven rebounds, eight assists, and four steals. She scored 69 points in three tournament games, grabbed 16 rebound, had 22 assists, and stole 18 times.

Austin stated that she thought Austin did a great job of making plays for herself and her teammates. Austin said that being a playmaker for her team and herself was the best thing she did.

“It’s definitely a higher level than last year, because there were so many girls who played. She didn’t play as much for herself and set back. She was aware that there were higher expectations for her and she had to perform better in these categories. I think she did a great job.

Kayley Kirk, the Lady Panthers’ top scorer, scored 23 points in the championship match. Chloe Rule scored 13 points with 6-of-7 shooting, and eight rebounds.

Austin was joined by Kirk, Cherokee County’s Mary Hayes Johnson and Alexandria’s Jordynwalker, Southside’s Grace Anne Rose and Ranburne’s Briley Merrill on the all-tournament squad.

SPRING GARDEN 64 CHEROKEE COUNTY 3

CHEROKEE COUNTY- Raechel Russ 0/0-0 0, Mary Hayes Johnson 0/0-0 4, Audrey Haygood 5/0-0 12, Ella Garmany 0/0-0 5, Nevaeh Gadurgis 4/0-0 8, Vivian Connell 1/0-0 2, Grayson Tucker 1/0-0 2. Totals 14 0-2 31.

SPRING GARDEN 3-0 – Ace Austin 7-14 26 662 22. Olivia Law 0-1 0-0 0. Kayley Kirk 10-22 1-1 23. Chloe Rule 6-7 1-6 13. Libby Brown 6-7 1-2 13, Libby Brown 6-7 1-2 13, Libby Brown 0-0 1-2 1. Maggie Jarrett 0-0 0-0 2. Kristen Lewis 0-1 0-0 0. Maggie Reedy 0-3 0-0 0. Avery Steward 0-3 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-57 10-11 64.

3-point goals: Cherokee Co. 3, Garmany 2, Haygood 2; Spring Garden 4-25 (Austin 2-4, Kirk 2-9 Brown 0-3, Lewis 1-1, Law 0-1, Reedy 2-3, Steward 0-3) Rebounds: Spring Garden 25 (Rule 8, Austin 7). Total fouls: Cherokee Co. 11, Spring Garden 10.

SOUTHSIDE 41, HOKES BLUF 8: Both teams met for the second time within a week. The result was almost the same as the first. The Lady Panthers, who are defensively conscious, held Hokes Bluff to less than 10 points and scored in the 40s.

SOUTHSIDE 41 HOKES BLUFF 8.

SOUTHIDE — Jovi Marble 0 1-2 1 Lexi Darnell2 0-0 4, Emma Knowlton2 0-0 6, Sara Kate Yancey1 0-0 2, Mallory Brooks1 4-7 6, Laylah Davies1 3-4 5, Grace Anne Rose5 2-4 12, Leah Lewis0 0-0 0, Madison Shaw0 3-4 3, Rylann Shaw1 0-0 2. Totals 13 13-21

HOKES BLUF – Chloe Dodd 1 2-2 4, Dixie Saylor 2 2-2 4, Raya Steward 3 0-3 0, Raya Kate Wellingham 0,0-0 0, Raya Kate Wellingham 0–0-0 0, Raya Stewart 0–0-3 0, Pressley wall 0–1-3 1, Emma Doss 2 1-2 1, Ava Doss 0–0-0 0. Totals 1 6-14 8.

3-point goals: Southside 2 (Knowlton 2). Marble technical fouls Total fouls: Southside 18, Hokes Bluff 18. Officials: Tillery, Procuik, Brown.

OHATCHEE 69 RANBURNE55: After a rare 90-minute practice, the Lady Indians won the first game of their season with their best game. This was five hours before tipoff.

Bryant Ginn is not a coach who calls a game-day practice “unless necessary” but he wanted to draw attention to his team’s second round loss to Jacksonville. Jorda Crok was appointed to take over after the Lady Indians were outscored by 18-16 in the first quarter.

The same thing happened last year, after round one of this tournament. It also resulted in a victory.

Ginn stated that she didn’t believe yesterday’s team came out with any intensity. “I felt that we came out feeling like we were going to win, should lose, and lackadaisical. I was curious to know if that could be corrected this morning.

“We went through all of it today. It wasn’t as difficult to turn it over today, and it was almost impossible to do so when it did. This makes it a good place to play defense, and we are decently defensively.”

Crook scored 43 points on a career day and was within three of 2,000 for the rest of her career. Monday’s action at Coosa Christian will see the Lady Indians back in action. Calhoun County’s girls players are not included in the AHSAA’s all-time scoring list. It starts at 2,012 point.

Signed to UAB volleyball, the senior had 14 points in the second quarter, and 15 in third. In three tournament games, she scored 90 points.

Ginn stated, “You just saw Jorda as Jorda.”

Ranburne was led by Briley Merrill with 30 points.

OHATCHEE 69. RANBURNE 56

OHATCHEE (1-2). – Tabi Davidson 2 1-2 6 Whitney McFry 3 4-6 10, Priestly Davis 1 0-0 2. Kiana Garber 2 3-6 8. Jorda Crook 19 7-9 43, Alyssa Davies 0 0-2 0. Totals 26 14-24 69.

RANBURNE (2) – Autumn Lovvorn 0 0-0 0. Autumn Phillips 0 0-0 0, Briley Merrill 14 0-0 30 Aubree Annglin 5 0-0 12, Maria Ralston 0 0-3 0 Jadie Phillips 0 0-3 0 Jadie Phillips 1-4 4. Totals 24 1-8 55.

3-point goals: Ohatchee 3, (Davidson, McFry and Garber); Ranburne, (A. Phillips Merrill 2, Anglin 2 J. Phillips); Ranburne Fouled out by Garber. Total fouls: Ohatchee 16, Ranburne 16 Officials: Smith, Elston, Caldwell.

ALEXANDRIA 46. JACKSONVILLE37: Jordyn Wade hit six 3-pointers for 25 points. The Lady Cubs won the game with a 14-2 victory over Jacksonville.

Walker was leading the Lady Cubs scoring for the third consecutive game and she scored her second consecutive 20-point game. She made 10 3-pointers during the tournament, compared to nine in the previous two games.

Walker’s offensive performance has been outstanding, said Lady Cubs coach Craig Kiker. We need to do more to help her, but she is our No. The ball is scored by the number one option.

“She is very quick and difficult to keep in front of. His outside shooting has improved tremendously. Only thing we have to do is improve our defensive skills.”

Jill Cockrell scored nine points for Alexandria by hitting three 3s. Jacksonville’s Ashley Grant was the star with 12 points.

ALEXANDRIA 46; JACKSONVILLE37

ALEXANDRIA (2-1) – Jordyn Walker 8-3-4 25, Kirsten Heathcock (30-06), Jill Cockrell (3 0-09), Charlee Parrs (1 0-0 2), Kailey Dickerson (1 0-0 2) and Sumira Duncan (1 0-0 2). Totals 17 3-4 46.

JACKSONVILLE (1-4) – Halaina Lozano 1 0-0 3, Miarah Hardy 1 0-0 2, Lexi Phillips 4 0-0 9, Ashley Grant 5 0-0 12, Dee Prothro 2 2-5 6, Mya Swain 2 0-0 5, Ontarriah Braxton 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 2-5 37.

3-point goals: Alexandria 9 (Walker 6, Cockrell 3); Jacksonville 5 (Lozano, Phillips, Grant 2, Swain). Total fouls: Alexandria 13, Jacksonville 8. Officials: Smith, Smith, Caldwell.

Oxford wins the Handley Tournament

ROANOKE Although they didn’t give an MVP trophy at the Handley Girls Thanksgiving Tournament for girls, Oxford coach Melissa Bennett said that it would have been a “triangle MVP”.

The Lady Jackets defeated Handley 69 to 44 to win the tournament title. They did this with their Big Three playing major roles.

Oxford was led by Xai Whitfield with 17 points. Mya McGrue had 16 points, Justice Woods had 12. Kaylen Kenney scored 10 points for them, giving them four double-digit scorers.

Bennett stated that “Our Big Three are killing the game right now; it’s very consistent.” “We are going to award a triangle MVP.”

To help Oxford take an 18-14 lead, all three Big Three Big Three players hit a 3 during the first quarter. The Lady Jackets increased their lead to 38-22 with Woods hitting two more 3s and McGrue scoring six. Whitfield scored 12 points in their 25 point third quarter.

Bennett stated, “We knew it would be a difficult battle going in.” “We took the defense’s advice very well. We were very good at timing our cuts, and he made some great shots early on which gave us lots of momentum.

Plainview needed some mojo. The girls responded very well, I thought. It was a great way to start the Thanksgiving break.”

OXFORD 69; HANDLEY44

OXFORD – Emya Stringer 0 0-0 0. Xai Whitfield 6 2-2 17 Justice Woods 4 1-2 12 Keziah Mickler 0 0-0 0. Mya McGrue5 5-6 16, Jamea Gastron 2 0-0 6, Ava Thomas 0 0-1 2, Mileah Princess 0 0-1 02, Shaniya Calloway 0 0-0 0 Kaylen Kenney 5 0-0 10, Shay Montgomery3 0-2 6. Totals 26 8-14 69.

HANDLEY – Jodazalyn Fuller 0 0-0 0, Akia Brown 1 2-3 5, Takeriauna Mosley 10 0-1 21, Takeira Tucker 1 3-4 5, Kristiana Tucker 1 2-4 5, Iyanna Norman 3 0-1 6, Zanautika Smith 1 1-2 3, Amelia Greer 0 0-0 0, Gracie Williams 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 8-15 44.

3-point goals: Oxford 9; Woods 3, Woods 3, McGrue and Gaston 2, 2); Handley 2 [Mosley, Tucker]. Total fouls: Oxford 18, Handley 13 Officials: Simpson, Page, Hardnett.

Rosario, Johnson step up

LINCOLN – With three of its starters in foul trouble, White Plains needed a new leader to take over and play a major role. Z.J. Z.J.

Rosario, who was substituted for Luke Bussey outside the line, scored 22 points. Johnson scored 16.

Chris Randall, White Plains coach, stated that they were constantly in foul trouble and Z.J. (who usually plays the 2), had to step in as the primary ballhandler. He did an excellent job controlling the pace, especially when they made a run in the third or fourth quarters.

He made great decisions and everything was under control. He was a point guard. He did an excellent job controlling the pace and settling us down within the context of the offense. While his 20 points were great, the most important thing about him was the way he ran the offense.

Johnson scored 10 points during the second quarter. He did this mostly by making putbacks that were close to the rim. Ray scored only two points. However, the 2nd quarter 3s that he made were more important than any other shots.

Randall spoke of Johnson’s down-low “We call that getting to the porch.” “The fact that Carter was so active in the second half and Coleman hit those big 3s was huge.”

The Wildcats conclude their visit to Talladega Central Wednesday at 11:30 am.

WHITE PLAINS 67 and LINCOLN 57

WHITE PLAINS (2) – Paul Laube (0 0-0 0, Z.J. Rosario 8 5-7 22 Silas Hines 1-4 3, Josh Wheeler 2 4-4 6, Coleman Ray 1 4-4 6, Coleman Ray 1 4-4 6, Coleman Ray 1 4-4 6, Coleman Ray 1 4-4 6, Coleman Ray 1 4-4 6, Coleman Ray 0 0-0 0, Daniel Williams 0 0-0 0, Luke Bussey 2 1-2 5, Luke Bussey 2 1-2 5, Luke Bussey 1-3 9, Carter Johnson 7 2 16. Totals 24 14-21 67.

Lincoln – Kadarrius Stockdale 4 6-6 14, KhalilSmith 0 0-0 0, Brandon Estelle0 2-4 2, JaquaviousElston 2 1-1 5, Trippward 2 6-6 11, Nick Hampton 3 2-6 6, Clenongroce3 0-1 9. Totals 14 17-24 57.

3-point goals: White Plains 5, (Rosario Ray 2, Bussey 2); Lincoln 4, (Ward Groce 3). Foulled out: Laube. Bussey. Dye. Total fouls: White Plains 25, Lincoln 21,

Glencoe Thanksgiving Tournament

Boys Games

GLENCOE 56, WEAVER 82: Weaver was outscored 33-3 by the Yellow Jackets from beyond the 3-point line. Weaver also missed 20 of 26 free throws. That was the difference. Five Glencoe players made at least three (3) and all five Glencoe players had at least one free throw.

In double-figure scoring, the Jackets had four starters and five other players. Weaver was outscored by just five players.

Weaver was led by Jeffrey Miles with 20 points. Tristan Brown scored 16 points, while Armane Burton scored 10.

GLENCOE 82, WEAVER56

WEAVER – Tristan Brown 6-4-7 16, Elijah Smith 7-5-5 20, Jeffrey Miles 7-5-20, Keshawn Allen 1 0-0 0, Dawson Brooks 4, 0-1 8, Jackson Williams 0–0-0 0, Zack Garner 0–0-0 0, Austin Snider 2 0-0 10, Austin Snider 0. Totals 22 11-16 56.

GLENCOE – Cooper Horton 0 4-4 4, Garrett Morgan 4 2-2 12, Aiden Cornutt 4 2-2 13, Wade Segrest 4 1-2 11, Braylen Smith 0 2-2 2, Jayden Patton 2 1-1 7, Baylor Langdale 0 0-0 0, Nolan Fairley 6 5-7 19, Andrew Greene 5 0-0 10, Colt Russell 0 4-6 4. Totals 25 21-26 82.

3-point goals: Weaver 1, Miles; Glencoe 11, Morgan 2, Cornutt 3, Segrest 3, Patton 2, Fairley 2. Burton. Total fouls: Weaver 15, Glencoe 14. Officials: Whiteside, Poss, Jackson.

FORT PAYNE, FAITH CHRISTIAN 55: The Lions were unable to score on the final day of their most offensive game. They managed only 17 of 55 field goals.

Thomas Curley was the Lions’ leading scorer with 22 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Yashua Arevalo scored 14 points, while Connor Richardson had 12. The big three went 16-for-41 from the field and 5 for-17 from the 3-point line. Fort Payne was 29 of 44 from the field and 7 of 15 from the 3-point range.

Regular Season

Boys Games

PLAINVIEW 53: JACKSONVILLE50: Although the Golden Eagles started slowly, they rallied in the second period and had a possible game-tying 3 in transition stopped at the buzzer.

Jacksonville was down by 10 at the end of the fourth quarter. They rallied, but missed two crucial game-tying shots in five seconds. With 4.5 seconds remaining, the Golden Eagles missed an attempt from underneath. The Bears extended their lead to 53-50 when Caden Johnson blocked a 3 in transition.

Johnson was the Golden Eagles’ leading scorer with 17 points, which included three 3-pointers. Devin Barksdale scored 14 points, while John Broom had 12. Plainview’s Luke Smith was the top scorer with 20 points.

PLAINVIEW 53, JACKSONVILLE 50

JACKSONVILLE- Caden Johnson 7-13 17 0-2 17, Devin Barksdale 5–10 0-0 14, John Broom 5–10 0-0 12, Cam Johnson 2–6 0-0 5, Dee Prothro 0-3 0-0 2, Ethan Duke 1-1 0-0 02, Jaquan Ervin 1-0-0 0, Kydric Fischer 0-0 0-0 0, Jaliek Lang 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 20-45 0-2 50.

PLAINVIEW Luke Smith 9-13 1-2 20, Landon White 7-14 1-1 15, Jonah Williams 3-6 0-1 9, Dylan Haymon 3-7 1-1 9, Owen Wilborn 1-1 0 0, Caleb Clines 1-1 0 0, Sawyer Frayley 1-1 0 0, Ty Griggs 1 0-0 0. Totals 22-40 3-5 53.

3-point goals: Jacksonville 10-27 (Cd. Johnson 3-7, Barksdale 4-7, Broom 2-5, Cm. Johnson 1-5; Duke 0-2, Long (0-1); Plainview 6-11, Smith 1-2, Williams 3-7, Broom 2-5, Cm. Rebounds: Plainview 28 (White 8, Smith 6, Jacksonville 20); Plainview 21 (Broom 6); Plainview 26 (White 8, Smith 6). Total fouls: Jacksonville 13, Plainview 5.

JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN53, GASTON40: Ethan Fair scored nine points in the fourth quarter to give the Thunder its second win of the season.

The Thunder led 40-35 at the end of the fourth quarter. They held the Bulldogs to just one field goal and outscored them 13-5 in the final quarter. Cam Moses, their top scorer, scored 17 points. Tyler Doggrell had six points, nine rebounds, six steals, and four assists.

JCA 53, GASTON 39

JCA (2-1). Emmanuel Kidd 0 1-2 1. Ethan Fair 4 5-12 15. Tyler Doggrell 2 1-4 6. Braxton Brown 0 1-2 1. Noah Lee 0 0-0 0. Justin Crocker 0 0-0 0. Jordan Garner 2 3-6 8. Cam Moses 8 0-3 17. Cooper Bates 2 1-2 5. Hunter Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 12-25 53.

GASTON Brock Bagley 20-0 4, Layden Staton2 0-1 4, Devon Green6 0-0 12, Adonis James 1 0-3 2, Will Bagley3 2-2 9, Kobe Harris 1 0-3 1, Durrell Hampton3 0-0 6, Easton Albert0 0-0 0, Kodiebogle1 0-0 2. Totals 18 3-8 40.

3-point goals: JCA 5, Fair 2, Doggrell Garner, Moses; Gaston 1, W. Bagley. Rebounds: JCA 28, Fair 5, Garner 5, Doggrell 9. Technical fouls: Staton. Foulled out: W. Bagley and Harris

Total fouls: JCA 13, Gaston 26, Officials: Morriss, Smith, Stallworth.

Games for Girls

JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 47. GASTON 37. Rebekah Carver scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Lady Thunder. She also had 10 steals. JCA had 20 team steals.

JCA 47, GASTON37

JCA – Katie Beth Hudson 1 0-0 2, Addy Lee 1 0-0 3, Rebekah Carter 3 3-4 10, Erin Prater 2 2-2 7, Kara Grace 5 3-5 13, Carlie Chesson 0 0-0 0, Kirsten Walker 3 0-0 8, Riley Sanders 0 0-0 0, Peyton Walker 2 0-0 4. Totals 17 8-12 47.

GASTON- Brooklyn Merriman4 0-0 9, Charlee Skiggs 1 0-02, Tracionna Jones5 6-7 16, Randi Moord 2 0-05, Miley Beaird2 0-0 5, Sidney Fitts0 0-0 0, Avahhorne 1 1-23, Shelby Waters0 1-2 1. Totals 15 8-11 37.

3-point goals: JCA 5, Lee, Carter, Prater. K. Walker 2, Gaston 3, Morgan, Beaird. Rebounds: JCA 17 (Carter 6). Total fouls: JCA 13 Gaston 9. Officials: Stallworth, Morris, Smith.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Box Scores provided to by team scorekeepers.