LARRY CHAPMAN TOURNEY GIRLS - PCA handles Pike Road; MA, Catholic, St. James earn wins
PCA's Ally Blankinchip dribbles past Pike Road's Tameria Blythe in Monday’s game at Montgomery Academy. (Ryan Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
For a quarter, it was a physical, closely contested game, but the Prattville Christian girls pulled away to a 64-38 win over Pike Road, handing the Patriots their first loss in the opening round of the Coach Larry Chapman Foundation Tip-Off Tournament at Montgomery Academy’s Joe Mooty Court on Monday.
Prattville Christian (6-1) won its sixth consecutive game after a season opening loss to Class 7A Hewitt-Trussville and will face St. James in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.
Pike Road (4-1) had its four-game winning streak snapped after managing just four points in the second quarter and falling behind 39-15 after the Panthers scored 25 points with the help of five 3-pointers in the second quarter.
“I’m not saying the other teams haven’t been good, but when you actually play against a championship-type team, they expose you for all the stuff that you’re weak at,” Pike Road coach Barry Fencher said. “And I’m not saying that we’re weak in those positions, but that’s stuff we’ve been telling them in practice and that’s something you have to execute when you’re playing good teams because when you break down in the offensive execution, you’re going to get beat.”
Both teams struggled to find any rhythm in the first quarter before PCA finally caught fire in the second quarter.
“The biggest thing we did well is we pushed through being tired,” PCA coach Jason Roberson said. “We were a little tired today for whatever reason. It’s our first game that’s not at night and no school today, of course, so just a little different routine than normal. So we didn’t quite have the energy we needed to have in the beginning.
“We stretched it out in the second quarter. I think we were tired and they were more tired.
Fencher agreed there was one major component missing from his Patriots on Monday.
“The intensity,” he said. “We know they’re a good shooting team and if we close out slow, they’re going to knock down shots. We had some good shots. We didn’t make ours, they made theirs.”
The Panthers played without forward Leah Cate Wilson, who is recovering from a nagging knee injury that had her sitting out on Monday.
“We’re trying to figure out what we can do without her, mixing things up,” Roberson said. “But (guards) Ally (Blankinchip) and Kayden (Carr) have done a great job for us this year, just being aggressive, trying to make plays for themselves and their teammates offensively.”
Carr finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists, followed by Jenna McClendon with 13 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, Blankinchip with 12 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and seven steals and Reagan Houston with 12 points.
Audrey Blaine led Pike Road with 13 points, followed by Jordan Robinson with seven points and Tameria Blythe and KJ Fencher with six points each. The Patriots will play Brew Tech on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m.
Montgomery Academy 44, Lee-Scott Academy 24
The Lady Eagles rode a dominant first-half performance, outscoring the Warriors 32-4 in the first half to secure a 44-24 win in the opening round of the Coach Larry Chapman Foundation Tip-Off Tournament on Monday.
Montgomery Academy (1-1) will play Catholic in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday at Joe Mooty Court at 2:30 p.m., while Lee-Scott will face Marbury at 2:30 p.m.
Eighth grader Bailey Davis paced the Eagles with 16 points, four deflections and two steals, while sophomore Kaci Armistead added seven points, eight rebounds, three deflections and seven steals.
Also, it was the first game back for sophomore Bennett Britt, who had seven rebounds against the Warriors.
Both teams played without a pair of starters, with Lee-Scott (2-4) struggling to get the ball up the court without its starting point guard. The Warriors got a basket from Riley Fields in the first quarter and another from Kamdin Cleveland in the second quarter. Cleveland finished with a team-high 11 points.
Catholic 72, Marbury 53
Marbury took a 22-18 lead over the Knights in the first quarter, but Catholic’s defense took command in the second period, outscoring the Bulldogs 23-6 on the way to a 72-53 win in the opening round of the Coach Larry Chapman Foundation Tip-Off Tournament at Montgomery Academy on Monday.
Catholic (2-0) will play Montgomery Academy in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday at Joe Mooty Court at 2:30 p.m., while Marbury will face Lee-Scott at 2:30 p.m.
The Knights were led by Hannah Smith with 27 points, 14 rebounds and five assists. Heaven Bailey had 16 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and four steals. Kierstyn Green knocked down five 3 pointers for the Knights.
Marbury was led by Gabby Brown with 17 points and NuNu Jernigan added 10.
St. James 76, Brew Tech 36
The Trojans bounced back from their first loss of the season with a dominating performance against Brewbaker Tech in the opening round of the Coach Larry Chapman Foundation Tip-Off Tournament at Montgomery Academy on Monday.
St. James (5-1) will play Prattville Christian in the second round of the tournament on Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., while Brew Tech will face Pike Road at 11:30 a.m.
Natalie Barton connected on eight 3-pointers to finish with 26 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Kaitlin Mitchell hit five 3-pointers to finish with 19 points and four steals. Morgan Lilly added 17 points and seven assists. Jordyn McRae finished with six points and 12 rebounds. KK Corley dished out six assists for the Trojans.
Jill Baine scored 12 points and Kennedy McGhee added 11 points to lead the Rams.
COACH LARRY CHAPMAN FOUNDATION TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT
GIRLS
MONDAY’S RESULTS
St. James 76, Brew Tech 36
Prattville Christian 64, Pike Road 38
Catholic 72, Marbury 53
Montgomery Academy 44, Lee-Scott Academy 24
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE
Game 5 -- St. James vs. Prattville Christian, 11:30 a.m.
Game 6 -- Brew Tech vs. Pike Road, 11:30 a.m.
Game 7 -- Catholic vs. Montgomery Academy, 2:30 p.m.
Game 8 -- Marbury vs. Lee-Scott Academy, 2:30 p.m.
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE
Championship Game, Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 7, 1:30 p.m.
Consolation Game, Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 7, noon
Fifth-Place Game, Winner Game 6 vs. Winner Game 8, 9 a.m.
Seventh-Place Game, Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 8, 9 a.m.