E.A. Sports Today

Griswould in the zone

Faith junior goes for 39 points as Lions win shootout with Wellborn; Hanson scores 34 for Panthers

By East Alabama Sports Today

Jordan Griswould was in such a zone Monday night it was like he couldn’t miss.

The 6-foot-3 junior forward scored a career-high 39 points, tying the school record, in leading Faith Christian to a 72-63 win over Wellborn in a matchup of upcoming Calhoun County Tournament opponents.

Griswould, whose previous best was 28 against Jefferson Christian earlier this season, hit 13 buckets, including two 3-pointers. He was 11-of-15 from the foul line.

“I just started out hot and my teammates did a great job of getting me the ball,” he said. “I was definitely in the zone tonight.

“It felt like the basket was twice as wide and anything I threw at it I could make. It was a good feeling.”

The game, a matchup of first-round Calhoun County Tournament foes, wound up being an old-fashioned shootout. Wellborn’s Blake Hanson was just as hot, scoring 34 points for the Panthers (1-6). He hit 15 field goals with many of his buckets coming inside as the Lions tried to deny his regular outside shot.

He had 21 in the second half.

“It was a good matchup,” Hanson said. “It’s always fun to have someone to go at it with the entire game, especially a player like him.”

Griswould scored 24 points in the first half, then the Panthers started face-guarding him and trying to deny him the catch.

“He played great offensively and defensively,” Faith coach Brad Yarbrough said. “He’s starting to find his rhythm. Jordan stood out, but we also had a solid night out of Caleb McCord and Jack Sills.”

McCord scored 11 points. Sills had nine and was a factor on the boards. McCord set the school record last year with 39 points in a holiday tournament game against Ohatchee.

The Lions (9-5), perhaps underseeded as a 12 in the County Tournament, opened a 20-11 lead and stayed in front.

“I was really proud of how we defended after being off since Dec. 23,” Yarbrough said. “It was a great win for us to start the second half of the season.”

The teams meet again in the first game of the County Tournament, Jan. 16 at 4:30 p.m.

Faith Christian 72, Wellborn 63

WELLBORN (1-6) — D.J. Rhoden 2 0-0 4, Mitchell Raines 2 0-0 4, Eric Johnson 0 0-0 0, Quandarious Moore 4 0-0 9, Rod Harris 0 0-0 0, Jordan Montgomery 2 2-5 6, Junior Towns 1 0-0 2, Jaylun Kelley 2 0-0 4, Blake Hanson 15 3-4 34. Totals 28 5-9 63.

FAITH CHRISTIAN (9-5) — Caleb McCord 4 2-5 11, Jordan Griswould 13 11-15 39, Jameson Adams 2 0-0 4, David Wall 0 0-0 0, Jack Sills 4 1-4 9, Michael Kulick 1 0-0 3, Alex Taylor 2 0-0 6. Totals 26 14-24 72.

Welllborn 11 22 13 15 — 63
Faith 20 23 16 13 — 72

3-point goals: Wellborn 2 (Moore, Hanson); Faith 6 (McCord, Griswould 2, Kulick, Taylor 2). Fouled out: Moore. Total fouls: Wellborn 17, Faith 8. Officials: Howell, Watson, Davis.

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