3A, AREA 6 BOYS SEMIS: St. James staves off ACA's upset bid
St. Jame’s Clint Houser avoids the steal as ACA Mac Moorer puts on pressure in the Trojans’ win on Tuesday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
It wasn’t pretty, but St. James coach Nigel Card tried to warn his players what to expect in the opening round of the 3A Area 6 tournament against Alabama Christian Academy.
“I knew walking the ball up the floor would take away some potential transition opportunities, so we had to do what we had to do to figure out a way to win,” Card said. “But we still have to get back to the basics of making layups and free throws when we have the opportunity.”
The Trojans got enough points at the right moments to defeat the upset-minded Eagles 54-42 and advance to the finals of the area tournament against Trinity on Friday. And whether the Trojans win or lose Friday night’s game, they’re guaranteed a berth in the sub-region round for the third consecutive year and the seventh time in the last 10 years.
“That’s why this game was so critical,” Card said. “I’ve tried to stress to my kids all week this is going to be a tough game. Now we can play a little more free because either way we’re going to be in the playoffs. And like last year, if we have to go on the road (in the sub-regional round) to win a game, we’re capable.”
Last year, the Trojans finished as the area runner-up and then reeled off three consecutive wins for their first trip to the state tournament.
It wasn’t certain for a while on Tuesday night as the Eagles fought back to within a basket on two occasions in the third quarter. Paxton Wingard extended the lead back to five points with a 3-pointer after the first ACA run, then put down another rally with 3-pointers on two consecutive possessions late in the third quarter after the Eagles trailed by just three points.
St. James (15-5) reeled off its 10th consecutive win with some defense late in the third period and early in the fourth, relying on its pressure defense to disrupt the patient ACA offense.
“I’ve been behind all year,” Card said. “Yesterday (Monday) was the first time I went back to the press that we ran last year and luckily they picked it up enough to be able to execute something off of it. But we’ve been trying to catch up all year long.”
The Trojans extended the lead to 10 points midway through the fourth quarter and were able to celebrate their third consecutive trip to the area tournament finals. Ethan Beard led the Trojans with 19 points, followed by Wingard and KJ Jackson with 11 points each.
Christian Snipes led ACA (8-20) with 14 points and eight rebounds, followed by Mac Moorer with nine points and three rebounds, Darius Gardner with six points, three rebounds and three steals, Tyree Saadiq with five points, three rebounds and three steals and Conner Mark with five points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.