AHSAA | Alabama High School Athletic Association

2009 Final 48 Game Summaries -1A & 2A

Class 2A Girls Semi-Finals

Cold Springs 57, St. Jude 57-44
Georgia Myrex connected on five three-pointers to lead Cold Springs to a 13-point win over St. Jude in the opening game of the 2009 AHSAA Final 48 Basketball Tournament.  Myrex finished with 20 points along with six rebounds and five assists.  Also in double figures for the Lady Eagles were Paige Parker (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Palee Myrex (10 points, six rebounds, three assists).  

The Eagles (33-1) opened the contest strong, building a 13-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.  The second quarter saw both teams play back and forth basketball as both teams found their scoring stroke.  At the intermission Cold Springs led 29-22.

The Eagles extended their lead in the third period and held on for the final decision.

For St. Jude (26-7), Shundray Davis led all scorers with 21 points along with four rebounds and three steals.  Teralesha Baity finished with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Cold Springs will look to defend its 2A title when it takes on Ider.

Ider 54, Barbour County 41
Ider (27-5, South Regional Champions) survived a tough contest in defeating the Lady Jaguars of Barbour County 54-41 in the second girls semifinal of Class 2A.  The Lady Hornets were led by the 20-point, 11-rebound effort from Nakesha Lipham, who also finished with two steals and a block. 

Ider led 16-10 after one period before Barbour County cut the lead to 23-21 at intermission.  Ider kept the pressure on, outscoring the Lady Jaguars 31-20 in the second half.

Hilary Phillips had 17 points and three assists while Taylor Hawkins added seven points and four assists for Ider. 

For Barbour County (24-4), Nicole Brooks finished with 15 points, eight rebounds and three steals while Sharita Grey added 15 points, six rebounds and three assists.

Ider will take on defending class 2A champion Cold Springs in the championship contest Thursday at 4 p.m.

Class 2A Boys Championship

Barbour County 55, R.C. Hatch 40
In a rematch of last year’s 2A championship, Barbour County turned the tables on R.C. Hatch 55-40 to claim the 2009 title.

All-Tournament performer Courtavious Dorsey led the Jaguars (28-5) with 20 points and 12 rebounds.  Tournament Most Valuable Player Devondrick Richardson tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds while Joshua Richardson had eight points and five steals.

After the Bobcats (18-13) controlled the game for the first six minutes, a Richardson dunk gave Barbour County the lead they held until the final buzzer.

For R.C. Hatch, Trenton Tucker had 18 points and nine rebounds while Brandon Battle finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Devondrick Richardson (MVP), Joshua Richardson and Courtavious Dorsey, Barbour County; LaAnthony Smith and Trenton Tucker, R.C. Hatch; Latraius Mosley; Tanner.

Class 2A Boys Semifinals
R.C. Hatch 83, Tanner 76
R.C. Hatch (18-12) moved one step closer to defending its 2008 title as the Bobcats downed the Tanner Rattlers 83-76 in the first 2A semifinal.

Leanthony Smith finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead three other players in double figures.  Steven Jones tallied 14 points and four rebounds while Trence Askew added 14 points and seven rebounds.  Brandon Battle finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and five blocks.

The game was nip-and-tuck the opening half.  Tanner opened with a 15-12 lead after the first eight minutes of action before R.C. Hatch closed the gap in the second quarter.  The Rattlers led 32-31 at the intermission.  

The Bobcats took the lead on back-to-back three-pointers by Smith in the third period.  R.C. Hatch built the lead to nine points and held a 53-47 lead entering the final stanza.  

Tanner would cut the lead to two points on several occasions in the final period before the Bobcats would extend the lead to eight and put the game away.

For Tanner (25-8), Latraius Mosley had 26 points and a game-high 20 rebounds along with four blocks.  Matthew Hines added 18 points, five rebounds and six assists while Jordan Lee finished with 13 points and four assists.

R.C. Hatch will look to defend its title against Barbour County.

Barbour County  75, Sand Rock 26
Barbour County (26-5) advanced with a resounding 75-26 victory over Sand Rock.

Devondric Richardson led the Jaguars with 22 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals.  Robert Lampley added 12 points and six rebounds while Courtavious Dorsey finished with nine points, 13 rebounds and five assists.

The Jaguars took control of the contest early and never looked back.  Barbour County held the momentum from start to finish, including a 25-4 scoring edge in the third period.

For Sand Rock (23-10), Justin Kyser led the team with 10 points, five rebounds and a block while Justin Mackey finished with six points, three rebounds and two steals.

Barbour County will face defending champion R.C. Hatch in the 2A boys’ championship Thursday at 6 p.m.

For J.F. Shields (30-1), Ty’Ka Robinson finished with 24 points and three steals while April Montgomery added 12 points and four rebounds. Latreshia Lyons had 11 points, 14 rebounds and six steals.

Class 1A Girls Semifinals

Hazlewood 75, Sunshine 47
Amber Jones’s triple-double (27 points, 13 assists, 10 steals, six rebounds) paced the Golden Bears to a 75-47 victory over the Sunshine Tigers.

Jones finished the first half with 19 points, seven steals, five assists and three rebounds as Hazlewood (25-5) took a 40-18 lead into the locker room. 

The second half saw Sunshine make a comeback attempt, trimming the lead to 10 points in the third period.  However, the Bears would outscore Sunshine 16-11 in the fourth quarter for the final margin.

“This was a good game with two great teams with great players,” said Hazlewood coach Nicholas Vinson.  “We got here early to take in the atmosphere.  We visualized how we wanted to play and we did.  In the second quarter we wanted to run and we did.  Many years Hazelwood has come here to win a championship and we want it to be this year.”

For Hazlewood, Alex Gholston tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals.  Lattoria Almon and Tynisha Lynch each scored seven points.

For Sunshine (23-5), Shafontaye Myers had a game-high 31 points along with four rebounds and two blocks while Shanquila Carter finished with five points and three rebounds.

“We had a great year.  All good things come to an end,” said Sunshine coach Philip Wagner.  “We got within 10 points in the third quarter, but had to extend too much energy to get there.”

Hazlewood will take on J.F. Shields contest in the 1A finals Friday.

J.F. Shields 50, Gaston 37
J.F. Shields remained undefeated, downing Gaston 50-37 in the Class A semifinal.

The Lady Panthers (30-0) were led by Ty’ka Robinson with a team-high 21 points along with two rebounds and three assists. Kelsey Murphy and Latreshia Lyons each tallied 11 points and Murphy also grabbed 10 rebounds.

“Thanks to everyone for this venue. Last year we lost our last game against McIntosh,” said J.F. Shields coach Herbert Blackmon. “We played hard and thank God for this win. We have been to the finals 14 times and expect to be here. We only lost one girl from last year. We have a good attitude and we work hard and make good grades, too.”

After a tight first quarter, J.F. Shields took control of the game with a 20-9 second quarter scoring output. The Lady Panthers held on in the second half for the victory.

“Gaston is a good team,” said Blackmon.

For Gaston (24-6), Kristen Lawson tallied 13 points and five rebounds while Morgan Beard finished with 12 points and four rebounds.

“I thought our kids played hard. We have been here before,” said Gaston coach Tonya Bogle. “We were rushing our shots and could not get the ball in the hole. The experience of being down here is great and we hope to get back soon.”

J.F. Shields will meet Hazlewood in the Class 1A championship Friday at 4 p.m.

Class 1A Boys Championship
Loachapoka 53, Parkway Christian 37
The Loachapoka Indians won the 2009 Class A title with a 53-37 win over the Parkway Christian.

For the Indians (22-8), Tommy White finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds, Jontavius Willis added 12 points and five rebounds while Patrick Moore finished with 11 points.

Parkway Christian (23-11) opened the game with a 12-5 first quarter lead, but the Indians fought their way back by halfltime to tie the game at 19-19.  The Indians outscored their opponents 34-18 in the final two periods.

For the Wildcats, Stephen Sewell had 15 points and five rebounds while Devin McNeil added six points and four rebounds.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Jontavious Willis (MVP) and Tommy White, Loachapoka; Stephen Sewell and Rashad White, Parkway Christian; Adam McCarley, Phillips; Jeterious Johnson, J.F. Shields.

Class 1A Boys Semifinals

Loachapoka 77, Phillips 52
The Loachapoka Indians advanced to the Class 1A finals with a double-digit victory over the Phillips Bears.

Loachapoka (21-8) was led by Jontavius Willis with 27 points, nine rebounds and three assists.  Quindravius Richardson tallied 17 points, nine rebounds and two assists while Tommy White finished with 11 points and seven rebounds.

“We were worried about their big guy (Andy Pounders), but we didn’t want to lose their shooters,” said Loachapoka coach Terry Murph. We knew we couldn’t help out inside too much.  We wanted to run early with our 1-3-1 trap. Our plan was to push it, although we got out of position (at times) on our break.”

The Indians led 17-12 after one period and took a 31-24 lead into intermission.  Loachapoka outrebounded Phillips 30-13 in the first half (8-2 on the offensive boards).

The second half saw the Indians keep the pressure on, including outscoring the Bears 30-16 in the final quarter.

For Phillips (31-5), Adam McCarley had 20 points and seven assists while Andy Pounders had 12 points and 13 rebounds.

“I saw the film on them and knew it would be hard for our guards to penetrate,” said Phillips coach Scott Veal. We didn’t hit our three’s. I am proud of our two guys (Adam McCarley and Andy Pounders) here (in the interview room). McCarley has run the point for me since the eighth grade.”

Loachapoka moves on to the finals against Parkway Christian.

Parkway Christian 49, J.F. Shields 46 (OT)
The Wildcats fell behind 16-3 in the first quarter but clawed back into the game by shutting out the Panthers 13-0 in the second period.

Coach Zane Arnold's Parkway team then pulled out the win when Walter Arnold nailed two free throws with 20 seconds remaining in the extra session.

For Parkway Christian (23-10), Stephen Sewell finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and six steals.  Devin McNeil added 11 points and seven rebounds while Rashad White finished with nine points and ten rebounds.

For J.F. Shields (19-11), Jeterious Johnson led all scorers with 16 points along with six rebounds.  Demetrius Finklea added 11 points and ten rebounds.  William Wiggins finished with eight points, six rebounds and two steals.

Parkway Christian moves on to face Loachapoka in the Class 1A championship Thursday at 8 p.m.