Demetrius’ dunk
- Updated: January 26, 2023
Norwood’s second career dunk sparks Munford over Ohatchee; Odam, Wilson key Piedmont’s comeback; Crook continues climbing state girls scoring list, and more
THURSDAY’S BOYS GAMES
Donoho 51, Coosa Christian 38
Etowah 69, Cherokee County 68 (OT)
Hokes Bluff at Saks
Jacksonville Christian 68, Gaylesville 46
Jasper 70, Faith Christian 37
Munford 58, Ohatchee 44
Piedmont 99, Sand Rock 90
Spring Garden 51, Cedar Bluff 34
Talladega at Glencoe
White Plains 65, Cleburne County 36
St. Clair County Tournament
At Moody
Moody 62, Springville 50
By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today
MUNFORD – Demetrius Norwood got the first dunk of his career the other night against Pleasant Valley and it made him feel “very happy.” He had been wanting one since his freshman year when he knew he could do it. It felt so good he wanted to do it again.
This time, it didn’t take quite as long. The senior forward slammed home his second dunk in as many games midway through the third quarter Thursday night and it capped a critical juncture that helped Munford turn back Ohatchee 58-44.
“I knew I was going to get me one eventually,” Norwood said. “I didn’t know if it was going to be on a put-back or a fast break.”
Norwood’s dunk Thursday came on a fast break, just like his first one did in the closing minutes of the Pleasant Valley game. This one answered Ohatchee’s first basket of the second half, capped a stretch of six straight Munford points by him to open the half, and gave the Lions a 35-26 lead.
“My guy just found me,” he said. “I just knew once I beat my defender I was going to get an open chance to dunk it.”
Ohatchee called time right after the dunk and unwittingly gave Norwood a chance to relish the moment. As the Lions made their way to the bench junior guard Logan Smith mouthed “I told you,” as he predicted the dunk while watching the earlier girls game. Munford’s Sylvester Smith gave his brother’s dunk an 8 for the effort and environment.
“The thing is, out of everyone on the team, he dunks it the best, so I’m happy for him,” Lions coach Riley Jones said. “I’ve been wanting him to get one all year. I was happy he got one.
“He’s asked me if he had a chance in the game to dunk it if he could. I told him as long it goes in, that’s fine. I just want the points.”
Norwood had a second dunk attempt about two and a half minutes later and that one didn’t turn out as well. He mistimed his steps near the basket and missed, but Javion White was there to put back the rebound to take the lead back to nine. White also put back a missed free throw on the next exchange to take the lead to double digits for the first time.
The game started out promising for the Indians, but ended up frustrating. They scored 15 points in the first quarter and opened a 15-7 lead behind Kelby Crook’s outside shooting and Luke Vinson’s defense and rebounding, but after Crook’s 3-pointer with 4:43 to go in the first half the basket suddenly closed to them. The Lions went on a 12-5 tear and took a 27-24 halftime lead.
“It was frustrating,” Ohatchee coach Bryant Ginn said, “because they did what they should have done to win. They played really well offensively and defensively, for that matter, but we gave up a lot of missed shots turned into layups for them.”
Munford’s White led all scorers with 15 points. Norwood finished with 10. Jake Roberson and Crook scored 13 points each for Ohatchee.
OHATCHEE – Eli Teem 1 0-0 2, Jake Roberts 0 0-0 0, Jesse Baswell 1 0-0 2, Austin Carroll 1 0-0 3, Colby Hester 3 3-9 9, Jake Roberson 5 3-4 13, Luke Vinson 1 0-0 2, Kelbe Crook 5 1-2 13. Totals 17 7-15 44.
MUNFORD – Demetrius Norwood 5 0-0 10, Sylvester Smith 2 2-7 6, Alex Petty 1 0-0 3, Lathan Stephens 3 1-2 8, B.J. Anderson 3 1-2 8, Austin Wynn 0 0-0 0, Kelby Tucker 4 0-1 8, Javion White 7 1-1 15. Totals 25 5-15 58.
Ohatchee 15 9 6 14 – 44
Munford 11 16 14 17 – 58
3-point goals: Ohatchee 3 (Carroll, Crook 2); Munford 3 (Petty, Stephens, Anderson). Total fouls: Ohatchee 17, Munford 16. Officials: Wright, Stringer, Whiteside.
PIEDMONT 99, SAND ROCK 90: Cole Wilson hit eight 3-pointers, four in the fourth quarter, and Alex Odam went 7-for-8 from the foul line to key a 34-point final quarter that brought the Bulldogs back from a seven-point deficit.
Odam had 38 points – 26 in the second half – to move within 16 points of becoming the 14th player in AHSAA history to score 3,000 career points. He was 12-of-13 from the line for the game.
Wilson, meanwhile, scored 28 points, half of them in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs (18-4) trailed 72-65 after three quarters before Wilson got hot again. He hit a pair of 3s in each of the first two quarters.
“I was just trying to do my best to help my team get back up in the game,” he said. “It was a hard fight and we just stuck to the game plan and came out with the victory.
“I came out and hit a few shots early and that boosted my confidence a little, so I kept shooting. When we came out from the half I started off cold, but my teammates kept finding me and I was able to make adjustments and knocked down the shots when I needed to.
“I’m just thankful for the win; we all had a good night. None of it would have been possible without my brothers’ help.”
The games by Odam and Wilson, offset big nights by Sand Rock’s Kaden Justice (31) and Jacob St. Clair (28). St. Clair hit six 3-pointers. The teams hit 11 each.
SAND ROCK – Carson Chestnut 0 0-0 0, Jacob St. Clair 10 2-2 28, Logan Crider 0 0-0 0, Ben Dale 6 0-0 13, Brian Giles 1 0-0 3, Jake Middlebrooks 0 0-0 0, Sloan Wood 0 0-0 0, Kaden Justice 11 6-6 31, Bradley Jackson 5 1-3 11, Zachary Clanton 1 2-2 4. Totals 34 11-13 90.
PIEDMONT (18-4) – Alex Odam 13 12-13 38, Rollie Pinto 5 5-5 16, Ish Bethel 3 2-2 10, Colten Proctor 0 1-2 1, Luke Rhinehart 0 0-0 0, Trevor Pike 0 0-0 0, Chance Murphy 2 0-0 4, Rhett Alford 1 0-0 2, Cole Wilson 10 0-0 28. Totals 34 20-22 99.
Sand Rock 20 28 24 18 – 90
Piedmont 22 20 23 34 – 99
3-point goals: Sand Rock 11 (St. Clair 6, Dale, Giles, Justice 3); Piedmont 11 (Pinto, Bethel 2, Wilson 8). Technical fouls: Sand Rock coach Blackwell, Justice, Murphy 2. Fouled out: Dale, Murphy. Total fouls: Sand Rock 17, Piedmont 17. Officials: Kelley, Jarrett, Pratt.
WHITE PLAINS 65, CLEBURNE COUNTY 36: Four of the eight White Plains players who hit a 3-pointer for the Wildcats did so in the third quarter when they used a 20-3 eruption to take control of the game.
Dylan Barksdale, Daniel Williams, Collin Spivey and Luke Bussey all knocked down 3-pointers for the Wildcats in their big third-quarter eruption.
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Jacob Cavender 7 0-0 17, Dawson Haynes 0 0-0 0, Jackson Miller 0 0-2 2, James Cotton 0 0-0 0, Nate Adams 3 0-0 6, Jake Littleton 1 0-0 2, Grey Freeman 5 0-2 13. Totals 16 0-4 36.
WHITE PLAINS – Dylan Barksdale 2 0-0 5, Paul Laube 4 0-0 8, Z.J. Rosario 4 0-0 9, Josh Wheeler 1 2-2 5, Coleman Ray 1 0-0 3, Cam Almon 1 0-0 3, Daniel Williams 1 0-0 3, Daye Diallo 3 0-0 7, Collin Spivey 1 0-0 3, Luke Bussey 3 1-2 9, Carter Johnson 4 3-3 11. Totals 25 6-7 65.
Cleburne County 12 16 3 5 – 36
White Plains 17 16 20 12 – 65
3-point goals: Cleburne County 4 (Cavender 3, Freeman); White Plains 9 (Barksdale, Rosario, Wheeler, Almon, Williams, Diallo, Spivey, Bussey 2). Total fouls: Cleburne County 12, White Plains 8.
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 68, GAYLESVILLE 46: Tyler Doggrell and Braxton Brown both had double-doubles and Ethan Fair and Noah Lee both came close as the Thunder filled the box score.
Doggrell had 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Brown had 13 points and 11 boards. Fair scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Lee had 11 rebounds and eight asissts. Cam Moses grabbed 10 rebounds.
JASPER 70, FAITH CHRISTIAN 37: Thomas Curlee scored 25 points and grabbed six rebounds, but no one else in Faith’s lineup scored in double figures. Curlee was 9-of-23 from the field, while the rest of the team went 4-for-28. Eli Robinson led the Lions on the glass with seven rebounds.
DONOHO 51, COOSA CHRISTIAN 38: The Falcons used a big fourth quarter to pull away from their visitors. Jordan Cameron scored 15 points, including his last five free throws (4-for-4 in the fourth) after an 0-for-4 start to lead the Falcons. Drew Williams had 12, eight in the fourth quarter.
COOSA CHRISTIAN – Jaylen Jones 0 0-0 0, Jaden Burns 5 0-0 14, Vincent Dupree 0 1-2 1, Grayson Malone 0 0-0 0, Drake Albury 2 2-4 6, Dartavius Mackey 2 1-2 5, Elijah Motes 4 0-0 8, Jacoby Tucker 1 2-3 4. Totals 14 6-11 38.
DONOHO – Jordan Cameron 5 5-9 15, Jack Wallace 0 0-0 0, Isaiah Smith 0 2-5 2, Sam Johnson 4 2-2 10, Hayes Farrell 0 0-0 0, Bruce Downey 0 0-0 0, Sean Keel 2 0-0 4, Drew Williamson 5 1-1 12, Rich Goad 4 0-0 8. Totals 20 10-17 51.
Coosa Christian 11 8 14 5 – 38
Donoho 16 10 7 18 – 51
3-point goals: Coosa 4 (Burns 4); Donoho 1 (Williamson). Total fouls: Coosa 18, Donoho 15. Officials: McClendon, Jackson, Allen.
Girls
THURSDAY’S GIRLS GAMES
Cherokee County 58, Etowah 39
Hokes Bluff at Saks
Jacksonville Christian 57, Gaylesville 22
Ohatchee 63, Munford 13
Sand Rock 60, Piedmont 56
Spring Garden 65, Cedar Bluff 30
Talladega at Glencoe
White Plains 52, Cleburne County 34
St. Clair County Tournament
At Moody
Springville 63, St. Clair County 27
OHATCHEE 63, MUNFORD 13: Jorda Crook scored a “quiet” 31 points and moved into the top 25 all-time girls scorers in AHSAA history.
The powerful senior had 14 of the Lady Indians’ 23 first-quarter points and 25 in the first half. She now has 2,766 career points, passing three players to land at No. 23 on the all-time girls list.
OHATCHEE – Tabi Davidson 2 0-0 4, Katherina Marsh 0 0-0 0, Emily Riddle 1 2-2 2, Whitney McFry 1 0-0 2, Makayla Brackett 0 0-0 0, Mia Waters 0 0-0 0, Greenlee Orman 1 1-2 3, Carly Hall 0 0-0 0, Priesly Davis 0 0-0 0, Kiana Garber 3 2-2 9, Jorda Crook 14 1-6 31, Bailey Fowler 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Davis 0 2-2 2, Lindsey Zurchin 2 1-1 6. Totals 25 9-16 63.
MUNFORD – Breanna Hailes 0 3-5 3, Alys Moseley 0 0-2 0, Ashtyn Bishop 0 0-2 0, Amari Carlisle 2 0-2 5, Faith Jacobs 0 0-0 0, Fantaza Calhoun 1 1-3 3, Laina Quarles 0 0-0 0, Lauryn Brewster 1 0-0 2. Totals 4 4-12 13.
Ohatchee 23 15 17 8 – 63
Munford 2 2 4 5 – 13
3-point goals: Ohatchee 4 (Garber, Crook 2, Zurchin); Munford 1 (Carlisle). Total fouls: Ohatchee 18, Munford 16. Officials: Wright, Moore, Stringer.
WHITE PLAINS 52, CLEBURNE COUNTY 34: Isabella Higgins scored 20 points and lifted the Lady Wildcats over Cleburne County to clinch the No. 3 seed in their upcoming area tournament. Faith Brown led Cleburne County with 20 points.
CLEBURNE COUNTY – Faith Brown 8 4-5 20, Makinzie Frames 0 0-0 0, Hannah Turley 4 3-5 11, Nevaeh Williams 0 2-5 2, Nevaeh Williams 0 2-6 2, Con Austin 0 0-0 0, Alivia Boyd 0 0-2 0, Macey East 0 1-2 1, Lile Whatley 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 12-25 34.
WHITE PLAINS – Cooper Martin 3 1-3 9, Isabella Higgins 8 4-7 20, Annie Fouche 1 0-0 2, Hallie Williams 3 1-2 6, Addison Bradley 2 1-7 7, Braeton Moran 0 0-0 0, Kylee Provencio 0 0-0 0, Cassidy Arnold 3 1-2 8. Totals 20 8-21 52.
Cleburne County 1 10 8 15 – 34
White Plains 9 11 15 17 – 52
3-point goals: White Plains 5 (Martin 2, Williams, Bradley, Arnold). Fouled out: Frames. Total fouls: Cleburne County 21, White Plains 13. Officials: Hoffman, McCord, Merritt.
SAND ROCK 60, PIEDMONT 56: Katelyn St. Clair and Jacey Stephens combined to hit seven 3-pointers in the first half to help stake Sand Rock to a 38-30 halftime lead. They both hit five from behind the arc in the game. St. Clair finished with 20 points and Stephens had 15. Zoey Handy also scored 15 for the winners.
Piedmont’s Lele Ridley hit five 3-pointers and led all scorers with 25 points. Ava Pope had 13.
SAND ROCK – Peyton Johnson 2 0-0 4, Brylaina Holcomb 0 0-0 0, Sherina Foster 0 0-0 0, Zoey Handy 5 5-5 15, Katelyn St. Clair 6 3-5 20, Jacey Stephens 5 0-0 15, Chloe Stephens 0 0-0 0, Allie Stansell 0 0-0 0, Kennedy Henderson 3 0-0 6, Lydia East 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 8-10 60.
PIEDMONT (13-10) – Ava Pope 4 3-4 13, Jaycee Glover 1 0-2 3, Lele Ridley 8 4-5 25, Cayla Brothers 1 2-4 4, Melanie Studdard 2 1-2 5, Carson Young 0 0-0 0, Gracie Naugher 2 0-0 6, Morgan Studdard 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 10-17 56.
Sand Rock 22 16 12 10 – 60
Piedmont 13 17 12 14 – 56
3-point goals: Sand Rock 10 (St. Clair 5, J. Stephens 5); Piedmont 10 (Pope 2, Glover, Ridley 5, Naugher 2). Total fouls: Sand Rock 17, Piedmont 14. Officials: Jarrett, Pratt, Kelley.
JACKSONVILLE CHRISTIAN 57, GAYLESVILLE 22: Erin Prater hit six 3-pointers and matched Gaylesville’s team total to help the Lady Thunder (12-7) wrap up the No. 2 seed in their area. She also had four rebounds and five steals.
Rebekah Carter hauled down 18 rebounds to go with seven points; Kara Grace had 11 points and nine rebounds; Addy Lee had 10 points, seven rebounds and five steals; and Katie Beth Hudson grabbed seven rebounds.
Cover photo: Munford’s Demetrius Norwood (1) goes up for a rebound in the first half against Ohatchee.
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