BOYS PREPS: Trinity tops Catholic for CCC Tourney title; Prattville rips Selma
Trinity's Wesley Stallings goes up for a shot against Catholic's Damien Rankins in the championship game of the CCC Tourney on Tuesday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
Trinity got back-to-back baskets to grab the lead with a little more than two minutes remaining, then held off Catholic down the stretch to defeat the Knights, 68-65, in the championship game of the 28th annual Jack Schweers Capital City Classic at Trinity’s Captain Jack Court on Tuesday.
The Wildcats (11-3) lost the lead, then regained it with post baskets from Cayson Keller and Cal Bennett on back-to-back possessions after Trinity’s two post players had fouled out.
“It’s a big confidence boost,” Bennett said. “Catholic’s a good team, they’re talented, they’re athletic. It shows we can hang with anyone in the city.”
Both sides were hampered in a tightly-called contest as Trinity had three players foul out and Catholic had one foul out and four others with four personal fouls.
“We lost Jackson (Taylor) and John (Morris), who we would say are our two best rebounders,” Trinity coach Matt Arrighi said. “You’re going against a team that rebounds really well. No. 1 (Josh Palmer) for them is a beast on the glass. We talked about, in timeouts and deadballs, the importance of rebounding and being as physical as you can. What a great team win, to overcome some adversity like that.”
Bennett finished as the Wildcats’ top scorer with 14 points, but also had to step into the post after the loss of Taylor and Morris.
“I think it just fires up whoever’s left,” Bennett said. “When people foul out, people have to step up. Guys have to guard people bigger than them. We lost some size when both our big men fouled out. Whoever’s left has to step up.
“I had to switch on to Josh. He’s big, he’s good at crashing offensive rebounds so we just have to box out really hard or else he’s going to get that board and get that putback. It came down to physicality right there.”
Bennett was named the tournament most valuable player. Joining Bennett on the all-tournament team were Mac Stewart and Taylor of Trinity, along with Palmer and LJ Green of Catholic.
Perhaps more critical than the loss of Taylor and Morris was the loss of Green for Catholic, who fouled out with 7:02 remaining when he picked up his fourth and fifth personal fouls on a play under the basket, then the ensuing inbounds pass.
“He had four and I was debating on whether to take him out and he picks up his fifth one,” Catholic coach Mike Curry said. “The ball was in the air and his natural instinct was to go for it. We should have been a little more cautious on that one.”
And while other ball handlers took over against the pressure defense of the Wildcats in the final seven minutes, no player can change the game quicker than Green.
“I had to go tell them we had to be disciplined and tough with the ball,” Curry said, “where (in other situations Trinity) will send a double team and LJ will just break it and go make a play for himself or his teammates. But that’s what you’ve got a team for. This ain’t the LJ Knights, it’s the Catholic Knights. We’ve got other guys that should be able to handle the ball. I thought they did an admirable job down the stretch, we’ve just got to be a little better.”
After Trinity’s back-to-back baskets gave the Wildcats the lead, Catholic failed to answer in the remaining two minutes, missing four of five shots and three of six free throws.
“We had our chances,” Curry said. “We make some free throws, it’s probably a different game. They had their opportunities at the line and they stepped up and made them.”
Trinity made 8 of 13 free throws in the fourth quarter, while Catholic made just 9 of 20.
“Neither team ever really got in a flow with all the fouls called in the first half and we were trying to substitute offense for defense that early in the game,” Curry said. “It was a funky game, but it’s always going to be a competitive game when we play them. Regardless of what their record is or our record is, most of the time it’s going to be a hotly contested game.”
Green had 17 points, six rebounds, six steals and six assists in three quarters of work for Catholic (5-4), followed by Palmer with 15 points and 18 rebounds, Jayden Phifer with 14 points, three steals and two assists and Brennan Binns with 10 points and two steals.
Chapman Pouncey followed Bennett in scoring with 11 points for the Wildcats, followed by Wesley Stallings with nine and Morris and Mac Stewart with eight points each.
“I’m proud of the fact that we’ve now had multiple games that we have finished that were tight games,” Arrighi said, “that I feel like in the past we might not have held on and won. Winning is a culture and it kind of breeds itself. I’m hoping that breeds confidence in them. If they can play with Catholic, they can play with everybody in 3A basketball.”
Montgomery Academy 56, LAMP 34
DJ Vinson recorded his second double double of the tournament, scoring 18 points and pulling down 14 rebounds along with four steals, three blocked shots and three assists in MA’s 56-34 win over LAMP for fifth place in the Jack Schweers Capital City Classic on Tuesday.
Skyler Stovall added 11 points and six rebounds, while JaShawn Cooper had 10 points and 11 rebounds and Seth Edwards had seven points, six rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots.
Jezreel Fishoe had 10 points to lead LAMP, followed by Ethan Russell and Benedict Akuba with eight points each.
Montgomery Academy (7-5) will return to action in the Hilton Sandestin Beach Blowout on Dec. 27-30.
LAMP (3-10) will travel to Huntsville to play in the Randolph Christmas Tournament on Dec. 27-29.
Prattville Christian 64, Beauregard 34
Conner Williams had 16 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Panthers to a 30-point win over Beauregard for seventh place in the Jack Schweers Capital City Classic on Tuesday. PJ Evans added 14 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals, followed by Carson Roberson with 12 points and six steals, Cade Segars with eight points and five assists, Brady Roberson with eight points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals and Collier Connell with six points.
PCA (6-8) will travel to Guntersville to play three games on Dec. 27-28.
BOYS
Prattville 78, Selma 49
PRATTVILLE -- Ty Bryant had 25 points, four rebounds and five steals to lead the Lions to a 78-49 rout of the Saints in Powell Gym on Tuesday night.
Kam Shanks added 16 points for Prattville, followed by Cam Richardson with 12 points and Kamran DeRamus with 11 points and six rebounds.
Prattville (7-9) takes a break for Christmas, resuming play on Dec. 30 at Pike Road.
Tallassee 45, Alabama Christian 31
Kayden Slay scored 20 points to lead the 5A Tigers past Alabama Christian 45-31 in the ACA gym on Tuesday night.
Tyree Saadiq led ACA with 10 points, four rebounds and four assists, followed by Conner Mark with seven points and Mac Moorer with six. Darius Gardner had two points along with a team-high five rebounds.
The Eagles jumped out to a 15-8 lead at the end of the first quarter, but managed just three points in the second quarter and six in the third as Tallassee rallied to take the lead.
ACA (5-6) plays host to Gardendale on Thursday.
Prattville 92, Calera 73
PRATTVILLE -- Kam Shanks recorded a double double with 21 points, five rebounds and 12 steals to lead the Lions to a 92-73 win over Calera in Powell Gym on Friday night.
Ty Bryant also had 21 points, along with three steals and two assists, followed by Tavious Hohenberger with 20 points and Kamran DeRamus with eight points and seven rebounds.
28TH ANNUAL JACK SCHWEERS CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC (Boys)
Saturday’s results
BTW Magnet 55, Beauregard 43
Trinity 60, LAMP 49
Wetumpka 66, Montgomery Academy 62
Catholic 63, Prattville Christian 52
Monday’s results
Trinity 61, BTW Magnet 42
Catholic 73, Wetumpka 54
LAMP 54, Beauregard 37
Montgomery Academy 50, Prattville Christian 46
Tuesday’s results
Seventh place -- Prattville Christian 64, Beauregard 34
Third place -- Wetumpka 58, BTW Magnet 31
Fifth place -- Montgomery Academy 56, LAMP 34
Championship -- Trinity 68, Catholic 65