AISA ELITE EIGHT: Autauga Academy boys roll into semis

By TIM GAYLE

It didn’t take Autauga Academy coach Greg Parker long to notice Escambia Academy guard Tiquale Taylor. Stop Taylor, he reasoned, and the Generals could win their matchup with the Cougars in the AA semifinals of the Alabama Independent School Association boys’ state basketball tournament.  

“The Taylor kid is unbelievable,” Parker said. “I just told him I don’t think I’ve ever scouted so hard to try and stop one guy before in my life.”

Taylor got 19 points, but the rest of the Cougars accounted for just 11 as Autauga rolled to a 46-30 win on Thursday night to advance to the Class AA finals for the second consecutive year. Autauga (15-3) will face Lakeside School for the AA championship on Saturday at 2 p.m.

“I don’t care if we win by 16 or win by one, we’re going to state for the second time in a row,” Parker said. “So we’ll see if we can get this one.”

Last year, Autauga lost to Edgewood in the finals. But while Edgewood was upset by Lakeside in the semifinals on Thursday, no such fate awaited the Generals, who were prepared to deal with the Cougars in quickly building a lead, breaking a 5-5 tie with nine unanswered points and extending the lead to 14 by halftime.

“That was probably the best defensive game we’ve played as a whole all year,” Parker said. “No mistakes, rebounded the basketball, didn’t turn it over on offense, but I think defense is what won the game. This team (Escambia) has averaged 50-60 a game and we held them to 30.”

Octavious Palmer led Autauga with 14 points, followed by Teddy Harris with 13.

Lakeside School 37, Edgewood Academy 33

The Wildcats had a six-point lead with a little more than four minutes remaining, but couldn’t hold the lead as the Chiefs scored the final 10 points in the game to upset the defending AA state champions in the AA semifinals on Thursday night.

Lakeside will face Autauga on Saturday for the AA state championship at 2 p.m.

DaVantae Bowick had 14 points and Jacari Richardson scored 10, including four free throws in the final rally. Jayce James added a 3-pointer in the fourth-quarter comeback.

Robert Stewart, who finished with 12 points, had drilled a pair of 3-pointers earlier in the quarter to stake the Wildcats to the six-point lead before it evaporated in a flurry of turnovers. 

Chambers Academy 56, Abbeville Christian Academy 50

Payton Allen scored 22 points, including 11 in a crucial 13-point stretch in the second quarter that rallied Chambers to a 56-50 win over Abbeville Christian in the semifinals of the A tournament on Thursday at the Multiplex.

Chambers will face defending state champion Evangel Christian on Friday at 7 p.m. in a rematch of the 2019 state finals.

Caydon Smoot added 13 points for Chambers.

Jackson Blalock scored eight of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t enough to rally the Generals. Dre Cobb added 11 points. 

GIRLS

Monroe Academy 39, Autauga Academy 37

Kylie Daniels and Ruth Dees each hit a free throw in the final 30 seconds to help Monroe Academy escape with a two-point victory over the Generals and advance to the AA finals on Saturday against Pickens Academy.

Monroe had a comfortable nine-point lead in the defensive battle before Autauga chipped away at the lead by outscoring the Volunteers 13-4 in the final six minutes. Haley Gantt scored all seven of her points in the fourth quarter, including back-to-back baskets that tied the game at 37-37 with 41 seconds remaining.

After Daniels hit the first of two free throw attempts, the Generals missed a pair of shots that could have won the game before Monroe rebounded the second miss and called timeout. Dees was fouled seconds later and made the first of two attempts but Autauga’s last possession resulted in a turnover, giving the Volunteers the victory.

Katie White scored 16 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Generals. Hope Petrunic added eight.

Bailee Jones scored 12 points for Monroe, including 4 for 4 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Dees added eight.

Pickens Academy 49, Patrician Academy 29

Caroline Lewis scored 13 points and Audrey Fondren added 10 as Pickens Academy used a strong second-half effort to turn back the Saints 49-29 on Thursday in the AA semifinals.

Pickens will play Monroe for the AA state title on Saturday at noon.

Gaddy Utsey and Mae Etheridge led Patrician with nine points each. 

Southern Academy 56, Abbeville Christian Academy 42

Magan Chapman scored 22 points and Augusta Arnold added 20 as Southern rolled into the Class A finals with a comfortable win over the Generals in the A semifinals on Thursday morning.

Chapman scored seven points in the second quarter and seven more in the third to help Southern maintain the nine-point lead built in the first quarter. Southern outscored Abbeville 15-4 in the third quarter to blow open the game and Arnold scored 13 of her 20 points in the final eight minutes to hold off the Generals.

Analeigh Givens led Abbeville with 12 points, followed by Amiyah Govan with 10 and Ana Grace Blalock and Colette Blalock, each with nine.

Southern will play Chambers for the Class A state championship on Friday at 5 p.m.

Chambers Academy 40, Sparta Academy 38

Claire Allen and Britten Stephens each scored 10 points as Chambers became the only team in the state to have both its boys and girls team play for a state championship by holding off Sparta 40-38 on Thursday afternoon.

Chambers will face Southern on Friday at 5 p.m. for the girls A title, just before the Rebels tip off at 7 p.m. against Evangel Christian for the boys A championship.

Jamie Deason scored six of her eight points in the final quarter as Sparta’s rally from an 11-point deficit fell just short in the final moments.