Calhoun County in Alabama – Cherokee County takes control in the second half and pulls away at White Plains to remain unbeaten in the area. The Wildcats hope that they can clinch third place in this area on Thursday
TUESDAY’S GIRLS GAMES Alexandria 51, Lincoln 40
Beulah 49, Randolph County 45
Cherokee County 52, White Plains 35
Douglas 37, Southside 34
Handley 48, Talladega 41
Jacksonville 75, Cleburne County 38
Jacksonville Christian 62, Cedar Bluff 54
Ohatchee 52; Glencoe 44
Fort Payne 25, Oxford 65
Piedmont 58, Saks 27
Plainview 73; Sand Rock 46
Pleasant Valley 62; Munford 24
Ranburne 56; Woodland 30
Weaver 40, Wellborn32
St. Clair County Tournament
At Ragland
Victory Christian 43. Ragland 21
Joe Medley
Cherokee County stepped up its defense in the second period and defeated White Plains 52 to 34 in Class 4A, Section 10 play on Friday. White Plains was held to 11 points in the second half by the Warriors, while four were scored by White Plains during the third quarter. Cherokee County coach Richard Barton stated that “I think we were unfocused early on and, i don’t know what, didn’t had the right mindset going in.” They were scoring, they were playing too hard, and they were getting good looks at us, so our defense was not very strong in the first half. “We were able pick it up a bit in the third.”
Mary Hayes Johnson was the leader of the Warriors (17-6), scoring 17 points. Aubrey Haygood scored 13 points, while Navaeh Gaitris added 12. Cherokee County is unbeaten in local play. White Plains came within 26-23 after two Hallie Williams free throws during the second quarter. She ended with 11 points. Cherokee County began a 14-0 run which continued into the third quarter. White Plains’ Cassidy Arnold scored 12 points.
White Plains is currently 1-4 in the area play. Cleburne County’s win on Thursday would secure the third seed, just behind Cherokee County or Jacksonville. Matt Ford, White Plains coach, stated that the girls are improving and that they just played a very good 4A team. “I have been telling them this since Christmas. What I really care about is how they compete and if each game improves. “I saw glimpses of improvement but we have to play 32 minutes.” [ ]
WEAVER 38, WELLBORN 32. Aaliyah marks scored 10 of her 13 points during the second half to pull away from Wellborn. To take a 19-14 halftime advantage, the Lady Panthers scored 13 in the second quarter. However, Weaver outscored its hosts by two in the second half. Jamie Burns, Weaver’s coach, said that after the first half, he had told the girls to do a gut check. “We weren’t playing the type of ball that we needed to. “We came back after the half, made better choices and played better team basketball,” Anna Odom led Wellborn’s scoring with 23 points.
OXFORD 65 and FORT PAYNE 25, The Lady Jackets were not disappointed in their second consecutive Calhoun County Tournament win. They had four scorers in double figures, and won on the road. Mya McGrue scored 16 points in the final of the county tournament, following her impressive performance. Xai Whitfield, Justice Woods and Jamea Gaston each had 14 points. Jamea Gaston scored 13 with three 3-pointers. Coach Melissa Bennett, Oxford, said that she was proud of the team’s effort, particularly in the press. “We played well as a team and made sure to get the extra pass throughout the game.”
PLEASANT VALEY 62, MONFORD 24: Laney scored 17 points with five 3-pointers. The Lady Raiders also had 11 treys. Robinson scored all of her points in the first half, when PV took a 42-17 lead. Rebekah Gannaway also scored all 11 points in the first period.
ALEXANDRIA 51 LINCOLN40: Jordyn Wade scored 21 points, Jill Cockrell had 13, and both Jill Cockrell and Jill Walker hit three 3-pointers for the Lady Cubs. Walker scored nine points in the first quarter, opening Alexandria to a lead of 16-7. Lincoln was led by Aubrey Machen, who scored 18 points. Trinity McClellan scored 15.
PIEDMONT, SAKS 27, The Lady Bulldogs won the game from the start, beating their hosts by 30-8 in the quarter. Lele Ridley had nine of her 18 game-high points in the quarter, while Ava Pope scored eight. Gracie Naugher scored all eleven points for Piedmont during the first half.
JACKSONVILLE 75 CLEBURNE COUNTY 39: Ashley Grant scored 21 point, making 5-of-8 3 pointers. Dee Prothro also had a double-double, and the Jacksonville shot 19-of-36 at the free throw line. Prothro scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Six steals were also recorded by Prothro. Faith Brown was the leader of Cleburne County, scoring 21 points.
