PREP HOOPS ROUNDUP: Oldacre notches 300th win in Good Hope rout; Hanceville boys outlast Raiders
Published 11:39 pm Friday, November 13, 2015
- Good Hope's Kenneth Lyle splits a pair of Hanceville defenders for a layup Friday night.
GOOD HOPE — Michael Oldacre had hoped to collect his 300th career coaching win at regionals last winter.
Nearly nine months later, the wait is finally over.
Kaylee Maddox led a balanced scoring effort of four Good Hope girls in double figures, and the Raiders rocked county-rival Hanceville 66-37 Friday night at home to give their longtime leader the milestone.
Victory No. 300 came in the first game of Oldacre’s 16th season atop the Red and White. For those without a calculator in arm’s reach, that works out to an ambitious average right at 20 wins a season.
“It’s been fun,” Oldacre said. “I’ve had a lot of really great players and a lot of really great kids.”
Good Hope clung to an 11-10 advantage after the first quarter but wore down the Bulldogs over time. Transition basketball kept Hanceville’s defense on its heels and allowed the Raiders’ big bodies to have their way under the basket.
Maddox feasted down low more than anyone, putting up 15 points and tying Kate Kent with a team-high seven rebounds. Miriam Oldacre chipped in 14 points and five rebounds, Kent kicked in 13 points and Kelly Pickett touted 10 points.
Sadie Abbott provided all the intangibles for Good Hope, shining defensively with a number of steals, blocks and hustle plays.
Kyler Hembree and Micah Oldacre split 12 points.
The common link between those two, Miriam Oldacre and Pickett? They’re just eighth-graders.
Maddox and Caitlin Johnson are the squad’s only seniors.
“We are young, but we’ve been working real hard,” coach Oldacre said. “I thought it was a good first outing.”
Added Miriam Oldacre: “It’s pretty great, but I was just doing all I can. It’s hard being an eighth-grader … because you’ve got all these seniors you’re playing against.”
The Raiders only had one Hanceville senior — Taylor Hollingsworth — to deal with Friday evening. For the most part, they kept the sharpshooter in check, limiting her to 13 points.
Kierra Merriweather scored six points for the Bulldogs, and Karmen Johnson had five.
Scottsboro 56, Holly Pond 32
The Lady Broncos couldn’t handle the 6A Wildcats in a tough road loss on Friday night.
Ruth Horton led Holly Pond with 23 points. No other player had more than three.
Coach Scott Adams wasn’t pleased following the game.
“Without exaggeration, it’s maybe the worst performance I’ve had from a team in nine years of coaching,” he said.
West Point 61, Vinemont 26
The Warriors picked up their first win of the season on Friday.
Stats from the contest weren’t available.
Varsity Boys
Hanceville 55, Good Hope 49
The Bulldogs got every bit they could handle from the home team but withstood the last of several Raider rallies to escape with the season-opening win.
Isaac McDonald’s bomb from behind the arc pulled the Red and White within 51-49 with less than a minute left. Isaac Weissend made sure that was as close as Good Hope would get, however, converting a pair of one-and-ones to ice the outcome in Hanceville’s favor.
Weissend finished the final first game of his high school career with a team-high 16 points. Two came on a putback at the first quarter buzzer.
“We could’ve played a lot better, but I think with practice we’ll get there,” the senior said. “We’ll be alright.”
R.J. Evans and JK Davis each topped out at 12 points for the Dawgs, who dug themselves out of a 16-12 deficit late in the first quarter and led by as many as 11 following a 17-2 run that stretched into the second.
With Good Hope pulling even at 31-31 out of halftime, Davis hit the first of his three treys in the third quarter — the senior totaled four in his varsity debut — to put Hanceville up for good.
“I knew we needed them and coach said I had the green light,” Davis said of his long-range display.
Xavier Malcom gave the Bulldogs a fourth player in double digits with 11 points.
Despite the loss, Good Hope had plenty of positive takeaways in coach Chris Harris’ debut on the Red and White bench. It’s been a few seasons since the Raiders have been consistently competitive, but they came out Friday under the former Dora coach with a newfound fire that kept them in it from start until finish.
Matt Cofer proved to be a handful with a game-high 19 points, while McDonald was good for 11. Both tickled the twine on a trio of 3-pointers.
Mason Moniz had eight points for Good Hope.
Holly Pond 69, Scottsboro 59
Two games for the Broncos … two wins.
Matt Cahoon paced all scorers with 22 points, while teammate Landen Walker added 11.
Holly Pond led the whole game.
The Broncos travel to West Point next Tuesday.
West Point 75, Vinemont 44
The Maroon and White bounced back from a loss to Hartselle with a dominant showing over the Eagles on Friday.
Kobe Smith scored 17 points to lead West Point, while Cameron Moore and Alex Hernandez added 15 and 12, respectively.
Cullman 57, Athens 51
The Bearcats held off a tough Golden Eagle squad to earn their first win of the year.
Gage Goodwin (16 points), Nic Handley (12) and Fletcher Reeling (six) spearheaded the Black and Gold offense.
