No, no, no; not in my house
- Updated: February 4, 2019
Area tournaments: Montgomery’s Mutombo act sets tone for another big Anniston defensive effort; Faith, Saks win play-in games; Alexandria, Oxford fall; Donoho boys outsted
CLASS 1A AREA 11
Girls Game
Faith Christian 64, Donoho 52
Boys Game
Coosa Christian 65, Donoho 51
CLASS 3A AREA 11
Girls Game
Saks 53, Wellborn 18
CLASS 4A AREA 9
Girls Game
Talladega 53, Cleburne County 34
Anniston 76, Lincoln 28
CLASS 5A AREA 12
Girls Game
Etowah 45, Alexandria 40
CLASS 6A AREA 13
Girls Game
Albertville 47, Oxford 24
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
Every game Anniston coach Eddie Bullock looks for one player to set the team’s defensive tone for the game.
Usually it’s Jordyn Johnson, who Bullock calls his “defensive coordinator.” In Monday night’s Class 4A Area 9 tournament opener against Lincoln it was Kiana Montgomery.
The junior post blocked four shots in the first three minutes of the game and it set the tone in the Lady’ Dawgs’ 76-28 victory. Anniston will host Talladega for the area title Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Montgomery finished with six points, nine rebounds and seven blocked shots.
“In football they have a defensive coordinator and I have a defensive coordinator who’s my defensive captain and that’s Jordyn Johnson; she’s going to set the tone,” Bullock said. “She doesn’t ever get her name put in the paper, but she’s the one who’s always diving on the floor, she’s beating people up, she boxes out and doing the things she needs to do.
“Kiana is my Mutombo. She knows anything around the rim she can’t let it come in; she’s got to block it. If Kiana’s in the game she’s expected to go straight up and block the shot. I liked the defensive tone we set … If my team shows up and plays like they’re supposed to play we’re going to be tough to beat, but the key is getting the right mentality and making them do what they need to do.”
Mutombo, of course, is Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, who spent 18 season as the NBA’s best shot blocker and in 2013 his skill was humorously featured in a commercial where he was blocking everything from an executive’s crumpled up paper wad to a woman’s laundry to a kid’s attempt at shooting his cereal box into his grocery cart.
Montgomery was Mutombo like early on, blocking shots in rapid-fire succession in the paint and then scoring four quick points as the Lady Dawgs opened a 26-6 first-quarter lead that swelled to 46-10 at halftime.
“I try to start out with a great defensive mindset, like going hard,” Montgomery said. “Once I blocked the shots I got into it and that set the tone for everyone else. I try to set the tone like I’m supposed to, so I set the tone and that just got me to going and I continued to do it.”
And as usual, the defense fueled the offense. Nine players had at least one steal; the Lady Dawgs had 24 in the game. Eleven players scored for the Lady Dawgs in the game, led by Toniah Foster (16) and Allasha Dudley (14).
Talladega put together a similarly strong defensive effort and dumped Cleburne County 53-34 in the first game of the night.
Seventh-grader Trinity Webb led Talladega with 19 points and eight rebounds. She had eight points and five rebounds in the first quarter as the Lady Tigers opened a 15-7 lead.
“She’s been playing great for the last 10 games or so, because she was so young,” Talladega coach Ryan Dawson said. “It was new to her and she’s adapted well. She started out the season as a seventh-grader, but she’s been playing as a seasoned vet these last 10 games. She’s got a bright future ahead of her. She stepped up real big for us tonight.”
Cleburne County had never beaten Talladega in an area tournament game before. Actually, seven players on its roster had never competed in an area tournament before and that inexperience may have contributed to the Tigers’ slow start.
“I thought a couple of them got a big-eyed tonight and the game was bigger than what it should’ve been,” coach Todd Gable said. “I could see it offensively and defensively.
“Their defense was a lot better than ours. I think if we would’ve played defense like they did the first half it may have been a different game. We played in spurts. We’d hit a big bucket, come down and give up a big bucket, so we could never get back in it and get it to single digits like we wanted to.”
To see more photos from the tournament visit www.bjfranklin.smugmug.com
CLASS 4A AREA 9
Talladega 53, Cleburne County 34
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Haley Roberts 0 0-0 0, Lili Henson 0 1-3 1, Olivia McDaniel 3 7-10 13, Shanna Brown 0 0-0 0, Kyeli Hazzard 0 0-0 0, Jacy Littleton 1 3-4 5, Haley Price 1 1-2 3, Micha Pentacost 0 0-0 0, Kendall Houston 1 0-0 2, Brooklyn McDaniel 3 3-6 10, Haven Freeman 0 0-0 0, Emma Rollins 0 0-0 0, Libby Altman 0 0-0 0, Annie Brown 0 0-0 0, Cayden Lindsey 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 15-25 34.
TALLADEGA – Gykeriah Collins 0 1-2 1, Tiona Roberson 3 2-2 8, Florence Moten 0 0-0 0, Lamyah Elston 0 0-0 0, Brooklyn Moss 1 0-0 2, Ja’Nai Wilson 0 0-0 0, Takerria Swain 2 2-4 8, Trinity Webb 7 5-9 19, TraNyia Chatman 0 0-0 0, Cymarion Scales 2 2-2 6, KaDaysha McKenzie 1 2-2 5, Imani Booker 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 14-21 53.
Cleburne County 7 10 12 5 – 34
Talladega 15 12 15 11 – 53
3-point goals: Cleburne County 1 (B. McDaniel); Talladega 3 (Swain 2, McKenzie). Total fouls: Cleburne County 14, Talladega 21. Officials: Ingram, Battles, Williams.
Anniston 76, Lincoln 28
LINCOLN – Bailey Gowers 1 2-2 4, Makayla Groce 1 0-0 2, Jayla Morris 1 0-0 2, Jaycee Woods 0 0-0 0, Jaylah King 0 0-2 0, Keishaunna Strown 4 2-7 13, Zariah Orr 0 0-0 0, Abby Smith 0 0-0 0, Taylor Conway 3 1-2 7. Totals 10 5-11 28.
ANNISTON – Allasha Dudley 6 0-0 14, Measia Kelley 1 1-2 4, Anna Garrett 2 0-0 5, Charliese Simmons 0 0-0 0, Shiwana Jackson 2 2-2 8, Khyla Garrett 0 0-0 0, Jordyn Johnson 1 0-0 3, Tiauna Thomas 1 0-0 2, Airianna Colley 1 0-0 3, Tekyia Jackson 4 0-0 8, Kiana Montgomery 3 0-2 6, Asia Barclay 1 5-6 7, Toniah Foster 8 0-0 16. Totals 30 8-10 76.
Lincoln 6 4 9 9 – 28
Anniston 26 20 17 13 – 76
3-point goals: Lincoln 3 (Strown 3); Anniston 8 (Dudley 2, Kelley, A. Garrett, S. Jackson 2, Johnson, Colley). Total fouls: Lincoln 9, Anniston 15. Officials: Mulkey, Whisanat, Williams.
Class 1A Area 11
Girls Game
Faith Christian 64, Donoho 52
SPRING GARDEN – Sydnee Johnson and Emily Sills combined for six 3-pointers in a 27-point third quarter that help the Lady Lions stretch their lead on the way to their school-record 13thvictory of the season.
Johnson hit four from behind the arc in the third quarter and had five in the game. Sills hit four 3s. The Lady Lions hit 10 3s in the game, as did Donoho.
“The third quarter we were trading baskets, but Sydnee was just hot,” Donoho coach Jeremy Satcher said. “Everything she was throwing up, it was going in.”
The big third quarter helped Faith open a 55-36 lead. Donoho cut its deficit to single digits in the fourth quarter against the Faith reserves.
Kristin Covington had Faith’s other 3-pointer and finished with a game-high 22 points. Johnson had 18 and Sills had 12.
Anastasia O’Neill hit five 3-pointrs for Donoho and finished with 15 points. Victoria O’Neill added 13.
Faith Christian’s girls had won 12 games in a season as recently as 2008. The Lady Lions now play top-seeded host Spring Garden Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Faith Christian 64, Donoho 52
DONOHO – Victoria O’Neill 5 0-0 13, Shelby Phillips 2 0-0 4, Campbell Hagan 3 0-0 6, Savannah Frickey 3 0-0 8, Amelia Baker 0 0-0 0, Anastasia O’Neill 5 0-0 15, Jenna Stremmel 3 0-0 6. Totals
FAITH CHRISTIAN – Emily Sills 4 0-0 12, Kristin Covington 9 3-5 22, Kassidy Nix 0 0-0 0, Elizabeth Bedford 0 0-0 0, Sydnee Johnson 5 3-4 18, Anna Strautman 0 1-2 1, C.J. Setters 1 0-0 2, Sarah Kate McVeigh 1 0-0 2, Savanna Gibbins 0 0-0 0, Megan Ford 3 1-2 7. Totals 23 8-13 64.
Donoho 8 11 17 16 – 52
Faith Christian 12 16 27 9 – 64
3-point goals: Donoho 10 (V. O’Neill 3, Frickey 2, A. O’Neill 5); Faith 10 (Sills 4, Johnson 5, Covington). Total fouls: Donoho 14, Faith 5. Officials: Hollingsworth, McElreath, Macon.
Boys Game
Coosa Christian 65, Donoho 51
SPRING GARDEN – Evan Delp and Clay Waits combined for 20 points in the second quarter when Coosa Christian took control of its game.
Delp had nine of his 27 in the second quarter, while Waits had 11 of his 21 points in the quarter.
Seth Ford hit six 3-pointers and led Donoho with 19 points. Jacob LeCroy had 16.
“We just got outplayed,” Donoho coach Jeremy Satcher said. “Coosa wanted it more tonight, that’s what it boiled down to. We didn’t get in any kind of rhythm. Basically, Coosa was just the better team tonight.”
The Conquerors now play top-seeded host Spring Garden Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.
Coosa Christian 65, Donoho 51
COOSA CHRISTIAN – Dartavious Britton 0 0-0 0, Caleb Cates 1 0-0 2, Clay Waits 9 1-1 21, Evan Delp 9 7-14 27, Noah Davidson 4 2-5 10, Caiden Lipscomb 1 1-2 3. Totals 24 11-23 65.
DONOHO – Seth Ford 6 1-2 19, Amari Smedley 1 6-9 8, Rod Elston 0 1-2 1, Reid Williamon 1 0-0 2, Jacob LeCroy 6 1-1 16, Charlie Williamon 2 1-2 5. Totals 16 10-16 51.
Coosa Christian 12 22 16 15 – 65
Donoho 10 16 12 13 – 51
3-point goals: Coosa 6 (Waits 2, Dell 2, Damison 2); Donoho 9 (S. Ford 6, LeCroy 3). Total fouls: Coosa 14, Donoho 19.
Class 5A Area 12
Etowah 45, Alexandria 40
SOUTHSIDE – Etowah outscored the Lady Cubs 16-10 in the fourth quarter to rally after losing the early lead.
The Lady Cubs put together a strong third quarter to take a one-point lead into the final eight minutes, but just missed too many layups and didn’t get to the free throw line enough in the fourth quarter.
Kayleigh Steen hit both of her 3-pointers in the third quarter to spark Alexandria’s rally. The Lady Cubs trailed by eight after the first quarter.
Etowah now plays top-seeded host Southside for the tournament title Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Etowah 45, Alexandria 40
ALEXANDRIA – Ashley Phillips 1 4-7 7, Sarah Pelham 2 0-0 5, Kayleigh Steen 2 0-0 6, Kaitlin Harvey 2 3-4 7, Kameron Simpson 2 4-6 8, Alierra Bradford 0 2-2 2, Maggie Phillips 2 1-6 5. Totals 11 14-24 40.
ETOWAH – Jaleigh Devine 2 0-2 2, Jaci Mayo 1 2-5 4, Za’Nya McKenzie 7 0-2 14, Abbagile Martin 1 2-4 4, Z’Niya Manning 4 5-12 13, Shy’ere Gibbs 1 3-4 6, Amayah Ash 0 0-0 0, Kynzlon Gibbs 0 0-0 0, Alyssa Davis 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 12-29 45.
Alexandria 4 11 15 10 – 40
Etowah 12 11 6 16 – 45
3-point goals: Alexandria 4 (A. Phillips, Pelham, Steen 2); Etowah 1 (Gibbs). Technical fouls: A. Phillips. Total fouls: Alexandria 20, Etowah 19. Officials: Daffron, Rary, Westin.
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