HOOPS RECAPS: Montgomery Academy cruises to win over St. James; Trinity girls blast ACA
St. James’ Bradley Thomas drives for a layup against MA’s Seth Edwards in Friday’s matchup. (Eddie Olszewski)
COMBINED REPORTS
For nearly 10 minutes, Montgomery Academy struggled to get off a shot.
As the Eagles brought the ball up the floor, the Trojans would convert a steal into a layup on the other end, storming out to an early lead and cruising to a 58-34 win in the St. James gym on Friday night.
“It’s about our defensive pressure and how we play on that end of the floor,” St. James coach Nigel Card said. “We create easy opportunities with steals and that has helped us with our scoring. My team was a little faster and quicker tonight and was able to create the turnovers and get us the baskets that we needed.”
Montgomery Academy (0-2), playing for just the second time since most of its starters walked off the football field in the 3A finals, struggled to find the chemistry it took to combat the Trojan pressure.
“It’s going to take a little while to get our feet back under us and get some rhythm and get some confidence and that kind of thing,” MA coach Jeremy Arant said.
“Give them a lot of credit. They play that 2-3 zone really well, they always have. This is a tough place to shoot in. If somebody is going to play a good 2-3 zone and take away your inside game, you’ve got to be able to make some shots and we didn’t make any shots at all early.”
In fact, the Eagles trailed 20-0 before Jamal Cooper finally stepped to the free-throw line and sank the second of two attempts to put his team on the scoreboard with 6:17 remaining in the first half. Nearly a minute later, with 5:31 left in the second quarter, Cooper came up with a steal and layup and converted the three-point play after he was fouled by Barr Armistead for MA’s first field goal of the game.
The Eagles cut into the lead a little early in the third quarter, but Ethan Beard scored eight of his 12 points during that span, converting turnovers into layups and extending the lead to 30 points by the end of the quarter.
“He has been outstanding since game one,” Card said. “His athleticism, his defensive presence, his quickness, his anticipation, has created so many great opportunities for us in transition. He’s been the glue. K.J. (Jackson) has been a real factor inside, Bradley (Thomas) is still doing Bradley things, but no one anticipated Ethan being able to create so much havoc on the defensive end and so many turnovers and easy baskets for himself.”
Jackson finished with a game-high 13 points, followed by Thomas and Beard with 12 points each.
“Their pressure bothered us a little,” Arant said. “We had some older guys pick up some early fouls that could have helped us with that. The Beard kid is so quick. He does a really good job, particularly in their 2-3 zone. He’s playing up top and if you’ve got the ball on the wing, he really anticipates that pass back toward the top and if he gets a deflection, it’s a foot race between him and whoever you’ve got up there and he’s going to win, pretty much every time. It’s pretty much an automatic layup.”
Cooper led Montgomery Academy with 11 points, five rebounds, five steals and four assists. Cole Caddell added 11 points as well.
Both teams return to action next weekend in the Jack Schweers Capital City Conference Tournament at Trinity. Montgomery Academy will play Alabama Christian, while St. James (4-1) will play Pike Road.
GIRLS
Trinity 63, Alabama Christian 20
Maddie Smith had 16 points and four steals to lead the Wildcats to an easy win in the ACA gym on Friday night.
Emma Kate Smith scored 14 points, to go along with six assists and four steals. Mya Moskowitz scored 11 points, followed by Kaylee Peevy and Mary Alice Sasser with eight points each.
Trinity (10-1) travels to Park Crossing next Thursday.
Brew Tech 38, LAMP 33
The Golden Tigers battled the Rams evenly for four quarters but fell at the end in a 38-33 loss in the Brew Tech gym on Friday night.
Serenity Griffin led LAMP with 10 points, five rebounds and three steals, followed by Caitlin Russell with nine points and seven rebounds.
LAMP (6-5) returns home to host Wetumpka on Tuesday.
Prattville Christian 66, Autaugaville 28
PRATTVILLE -- Ella Jane Connell had 20 points and six assists to lead the Panthers to an easy opening-round win in the Autauga County Tournament at Prattville High’s Powell Gym on Friday.
Avery Rogers added 16 points for the unbeaten Panthers (13-0), who face 7A Prattville in the championship game on Saturday at approximately 2:45 p.m.
The Panthers’ inside duo of Hannah Jones and CoCo Thomas also produced in the win against the 1A Easgles as Jones had 12 points and 13 rebounds and Thomas had 10 points and nine rebounds. MaKenna Simpson scored five points and LB NeSmith scored three points. Sarah Williams had five steals and Jenna McClendon grabbed four rebounds.
G.W. Carver 40, Pike Road 29
Jada Roberts scored 12 points and Jazz Johnson added 10 for the Patriots in a 40-29 loss to the Wolverines in Edward L. Wood Memorial Gym on Friday.
Pike Road (5-3) will play host to Greenville on Tuesday.
Stanhope Elmore 60, Tallassee 19
TALLASSEE -- Kelbi Johnson scored 18 points to lead Stanhope Elmore to its sixth straight win, a 41-point victory over the 5A Tigers on Thursday in the Tallassee gym.
Ariel Gilchrist added 12 points and 11 steals and Jada Mcleod had 12 points for the Mustangs (7-1), who travel to Clanton on Friday to play Chilton County High.
Edgewood Academy 45, Evangel Christian Academy 43
CECIL -- Lindsey Brown hit four 3-pointers to help rally the Wildcats from a six-point deficit entering the fourth quarter and give Edgewood a 45-43 win over the Lions in the opening round of the Pepsi Classic at Macon East Academy on Friday night.
Edgewood will face Hooper, a winner over Macon East, in the championship game on Saturday at 5 p.m. Evangel Christian will play Macon East in the consolation game on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Brown fouled out late in the contest, but her 26 points, five rebounds and five steals were crucial in rallying the Wildcats, which fell behind in the second quarter and trailed for much of the remainder of the game.
Jaylyn Strength added six points, seven rebounds and three steals, while Molly Snow hit a pair of 3-pointers to finish with six points and four rebounds. Madison Martin had a team-high eight rebounds.
BOYS
G.W. Carver 58, Pike Road 53
Pike Road overcame a 16-2 deficit at the end of the first quarter and battled back late but came up on the short end of a 58-53 loss to the Wolverines in Edward L. Wood Memorial Gym on Friday.
Pike Road was led by Alijah Hicks with 16 points, four rebounds and two assists. Hicks had some key 3-pointers late in the game to keep the Patriots close.
Jayden Cooper added 15 points and nine rebounds.
Pike Road returns to action Tuesday at home against Greenville.
Trinity 59, Alabama Christian 53
Chapman Pouncey hit a 3-pointer with 35 seconds left to break a 53-53 tie and lift the Wildcats over the Eagles on Friday in the ACA gym.
Trinity (8-2) dominated the first half, taking a 35-21 lead into the locker room at the half, but the Eagles responded with a strong third quarter to erase the lead. The fourth quarter saw both teams go back and forth until Pouncey’s shot put the Wildcats ahead for good.
Cal Bennett led the Wildcats with 24 points. Alabama Christian’s Avery Stuart led all scorers with 25 points.
Macon East Academy 78, Hooper Academy 57
CECIL -- Maurice Poole hit 5 of 10 from behind the arc to finish with 26 points, eight assists, four steals and three rebounds to lead the Knights to a 78-57 win over the Colts in the opening round of the Pepsi Classic in the Macon East gym on Friday night.
Macon East advanced to the championship game and will play Evangel Christian, a 51-31 winner over Edgewood, on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. Hooper and Edgewood will play each other in the consolation game on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
Jacob Wilson added 14 points, four rebounds, five assists and four steals for the Knights, followed by Brandon Wilkins with seven points, three rebounds, two steals and four assists, Keagan Roney with six points, five rebounds and four steals, Gunner Justice with six points, three rebounds and two steals, Tanner Surles with five points, Tyler Daniels with four points and 10 rebounds and Deonte Powell with four points and three steals. Gabe Spencer added four points and Garrison Miller had two.
Campbell Hughes led Hooper with 22 points, followed by Luke Moseley with 13 and Cam Smith with eight.
THURSDAY Games
GIRLS
Trinity 70, LAMP 33
Emma Kate Smith had 19 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals to lead the Wildcats to a 70-33 win in the LAMP gym on Thursday night.
The win was the sixth straight for the Wildcats (9-1), while snapping a three-game winning streak by the Golden Tigers.
Kaylee Peevy scored 14 points and pulled down six rebounds for the Wildcats, followed by Mary Alice Sasser with 13 points and four rebounds, Maddie Smith with 10 points, five assists and four steals and Mya Moskowitz with 10 points.
Ariana Cannida led LAMP with 19 points.
Trinity travels to Alabama Christian Academy on Friday, while LAMP (5-4) travels to Brew Tech.
Glenwood School 51, Edgewood Academy 48
PHENIX CITY -- The Gators jumped out to an early seven-point lead, then held off Edgewood down the stretch for a 51-48 victory over the Wildcats in the Glenwood gym on Thursday.
Lindsey Brown had 28 points, nine rebounds and five steals for the Wildcats, followed by Kennedy Mensch with eight.
Jasmyn Burts led Glenwood with 26 points, scoring eight in the first quarter to help the Gators out to a comfortable lead. Olivia Slocumb added 12, followed by T.K. Davis with nine as Burts, Slocumb and Davis scored all but four of Glenwood’s points.
Edgewood travels to Cecil on Friday to play in the Pepsi Classic at Macon East Academy. The Wildcats will face Evangel Christian on Friday at 3 p.m. in an opening round game.
BOYS
Trinity 56, LAMP 49
Trinity held off the Golden Tigers on Thursday in the LAMP gym to secure its third straight win and take the season series from the Golden Tigers.
LAMP was led in scoring by Jezreel Fishoe with 16 points and Nick Harris with 10 points.
The Golden Tigers (1-10) travel to Brew Tech on Friday, while Trinity (7-2) travels to Alabama Christian Academy on Friday.
Glenwood School 62, Edgewood Academy 26
PHENIX CITY -- Eli Devaughn and Likas Holman combined for 12 points in the first quarter as the Gators jumped out to a commanding first-half lead and cruised to victory on Thursday night.
Devaughn had seven points in the first quarter and 15 of his game-high 18 in the first half as Glenwood jumped out to a 15-4 lead in the first quarter and a 39-7 lead at the half. Holman scored all 13 of his points in the first half and Jaron Keyton added nine.
Austin Champion led Edgewood with 17 points and six rebounds, hitting five of the six field goals made by the Wildcats in the contest. Cooper Hall had the other, a 3-pointer in the third quarter, and finished with five points and five rebounds.
Edgewood travels to Cecil on Friday to play in the Pepsi Classic at Macon East Academy. The Wildcats will face Evangel Christian on Friday at 4:30 p.m. in an opening round game.
Autauga Academy 83, Ezekial Christian 52
Rob Rose scored 30 points to lead the Generals to an easy win over Ezekial Christian on Thursday night at True Divine Baptist Church.
AJ Perry added 18 points for Autauga (5-0), followed by Pharrell Banks with 12 and Josh Palmer with 11.
Marbury 56, Prattville Christian 53
PRATTVILLE -- Carson Roberson had 19 points and four steals for Prattville Christian, but the Panthers came up short to Marbury in the opening round of the Autauga County Basketball Tournament at Prattville High’s Powell Gym on Thursday.
Coleman Hunter added 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals, followed by PJ Evans with 10 points and four rebounds and Camron Coleman with nine points. Brady Hughes added six assists and four rebounds and Collin Ross grabbed six rebounds for PCA (4-6), which will face Billingsley on Saturday at 10 a.m.