PREP BASKETBALL ROUNDUP: Hanceville’s boys dominate Carbon Hill for Class 3A, Area 12 Tournament title; Lady Bulldogs fall short; Lady Aggies, Eagles, Raiders take home respective area tournament crowns
Published 10:36 pm Thursday, February 8, 2018
- Hanceville's Kelly Pickett sinks a jumper during Thursday's game.
HANCEVILLE — RJ Evans and the rest of the Bulldogs were feeling it on Thursday night.
And Carbon Hill paid the price.
The Purple and Gold (17-8) sank 10 first-half treys and 14 in the outing to dominate their opponent en route to corralling a 66-37 win and second straight Class 3A, Area 12 Tournament title inside Lane Horton Gymnasium.
Evans, who swished five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 25 points, was all smiles following the triumph.
“I knew we had it in us,” he said. “Before the game even started, I knew what the tone was. It wasn’t a surprise to me, I know that. I knew I could hit the shots and so could my teammates. This one feels just as good as that one we won last year.”
Raiden Morgan (12), Allen Jones (nine), Brendan Flanigan (seven), Zeke McDonald (six), Damion Johnson (four) and Josh Stanley (three) rounded out the offense for Hanceville, which secured a 28-point lead by the end of the third frame.
Much like his standout junior, coach Daniel Wakefield was quite pleased with the performance.
“Obviously, we shot the ball really well tonight,” he said. “And with the way we were defending, we knew we could hold on if we hit a few more in the second half. We played solid defense tonight. If we defend like that and get offensive production like that, we can be a tough out.”
The Bulldogs held Carbon Hill to just 28 percent shooting — including an 0-of-11 mark from downtown.
Varsity Girls
% Carbon Hill 61, Hanceville 53: The Lady Bulldogs couldn’t close out the visiting team on Thursday night, dropping a heartbreaker inside Lane Horton Gymnasium to fall to 19-9 this season.
Hanceville held a 47-36 lead late in the third quarter, but Carbon Hill mounted a strong comeback — scoring 25 of game’s final 31 points to wrap up the area tournament title.
Kierra Merriweather (20) and Kelly Pickett (16) led the Purple and Gold on offense. Cassidy Campbell (nine), Karmen Johnson (five) and Malia Howell (three) rounded out the scoring for coach Christina Watson’s talented group.
“Honestly, I think the pressure of us winning something got to us,” she said. “We didn’t run our defense. We didn’t know where to be. We didn’t stick to the gameplan. And we always do that. So I think it had to be that pressure. It’s not the end of the road, though.”
Class 2A, Area 13 Tournament
Cold Springs’ varsity girls snagged their second consecutive area tournament crown and 19th under coach Tammy West following a 71-35 win over Winston County on Thursday night.
Elizabeth Hill (22 points), Camryn Crider (21 points) and Toni West (12 points, 12 rebounds and six assists) came up with wonderful performances for the Lady Eagles (19-12). Aubrey Negron amassed six points and nine rebounds as well.
“I was very proud of the girls,” West said. “They played well. It seems like we’re peaking at the right time.”
Class 4A, Area 10 Tournament
Good Hope’s varsity girls eased past Dora 57-45 on Thursday night to snare the program’s second straight area tournament championship.
The Lady Raiders (10-20) earned top scoring contributions from Erika Woodall (18), Leyton Seal (12), Kate Kent (11), Bailey Swann (seven) and Abby Neighbors (seven) in the triumph.
“We’ve overcome many obstacles this week, but we stepped up and finished with a win,” coach Amanda Swann said.
Class 5A, Area 12 Tournament
Taylor Ann Yeager crafted a game-high 22 points to lift Fairview’s varsity girls to an extraordinary 65-43 victory versus West Point on Thursday night.
McKinna Yearwood (15 points and six rebounds), Valentina Klocker (10 points and nine rebounds) and Payton Golden (seven points, six assists and six steals) also came through for the 5A No. 10 Lady Aggies, who tallied their second straight area tournament crown and improved to 22-7 on the season.
“My girls came out ready to play tough defense — they were hungry,” coach Mary Hartline said. “Every girl out there contributed on both ends of the floor, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
Micah Oldacre led West Point (22-10) with 15 points. Lexi Shadix (nine) and Brooke Brownfield (seven) put up solid numbers as well.
Class 6A, Area 14 Tournament
Cullman’s varsity girls couldn’t quite get past 6A No. 8 Brewer on Thursday, falling 58-48 in the championship.
The Lady Bearcats (18-14) snared good outings from Anna Grace Murphy (13) and Anna Katherine Eastman (11) in the loss.
Anna Evans (seven) and Alexandria Barker (six) also produced buckets.
See Sunday’s print edition for a sub-regional preview on qualifying teams.
