4A SE SEMIS: St. James sends both teams to region finals
Brad Thomas had 23 points to help St. James defeat Dallas County in the Southeast Regional semis Saturday at Garrett Coliseum. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
Dallas County and St. James had settled nothing by the end of the first quarter of Saturday’s Southeast Regional semifinal at Garrett Coliseum.
The two teams had battled to a 12-12 tie with neither able to grab the upper hand.
“I was a little surprised on how slow they played early,” St. James coach Nigel Card said. “We had to be patient. We’ve seen that before because that’s what Straughn was (in a sub-regional matchup). They were so methodical about what they did. (Dallas County) played similar to that. It really kind of put us on our heels a little bit because my team is so impatient. They’re ready to get out and rip and run.”
A couple of baskets by Ethan Beard and Bradley Thomas put the Trojans in front 25-20 at the half and they were able to pull away for a 61-37 victory to advance to the Southeast Regional final for only the second time in school history.
“I pretty sure it was more like the jitters of the game, got to get moving in the game, got to get warm,” Thomas said. “Once everyone else passed that stage we were all just playing basketball.”
St. James (15-7) will face area rival Booker T. Washington on Thursday at 10:30 a.m., while Dallas County ends the season at 11-13.
Booker T. Washington has defeated the Trojans three times this season.
“The first quarter or so, we really played solid with them,” Card said. “Then we have a tendency to go back and revert to some of our old habits -- we turn the ball over, we don’t block out, we don’t rebound the basketball. The athleticism starts to overwhelm us a little bit. We have to understand that we have to play more solid against that team and don’t give them opportunities. We get out of position, they get easy scores.”
The Trojans got control of Saturday’s game by forcing turnovers. Early on, they seemed to challenge the Hornets’ run-and-gun style of play before settling down in the second half.
“We started playing smarter,” Thomas said. “As the game went on, we started playing more solid and taking the best shots possible instead of just taking any shot. I feel like playing our game and playing what we stick to, at the end of the day, it’s going to benefit us.”
The Trojans gradually extended their lead over the Hornets, taking command in the early part of the fourth quarter.
“Last year, we were a team of turnovers,” Card said. “This year, we’ve cut down on the turnovers, we value every possession and we take care of the basketball.”
“We’ve been playing together in football since last spring, so our bond is close, we’re used to each other,” Thomas said. “Everybody holds everybody accountable. It’s great to play with these guys.”
Thomas led the Trojans with 23 points, followed by Beard with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists and KJ Jackson with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Josh Davis led the Hornets with 13 points.
The Trojans have only reached the regional finals once, losing to Straughn 64-52 in Dothan in 2015.
“I think we’ve gotten to this point before but not necessarily with a quality group that has the opportunity to advance,” Card said. “This team has everything they need. They’re a solid defensive team, they’re able to execute offensively and they take coaching well. So, yeah, this is one of the most solid teams I’ve had.”
To advance to Birmingham for the first time in school history, they’ll need their best game against Booker T. Washington.
“We just have to lock in and play,” Thomas said. “In basketball, anything happens. That’s a real good squad, but we most definitely can beat them. It’s just something where we have to compete. It should be fun.”
St. James girls advance to regional final
St. James is a little different team competing in the 2022 Southeast Regionals, even if it’s the same players that played in 2021.
“We felt a lot more comfortable, like we’ve been here and we can do this,” shooting guard KK Hall said. “Our team just came together in this game. Our biggest thing was to rebound and we rebounded and we got the ball down the court, (which is important) especially since the court is going to be 10 feet longer.”
The Trojans played their game, using five 3 pointers from Hall and two from seventh grader Natalie Barton to shoot their way past Bibb County 47-31 in the regional semifinals on Saturday morning at Garrett Coliseum.
“KK has been big all year for us,” St. James coach Katie Barton said. “She has matured into a really good player who does her job out there on the court. I think last year, coming here, helped her. I could tell she was focused and ready.”
St. James (23-6) will face Geneva in the regional finals on Thursday at 9 a.m. Bibb County ends the season at 19-6.
“We played Geneva early in the year in the (St. James) Tipoff Tournament,” Barton said. “They’re well coached. Rich Bixby does a really good job with them. Early in the year, they were without two of their starting guards. We expect them to come out full force and ready. They’ve got a veteran squad. We’ll have to come out and play.”
The boys also advanced to the regional finals on Thursday, marking the first time in school history the boys’ and girls’ teams reached the regional finals in the same year.
“I think it’s good for our school,” said Barton, who serves as the school’s athletic director. “We have a really strong athletic program and we’ve got a bunch of kids that play multiple sports, but the basketball program is in a good state right now. Our school spirit has really picked up. Our student section, the ‘War Zone,’ I expect them to be out in full force on Thursday. I’m excited for our school and our girls.”
The larger Fighting Choctaws were still in the game until Hall started launching 3 pointers, quickly turning a tightly contested game into a 12-point lead by the end of the first quarter.
“It’s a big difference when I’m shooting in a big gym like this and a smaller one where the wall is right behind (the goal),” Hall said. “But I came in very focused. I went and shot (on Friday) for an hour and this morning we had a shoot-around. I just came really prepared this time.”
Defensively, the Trojans concentrated on competing for rebounds against their taller opposition (they lost by just four, 44-40) and keeping the post players from Bibb County from dominating the game.
“We knew that coming in, that their post was really strong,” Hall said. “Everybody on their line is taller than 5-7. We knew our outside shots would be there so I made sure I knocked at least some of them down.”
Hall finished with 19 points and five rebounds, followed by Ava Card with 12 points and nine rebounds and Danielle Greene with 10 points.
Chartavia Conwell led Bibb County with 14 points and nine rebounds, followed by Aulliyah Cutt with eight points and 10 rebounds.