CCC GIRLS TOURNEY: Smith breaks 2K-point barrier as MA wallops LAMP

Emma Kate Smith reached 2,000 points in Trinity’s win over LAMP on Saturday. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

The iPhones were out as everyone seated along the front row at Trinity’s Captain Jack Court wanted video of Emma Kate Smith’s historic shot in the third quarter of Saturday’s game with LAMP.

The Trinity senior, meanwhile, was oblivious to the milestone, wondering why teammates and friends sent up a frenzied cheer when she finally sank a shot just inside the 3-point arc late in the third quarter.

“It didn’t even register,” she said.

The Wildcats had a 38-point lead on LAMP as Smith missed three consecutive shots, unaware that her next basket would give her 2,000 career points.

“She didn’t know,” said her father, Trinity coach Blake Smith. “She had no clue. Any time something like that happens and once you get close, it seems like it’s not going to happen. She struggled a little bit.”

But she wasn’t struggling with any added pressure. The fans, coaches and bench players grew more frustrated at the delay that continued through the first six minutes of the second half, but the senior guard continued to pass the ball to teammates, one of the only people in the gym, it seemed, that didn’t know what was at stake.  

“It didn’t bother me at all, it’s just one of those stretches where you miss but it’s going to go in eventually,” she said. “I didn’t realize there were people waiting on me to make one. My friends were over there and when I made the jumper, they were all yelling and I was like, ‘That’s so sweet of them, they’re so happy I just scored.’ Then later, they said ‘2,000 points,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s why they were so excited.’”

Smith’s basket, her final points in the game, gave her 10 for the game and 2,000 for her career, joining an elite club among Montgomery basketball players that includes Catholic’s Michelle Delongchamp (2,685 points in 1990), St. James’ Leslie Claybrook (2,668 points in 1989) and the Alabama Christian duo of Christina Hayes (2,009 points in 2009) and Carlie Ainsworth (2,005 points in 2007). In the River Region, Prattville Christian’s Kaitlyn Reyes (2019) and Ella Jane Connell (2022) are also members of the 2,000-point club.

“Wow, that is really crazy,” Smith said. “I can’t believe it, honestly. It feels like, literally, we were just talking about hitting 1,000 and everyone’s like, ‘That’s so cool,’ and now we’re here. It’s crazy.”

Smith’s milestone provided a little drama to a game that otherwise had none as LAMP managed just one field goal in the first half and didn’t hit another Grayson Dickert’s 3-pointer with 6:30 left in the third quarter made it 49-6.

Maddie Smith led Trinity (12-1) with 18 points, followed by Mya Moskowitz and Emma Kate with 10 points each, Jayden Mitchell with eight and Francie Morris with seven.

“We started off really fast and that’s what we want,” Blake Smith said. “Sharing the ball, people moving, different people knocking down shots, that’s what we want.”

LAMP’s leading scorer, Ariana Cannida, had a free throw in the first quarter and two more in the third to finish with three points. Serenity Griffin led the Golden Tigers with five.

Trinity will play Montgomery Academy in the semifinals of the Jack Schweers Capital City Classic on Monday at 1 p.m. LAMP (8-7) will play Montevallo on Monday in a second-round game at 2:30 p.m.

Montgomery Academy 52, Montevallo 26

Eight of Montgomery Academy’s nine players scored and four of them hit 3-pointers as the Eagles won their first game of the 2022-23 season with a 52-26 rout of Montevallo in the opening round of the Jack Schweers Capital City Classic at Trinity’s Captain Jack Court on Saturday.

Montgomery Academy (1-9) will play Trinity in a semifinal matchup on Monday at 1 p.m., while Montevallo (7-7) will play LAMP in a second-round game on Monday at 2:30 p.m.

The Eagles got a strong performance in the first quarter from Caroline Waller and 3-pointers from Jai Raines, Sophia Cho and Claire Gary in the second quarter to grab a 30-14 lead, scoring more points in the first half than in eight of their previous nine games.

“It always looks a little better when you shoot the ball better,” Montgomery Academy coach Reg Mantooth said. “Our big thing is we’re just trying to compete, learn to play hard, learn how to play, but we did have some people make some shots and that was a big help.”

Montgomery Academy maintained a 15-point lead into the fourth quarter, where the held Montevallo to a Jailin Ivory field goal in a 13-2 finish.

Waller led the Eagles with 17 points, followed by Gary with 11 and Cho with eight. Ivory led Montevallo with 15 points, followed by Camille Holmes with seven.

Prattville Christian 62, Pleasant Grove 49

The Panthers used a strong 22-point performance in the second quarter to pull away from Pleasant Grove in a battle of third-ranked teams as the 4A Panthers defeated the 5A Spartans 62-49 in the opening round of the Jack Schweers Capital City Classic in the Trinity gym on Saturday.

PCA (12-1) will play Catholic in the semifinals on Monday at 5:30 p.m., while Pleasant Grove (11-2) will play St. James in a second-round game on Monday at 4 p.m.

Hannah Jones had 27 points and nine rebounds for PCA, followed by Avery Rogers with 11 points, eight assists, eight steals and six rebounds and CoCo Thomas with 10 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Jenna McClendon added six points and four rebounds, while Kayden Carr had five points, five steals, four rebounds and four assists and Ally Blankinchip had three points and four rebounds.

Tamya Smith led the Spartans with 19 points, followed by Skylar Lasiter with eight.

Catholic 54, St. James 49

Hannah Smith’s three-point play with 16.8 seconds remaining broke a 49-49 tie and lifted the Knights to a 54-49 win over the Trojans in the opening round of the Jack Schweers Capital City Classic at Trinity’s Captain Jack Court on Saturday.

Catholic (12-4) will face Prattville Christian in the semifinals of the tournament on Monday at 5:30 p.m., while St. James (9-4) will play Pleasant Grove in a second-round game on Monday at 4 p.m.

Heaven Bailey scored 11 of her 13 points in the first quarter, driving through the Trojans’ defense to give the Knights an early lead. Hannah Smith and Allyse Rudolph, scoreless in the first quarter, combined fro 10 points in the second quarter as a hot-shooting Catholic offense pulled away to a 29-15 lead and led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter.

St. James, still trailing by nine in the final minutes, staged a furious comeback and forced three consecutive turnovers in the final minute before Ava Card’s spin into the lane for a basket with 29.3 seconds left tied the game at 49-49.

Smith countered with a three-point play to give Catholic the lead before Natalie Barton’s baseline drive for the Trojans was halted with a turnover, resulting in a Smith steal. The Knights’ leading scorer added two more free throws with 3.4 seconds remaining for the final margin.

Smith had 20 points, followed by Bailey with 13 and Rudolph and Leona Sanford with nine points each.

Card had 23 points, seven rebounds and three assists for the Trojans, followed by Barton with 10 points, three assists and three steals.

28TH ANNUAL JACK SCHWEERS
CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC (GIRLS)

Saturday’s results

Game 1 -- Trinity 57, LAMP 17

Game 2 -- Montgomery Academy 52, Montevallo 26

Game 3 -- Prattville Christian 62, Pleasant Grove 49

Game 4 -- Catholic 54, St. James 49

Monday’s schedule

Game 5 -- Trinity vs. Montgomery Academy, 1 p.m.

Game 6 -- Prattville Christian vs. Catholic, 5:30 p.m.

Game 7 -- LAMP vs. Montevallo, 2:30 p.m.

Game 8 -- Pleasant Grove vs. St. James, 4 p.m.

Tuesday’s schedule

Game 9 -- Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser, seventh place, 11:30 a.m.

Game 10 -- Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser, third place, 1 p.m.

Game 11 -- Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, fifth place, 2:30 p.m.  

Game 12 -- Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, championship, 4 p.m.