AISA ROUNDUP: Edgewood, Autauga sweep into semis
COMBINED REPORTS
The game plan employed by Edgewood Academy in the first half helped the Wildcats extend their lead to 15 points by the end of the third quarter.
But the celebration almost started too soon.
Lane Goodman hit a trio of 3-pointers, including one with seconds to play, that brought Pickens Academy within a basket before Edgewood held on for a 44-42 victory in the Alabama Independent School Association Class AA boys basketball state tournament at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Tuesday night.
Edgewood advanced to the AA semifinals on Thursday at 4:30 p.m. The defending state champions will play Lakeside, a 51-28 winner over Monroe.
“We came out and executed our game plan early,” Edgewood coach Darryl Free said. “I thought we moved the ball like we were supposed to on offense and played good defense. Things started falling the way they were supposed to early, then they changed their game plan and gave us a little trouble and that’s something we’re going to go work on before Thursday.”
The Wildcats looked in control in the third quarter and took a 36-21 lead into the fourth quarter, where they were able to maintain the lead for much of the contest before suddenly getting very sloppy and falling apart under the Pirates’ pressure.
The Wildcats’ top scorers went to the line in the fourth quarter, where virtually every trip ended with one made free throw in two attempts, not enough to put the game out of reach but, ultimately, enough to win the game.
Kam Burleson and Robert Stewart each had 12 points to lead Edgewood, followed by Kaleb Varner with 11.
Goodman had 13 points, followed by Rafe Brown with 12. Seth Peeks added nine.
Autauga Academy 50, Clarke Prep 35
Teddy Harris rescued a lethargic Autauga squad with a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter and two more in the third as the Generals finally pulled away to a 50-35 win over Clarke Prep in the AA quarterfinals at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Tuesday morning.
Autauga (14-3) will face Escambia in the AA semifinals on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
“He hit two really big 3s coming out in the second half and I think that really got us going,” Autauga coach Greg Parker said. “It got our intensity going. Our press was better, our defense was a whole lot better, we communicated better.”
Up until that point, the Generals had struggled to make shots, leading just 19-13 at the half, a performance that wasn’t nearly as impressive as the one their Thursday opponent, Escambia, had later in the day.
“We haven’t played in a week,” Parker said. “Playing in this venue is difficult, it’s different from anywhere else, so we had to get used to that. We just came out sluggish. Give all the credit to Clarke Prep, everything they did and what Coach (Chris) George has done for the program. But to get this one under our belt, now we know the atmosphere with Escambia coming up. It’s going to be a really fast-paced game. I just hope our guys come out and play the game we know how to play.”
Harris and Octavious Palmer each finished with 15 points, followed by Dominique Webster with 12.
Cole Pritchett led Clarke Prep with 24 points.
Escambia Academy 76, Lowndes Academy 55
The Cougars scored the first 13 points of the second half to turn a close contest into a rout Tuesday afternoon at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl.
Bryant Quimby scored 18 of his 26 points in the second half as Escambia extended a 22-21 halftime lead to 12 points by the end of the third quarter.
Tiquale Taylor added 17 points, Ty’rese Smith had 13 and Li’Terrance McCants followed with nine as Escambia advanced to a semifinal matchup with Autauga Academy on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Kason Williams led Lowndes with 25 points, followed by Colby Briggs with 13 and Garrett Little with nine.
Lakeside School 51, Monroe Academy 28
DaVantae Bowick scored 17 points and Jacari Richardson added 15 as the Chiefs cruised into the AA semifinals with an easy 51-28 win over Monroe on Tuesday night.
Lakeside will face Edgewood on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., with the winner advancing to Friday’s championship game.
Lakeside held the Volunteers to six points in each of the first two quarters and took a 12-point lead into the second half.
Cotton Moye led Monroe with eight points. Colby Higdon added seven.
Edgewood girls 37, Pickens Academy 25
Lindsey Brown got the Edgewood Academy girls off to a quick start with a pair of 3-pointers in their game with Pickens Academy.
But when Brown ran into foul trouble, the wheels seemed to come off the Wildcats’ offense, allowing Pickens to rally for a 37-25 win in the Alabama Independent School Association Class AA girls basketball state tournament at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl on Tuesday.
Brown’s 3-pointers, along with another from Emma Weldon, staked the Wildcats to an impressive 10-5 lead over the Pirates in the first quarter, but Edgewood would manage just four field goals over the remaining three quarters.
“My point guard got in foul trouble and that changed everything,” Edgewood coach Darryl Free said. “Lindsey’s an eighth grader and she’s played great for us all year. She’s a great player but sometimes she has a little lapse in judgement on defense. She wants to do so much to help us and she’s so talented, but sometimes that works against her. She got in foul trouble early and she makes us run. When she’s out, somebody else has to step up.
“I thought we did well maintaining what we wanted to maintain until halftime, but in the second half our offense really slowed down and we couldn’t get anything going, couldn’t get in the rhythm we wanted to.”
Kate Wilkins led Pickens with 15 points. The Pirates will face Patrician on Thursday at 3 p.m. in the AA semifinals, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s championship game at noon.
Brown finished with 11 points, followed by Madison White with nine. White is one of three seniors who played her final game for Edgewood, but Free said the future looks bright for the Wildcats.
“I’m really excited about the girls’ program,” he said. “We took some girls that hadn’t played basketball in a while or hadn’t played and to watch them grow throughout the season was an honor for me as a coach. I really thought their basketball maturity developed so much throughout the year. I’m excited to see what the future holds for the program.”
Patrician Academy girls 25, Lowndes Academy 23 (OT)
Lowndes only managed one field goal in the final 11 minutes of the game, allowing Patrician to rally in overtime and hand the Rebels a heartbreaking defeat in a defensive struggle on Tuesday.
Mae Etheridge scored the only points in overtime to lift the Saints to the AA semifinals against Pickens Academy on Thursday at 3 p.m.
In fact, the Saints’ senior pretty much provided all the heroics in the final 11 minutes, scoring on a free throw to open the fourth quarter, adding a basket, then another free throw, then another basket to force overtime. She finished with 19 of the Saints’ 25 points.
Addi Hampton’s 3-pointer to close out the third quarter gave the Rebels a 21-17 lead heading into the final eight minutes, but Lowndes would need Helen Oglesby’s basket – the only points by the Rebels in the fourth quarter – to tie the game. But Lowndes never added any points in overtime, their only opportunity coming on two missed free throws by Faith Lane.
Hampton led the Rebels with nine points on a trio of 3-pointers.
Autauga Academy girls 70, South Choctaw Academy 42
Hope Petrunic led five players in double figures as the Generals got out to a fast start and ran past South Choctaw in a 28-point victory on Tuesday morning.
Autauga will face Monroe in the AA semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m.
The Generals led by nine after the first period and by 14 at the half before pouring it on in a 24-point third quarter led by Taylor Roland, who had three baskets in the quarter.
Petrunic led the way with 16 points, followed by Katie White with 15, Roland with 13 and Jaylyn Strength and Julia Anne McBride with 10 points each.
Emma Kate Williams led South Choctaw with 12 points, followed by Lillie Johnson with nine.
Monroe Academy girls 33, Lakeside School 24
Rey Chastain scored 10 points to lead the Volunteers to a 33-24 win over Lakeside on Tuesday.
Monroe will face Autauga in the AA semifinals on Thursday at 6 p.m.
Olivia Shadburn and Bailee Jones each had seven points for Monroe, while Abby Brown and Anna Murph each scored seven points to lead Lakeside.