Boys roundup
- Updated: February 7, 2020
Anniston, Alexandria win their area championships, JCA falls in its title game
By East Alabama Sports Today
TALLADEGA — Antonio Kite scored 38 points Thursday night and Anniston took advantage of Talladega’s cold start to get a lead on the defending state champions and carried on to a 62-49 victory for the Class 4A Area 9 title.
The Bulldogs (20-9) will host the loser of Friday’s Jacksonville-White Plains Area 10 title game in the sub-region round while the Tigers will travel to the winner of that area final. Both sub-region games are Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Talladega was just 2-for-18 from the floor in the first quarter — buckets by Arron Green and D’Corian Wilson — as Anniston opened a 14-4 lead. The Bulldogs led 34-15 at halftime.
After being swept by the Tigers during the regular season, it was Anniston coach Torry Brown’s hope the Bulldogs could split with them for the season. To make that a reality now, the Bulldogs would have to beat the Tigers in the Northeast Regional finals for a berth in the Final Four.
Nigel Scales and Green both had 11 points for Talladega. The Bulldogs held Kobe Simmons to nine points.
The 49 points were the fewest the Tigers have scored in a game this season and the fewest since their 41-40 loss to Anniston in last year’s area tournament finals.
Anniston 62, Talladega 49
ANNISTON (20-9) – Mark Toyer 1 0-0 3, Antonio Kite 11 13-18 38, Kwame Milton 1 3-4 5, Demar Stewart 3 0-0 7, Malcolm Harvey 2 1-4 5, Daveon Dukes 1 1-2 4, A.J. Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 18-28 62.
TALLADEGA – Nigel Scales 4 0-0 11, Jay Spratling 0 1-2 1, Arron Green 3 4-9 11, Michael McGregor 1 0-2 2, Rontevius Barclay 2 0-0 5, D’Corian Wilson 3 1-2 8, Raderius Montgomery 1 0-0 2, Kobe Simmons 3 3-5 9. Totals 17 9-17 49.
Anniston 14 20 14 14 – 62
Talladega 4 11 10 24 – 49
3-point goals: Anniston 6 (Toyer, Kite 3, Stewart, Dukes); Talladega 6 (Scales 3, Green, Barclay, Wilson). Fouled out: Green. Total fouls: Anniston 13, Talladega 21. Officials: Hughes, Ortiz, Tidwell.
Alexandria 54, Southside 40
ANNISTON — Alexandria did a lot more than win a game. The Valley Cubs checked off another of their seniors’ goals with their 20thwin of the season and they get to host their first sub-region game in more than a decade after beating the Panthers.
The Cubs will now host Center Point Tuesday in their first home sub-region game since 2009. Southside will travel to Springville.
“It’s been a while,” Alexandria coach Jason Johnson said. “It’s great for those seniors. They’re excited. We’re just tickled to death.”
Landan Williams led four Cubs in double figures with 13 points. Javais McGhee and Seth Slaton had 11 each and Julian Wright had 10. Slaton was 7-of-8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
The Cubs held a four-point halftime lead, then stretched it by outscoring the Panthers 17-4 in the third. Williams and Javais McGhee each had five points in the quarter.
“It seemed like we were a little nervous,” Johnson said. “I think we just really wanted to win it so bad and maybe our shot wasn’t falling. We played good defense.
Alexandria 54, Southside 40
SOUTHSIDE – Michael Rich 1 0-2 2, Chris Lengyel 3 4-4 12, Jordan Grantland 0 0-1 0, John Westcott 0 1-2 1, William Carr 1 3-3 5, Colton Morrison 5 0-0 12, Tyler Rose 0 0-0 0, Thomas Simmons 1 3-5 6, Hunter Sitz 1 0-0 2, Parker Crask 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 11-17 40.
ALEXANDRIA – Javais McGhee 4 3-3 11, Adam Young 1 2-4 4, D’Anthony Walton 1 0-0 3, Seth Slaton 1 8-10 11, Julian Wright 3 4-6 10, Dustin Warren 1 0-0 3, Landan Williams 5 3-6 13. Totals 16 20-30 54.
Southside 9 9 4 18 – 40
Alexandria 9 13 17 15 – 54
3-point goals: Southside 5 (Lengyel 2, Morrison 2, Simmons); Alexandria 2 (Walton, Slaton). Technical fouls: Lengyel. Fouled out: Rich, Warren. Total fouls: Southside 23, Alexandria 19.
Spring Garden 76, JCA 63
SPRING GARDEN —The Panthers raced to a 20-point first-quarter lead, but JCA rallied back behind 6-foot-7 post Chase Vinson, getting to within five points in the fourth quarter of their Class 1A, Area 11 title game.
Spring Garden (21-6), led by tournament MVP Cooper Austin’s 35 points, withstood the charge.Austin scored 15 of his points in the first quarter, sparking Spring Garden to a 28-8 lead. The Thunder (21-6) trailed 43-24 at halftime, but began making a charge in the third quarter.
JCA cut the deficit to seven at 52-45 heading into the fourth quarter, but Spring Garden outscored the Thunder 24-18 in the final quarter for the victory.
Chaz Pope scored 13 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Panthers. Ryley Kirk added seven points and seven boards. The two, along with Austin, made the all-tournament team. Weston Kirk finished with 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Vinson led JCA with 26 points, 20 rebounds and four assists. Eli Fair and Kobe Messer both scored 10 points. Fair also added four boards, two assists and two steals. Messer had three boards and two assists.
Nash Messer and Tanner Wilson both finished with seven points. Nash Messer also grabbed five rebounds and had two assists. – Roy Mitchell
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