Corner Christmas Tournament: Hanceville clips Jackets at :00.8 in finals

Diamond Simmons proved to be a jewel for Hanceville and anything but for Corner, as his basket with eight tenths of a second left in the game gave the Bulldogs a 41-39 victory in the finals of the Corner Christmas Basketball Tournament.

The Yellow Jackets trailed Hanceville most of the way, but Kyle Moody put the home team ahead with a 3-point shot with 2:14 left. After Broc Malcom returned the favor for the Dogs, Moody tied it with 85 seconds to go.

Simmons had a chance to break the tie with two free throws, but missed both.

Blake Byrd led the Jackets (9-7) with 13 points. Austin Sanford added 10.

Brontae Harris led all scorers with 16 for Hanceville. Malcom scored 14.

Third place game — Locust Fork 68, Hayden 50: Brandon Echols had 18 points, and was 4-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc, and Seth Aderhold had 10 points and 11 rebounds in the loss Wednesday.

Aderhold was also checked for a possible injury to his thumb after the game; no word yet on the extent of the injury.

Taylor Bentley led four Hornets in double figures.

Fifth place game — Vinemont 70, Mortimer Jordan 60: Hot shooting by Vinemont and a lackluster Blue Devil defense led to the outcome. Connor Moon led Jordan with 10 points. Trevor Yarbrough paced the Eagles with 24.

Semifinal — Corner 67, Hayden 62: The Wildcats led the game all the way until the 3:05 mark of the fourth period, when the Jackets went ahead for good, outscoring Hayden 25-12 in the final period.

Austin Sanford scored a game-high 25 points, and Blake Byrd added 19, hitting 5-of-12 from outside the arc.

Two Wildcats had double-doubles: Seth Aderhold with 20 points and 11 rebounds, and John Niblett with 12 points and 11 boards. Brandon Echols had 12 points.

Semifinal — Mortimer Jordan 68, Oak Grove 60: The Devils avenged a loss the previous week, coming from behind in the fourth quarter. Ben Hardiman had 24 points and 10 rebounds for Jordan. Mark Louis scored 20 and Tyler Pelkey had 11.