PREP HOOPS: Last-second shot lifts STJ over Trinity; Trinity girls win in OT

Trinity’s John Morris measures his shot against STJ’s KJ Jackson in the battle of the two teams Friday the St. James gym. (Tim Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Sometimes, it doesn’t happen the way you draw it up.

With 4.9 seconds remaining and his team trailing by a point, St. James coach Nigel Card drew up a play for his Trojans to run. What he drew up -- and what was run -- was two entirely different things.

“Taber Offord was supposed to come off the double team on the other side of the court and Coach said if it’s not there, go ahead and take it,” St. James point guard Ethan Beard said. “I didn’t think there was enough time. I didn’t think Taber was going to get the shot off, so I just said, ‘I’ve got to take this.’ I took it in and saw (Trinity defender John Morris) -- he’s like 6-foot-5 -- and I just had to go straight up in him and I just had to finish.”

Beard glanced quickly around the court, then raced toward the basket from the left side, with the shortest player on the floor putting up a shot over the tallest defender, banking off the glass and through the net as time expired to give the Trojans a 37-36 win over the Wildcats in the St. James gym on Friday night.

“It was really a good situation for Ethan,” Card said. “He had a nice lane. He took it and went and scored the bucket.”

Trinity led virtually the entire game, holding the Trojans in check defensively until the last play of the game.

“You’ve got a lead on the last play and their smallest guard going against who I feel like is the best rim protector in town and he makes the shot over him,” Trinity coach Matt Arrighi said. “It was a great play by them.”

With the win, St. James (11-5) won its sixth consecutive game and finished the 3A Area 6 race with a 6-0 record. The Trojans will play Alabama Christian in the opening round of the area tournament, likely on Feb. 7, while Trinity (16-8) and Montgomery Academy finished at 3-3 and will play each other in the opening round.

The Wildcats took an early lead before St. James started chipping away in the third quarter. The aggressive style of the Wildcats paid off as St. James went to the free-throw line but was unable to capitalize on the opportunity, connecting on just 11 of 28 free-throw attempts.

“We went back and forth on how we wanted to play this one, but we just felt like being aggressive was going to be the best way to go,” Arrighi said. “I thought our guys played really aggressive. I thought they played great on defense all night. Really, the only time they had an easy time scoring was when we turned the ball over.”

The Wildcats led by a point, 8-7, at the end of the first quarter and 23-17 at the half.

“In the first half, they started hitting shots and we weren’t playing up to par,” Beard said. “We weren’t finishing our layups and we weren’t converting free throws. We had to pick up the pace.”

The Trojans’ post player, KJ Jackson, had a game-high 13 points in a 59-45 win on Jan. 13, but managed just eight points on Friday after hitting just 6 of 16 free-throw attempts.

Card said the Wildcats played aggressive in the first meeting as well.

“They did the first game,” he said, “but we were able to build a lead. This time, they had control over the basketball game. The lead was never substantial enough for us to be able to do anything.”

Cal Bennett led Trinity with 11 points, followed by Morris and Jackson Taylor with six points each.

Beard led all scorers with 14 points, giving the Trojans bragging rights until the next meeting between the arch rivals.

“It’s always a good day, beating up on Trinity,” he said.

Trinity girls, 62, St. James 59 (OT)

After losing to Trinity by 31 points just 10 days earlier, everyone expected a better performance from St. James in the rematch on Friday night in the St. James gym.

 But Trinity wasn’t prepared for a physical, aggressive group of Trojans that led for much of the third quarter, found a shot at the end of regulation to force overtime, then finally missed at the end of overtime to allow the Wildcats to escape with a 62-59 victory.

“That may be the best thing for us, to have a close game at the end and have to pull it out,” Trinity coach Blake Smith said. “We’ve had, even against the good teams we’ve played, only one close game at the end.” 

Actually, it was two games but one opponent. Defending two-time state champion Prattville Christian lost to the Wildcats by six, 45-39, in the Nov. 8 opener, then beat Trinity 60-52 in the rematch on Dec. 20. Since then, the Wildcats have reeled off nine consecutive victories, winning the first eight games in that stretch by an average margin of 32.6 points.

 But the tone was set early by the Trojans, who were shoved all over the court in the first meeting on Jan. 17 and shoved back on Friday night.

“In the area, there are no moral victories, every game counts,” St. James coach Katie Barton said. “But we went back and watched film, regrouped and talked about where we were mentally and where we were lacking. They stepped up and showed who they are tonight.

“They were tough defensively. We had a few missed assignments. It hurt getting in foul trouble. But I liked how tough we were, how aggressive we were. I saw each player on our team show growth. I saw them play together and show the sisterhood they truly have and I saw them trust each other.”

The Jan. 17 game was the second one by Trinity without senior forward Jayden Mitchell and Smith admitted his team, which plays his youngest daughter Lilly, a seventh grader, in Mitchell’s place, isn’t quite the same. 

“I think (St. James) gave a much better defensive effort,” Smith said. “To be honest, at this point, everybody is aware of the loss of Jayden. They’re going to do some things different with Lilly in the game.

 “Like I said, that team can beat us. I think Katie does a good job of making adjustments. We’ll be able to see what those were and figure out how we want to attack it.”

The two teams are likely to face each other again in the Area 6 finals and possibly again in the regional finals in Birmingham. Trinity (22-2) finished area play with a 6-0 record and will host the next meeting, likely on Feb. 8. The Wildcats will face Montgomery Academy in an opening round game. St. James (18-7) finished area play with a 5-1 record and will play Alabama Christian Academy in an opening round game in the upcoming area tournament.

And while St. James served notice that it can stand toe to toe with the Wildcats, the Trojans will need to avoid the foul trouble that hampered it down the stretch. St. James tied the game 26-26 on a halfcourt shot by Katie Brightwell at the buzzer, then took the lead with back-to-back 3-pointers by KK Corley and KK Hall in the third quarter.

But the Wildcats scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to tie the game at 42-42 and the Trojans only led twice the remainder of the game, using a short baseline jumper by Ava Card with 1.1 seconds left to force overtime before Card -- the Trojans’ leading scorer and only post threat -- fouled out.

“She hit the huge shot to take us into overtime,” Barton said. “Every starter of mine had four fouls. I do think that hurt us because every foul sent them to the line in the double bonus.”

But Trinity, which was perfect at the free-throw line in the last meeting, was 7 of 7 through the first three quarters and 10 of 15 in the fourth quarter and overtime, leaving the door open for the Trojans.

“That kept it close,” Smith said. “We told our girls today, we want to win by one point. It’s going to be close. I know what we’re capable of, I know our ceiling, but I’ve seen film. They hit shots over here. They threw in some 3s and we had some broken-down defensive assignments.”

Card finished with 23 points, but the Trojans got 11 points from Brightwell, eight from Hall and seven from Natalie Barton.

“We had girls come off the bench and hit three 3s, KK Corley and Sydney Johnston,” Barton said, “and Katie Brightwell, I was proud of her for recognizing (the defensive scheme) and looking to step up. She looked at what the defense gave and really took advantage of those situations.”

Maddie Smith led Trinity with 23 points, followed by Francie Morris with 16, Emma Kate Smith with nine and Mya Moskowitz with eight. It was Morris who provided the game-winning points after St. James missed shots on three consecutive possessions, hitting a pair of free throws with 64 seconds left, then converting a three-point play with 12.5 seconds remaining after Hall had tied it again with a pair of free throws.

“That’s by design with us,” Smith said of his Mountain Brook transfer’s late-game performance. “We know what her opportunities are and how to use them. We see her do that stuff every day in practice.” 

With Card on the bench with her fifth personal foul, Barton drew up a play for the game-tying shot, but the alignment of the Wildcats caused Natalie Barton to take the shot with 3.5 seconds remaining.

“I’m proud of the eighth grader for taking the shot,” said her mother. “I thought it was going in.”

Both teams return to the floor on Monday, with St. James traveling to LAMP and Trinity playing host to Montevallo.

BOYS  

Catholic 53, Bullock County 38

UNION SPRINGS -- Jayden Phifer had 21 points and a pair of assists to lead the Knights to a 4A Area 4 win over Bullock County on Friday night.

Catholic won its fifth area game in a row and improved to 5-1 in area play, tied with Booker T. Washington for first place at 5-1. LAMP and Bullock County finished at 1-5.

Brennan Binns added 15 points, three rebounds and three steals for Catholic, followed by Courtney Williams with eight points and six rebounds.

Catholic (13-6) won its sixth consecutive game and will play host to Greenville on Tuesday.

Montgomery Academy 55, Alabama Christian Academy 44

Brewer Welch had 16 points, six assists, four rebounds and three steals to lead Montgomery Academy to a 3A Area 6 win over Alabama Christian in the ACA gym on Friday.

Montgomery Academy finished the 3A Area 6 race tied with Trinity at 3-3 in second place. The two teams will play each other in the opening round of the upcoming area tournament at St. James. ACA dropped to 0-6 and will face St. James in the opening round.

DJ Vinson added 12 points and 11 rebounds for Montgomery Academy on Friday, followed by Skyler Stovall with 11 points, four rebounds, three assists and three steals. Seth Edwards scored eight points, grabbed eight rebounds and had two blocked shots.

Christian Snipes led ACA with 11 points and seven rebounds, followed by Jayden Jones with 11 points and five rebounds and Darius Gardner with 11 points and two blocked shots.  

Montgomery Academy (11-10) returns home to play Prattville Christian Academy on Monday for Senior Night.

Alabama Christian (5-18) will play host to LAMP on Saturday.

Sylacauga 47, Prattville Christian 41

SYLACAUGA -- PJ Evans had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists to lead the Panthers to a six-point win in the Sylacauga gym on Friday.

Conner Williams added 12 points and five rebounds, followed by Carson Roberson with 11 points and six rebounds and Brady Roberson with five points and five rebounds.  

PCA (14-13) will travel to play Montgomery Academy on Monday.

Macon East Academy 57, Valiant Cross 44

Keagan Roney and Brandon Wilkins each scored 12 points to lead the Knights to a 57-44 area win at Valiant Cross on Friday.

Roney had 12 points, eight rebounds and a pair of blocked shots, while Wilkins had 12 points and six rebounds. Deonte Powell added nine points and eight rebounds.

Macon East Academy (20-5) will play host to Hooper Academy for Senior Day on Saturday at noon.

Autauga Academy 51, Chambers Academy 48

LAFAYETTE -- Damien Dickerson scored 18 points, dished out three assists and pulled down a pair of rebounds to lead the Generals to a hard-fought win over the Rebels in the Chambers Academy gym on Friday night.

Bryant Dupree added 12 points, three rebounds and two assists for Autauga Academy (9-9), followed by Jake Skutta with seven points, three rebounds and a pair of steals, Cameron Wright with five points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals and Evan Peak with five points and five rebounds.

Autaugaville 62, Central-Hayneville 30

AUTAUGAVILLE -- The Eagles won their sixth consecutive game with a dominating performance against Central-Hayneville in the Autaugaville gym on Friday night.

During halftime of the Eagles’ 28-27 win over Central, junior Makasiah Burns was recognized for scoring her 1,000th career point.

During halftime of the boys’ game, senior Jaden Nixon was recognized for scoring his 1,200th career point.

Autaugville (14-6) will travel to Selma on Saturday to face Ellwood Christian.

Edgewood Academy 46, Evangel Christian 33

ELMORE -- Jordan Sharp scored 10 points for Evangel Christian Academy in the Lions’ loss to Edgewood Academy on Thursday night. Nii Addy added six points and 12 rebounds.  

The Lions (6-15) return home to host Valiant Cross on Monday.

GIRLS

Alabama Christian 38, Montgomery Academy 31

Jaide Newkirk had 14 points and six rebounds to lead Alabama Christian to a 39-31 win over Montgomery Academy in the ACA gym on Friday night.

ACA improved to 2-4 in 3A Area 6 play and will face St. James in the opening round of the upcoming area tournament at Trinity. Montgomery Academy dropped to 0-6 in area play and will play Trinity in the opening round of the area tournament.

Izzy Warrick had 11 points, five steals and four rebounds for ACA, while Katelyn Sutton had nine points and five steals to help the Eagles snap a three-game losing skid.

Caroline Waller led Montgomery Academy (1-18) with 12 points and eight rebounds. Anne Frances Little also had a team-high eight rebounds.

ACA (9-12) will play host to LAMP on Saturday, while Montgomery Academy will play host to Prattville Christian Academy on Monday.

Catholic 59, Bullock County 12

UNION SPRINGS -- Hannah Smith scored a season-high 33 points to help the Knights finish with 4A Area 4 race unbeaten with a 59-12 win in the Bullock County gym on Friday.

Catholic (6-0) will play Bullock County (0-6) again in the opening round of the upcoming area tournament at Catholic, while LAMP (4-2) will play Booker T. Washington (2-4).

Smith also had 10 rebounds, three steals and two assists in the win, while Allyse Rudolph had seven points, two assists and four steals and Heaven Bailey had seven points, four rebounds, four assists and six steals. Andy Aiken added six points, four rebounds and two steals.

Catholic (21-7) will play host to Greenville on Tuesday.

Prattville Christian 81, Sylacauga 7

SYLACAUGA -- Hannah Jones led the Lady Panthers with 21 points and seven rebounds as PCA cruised to an 81-7 win in the Sylacauga gym on Friday night.  

Avery Rogers added 18 points and five rebounds, followed by CoCo Thomas with 14 points and four rebounds, Jenna McClendon with 12 points and eight rebounds, Kayden Carr had seven points, eight assists and four steals, Laura Beth NeSmith with five points and Ally Blankinchip with four points, six rebounds and five assists. Baylee Rogers dished out four assists.  

PCA (24-2) will travel to play Montgomery Academy on Monday.

Lakeside School 46, Abbeville Christian Academy 35

ABBEVILLE -- The Lady Chiefs finished region play by defeating Abbeville Christian Academy on Friday at Tillis Gymnasium. Jayden Green led the Chiefs with 16 points while Chloe Helms chipped in 13 points. Sophie Seaborn added eight points for Lakeside, followed by Addy Helms with six.

Lakeside (10-9) finished Class AA Region 1 Area 1 play with a 4-0 record and will draw a first-round bye, playing in the Elite Eight on Feb. 6.

The Chiefs travel to Macon East Academy on Monday at 5 p.m. for their final game of the regular season.