2009 Final 48 Game Summaries - 3A & 4A
Class 4A Girls Championship
Midfield 41, Anniston 32
The Midfield Lady Patriots won their third straight state championship, defeating the Anniston Bulldogs 41-32.
After holding a slim 9-6 lead at the end of the first quarter, the Lady Patriots (29-6) managed to hold the lead and slowly extend it until the end of the game.
For Midfield, Lakenya Lowe garnered 13 points, eight rebounds and three steals while Tyla Adams finished with 13 points and two rebounds. Adrienne Anderson finished with five points and 10 rebounds.
For Anniston (31-4), Tacouya Allen tallied 11 points and 16 rebounds while Ashley Gray had nine points.
Class 4A Girls Semi-Finals
Midfield 76, Deshler 46
The Midfield Lady Patriots continued their march to a 4A championship as they downed the Deshler Tigers 76-46 in the opening contest of day two. These two programs met last season for the 4A crown with many expecting the rematch to be an exciting one. Midfield won the 2007 and 2008 titles while Deshler won the crown from 2003 to 2006.
Midfield (30-6) was led by Tyla Adams, who finished with 24 points, two rebounds and two steals. Lakenya Lowe tallied 20 points, 13 rebounds and six steals while Brittany Young finished with 11 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds.
While the contest started slowly with Deshler scoring the first three buckets of the game, Midfield turned on the offense and finished the quarter with an 19-5 run.
After an even second period, Midfield opened the lead with a 29-11 third period. The Lady Patriots maintained its big lead in the fourth.
For Deshler (24-10), Ashley Southern had team highs of 20 points, 15 rebounds and four blocks. Jasmine Ragland finished with 13 points and three assists while Jabria Madden had 13 rebounds along with two assists.
Midfield will take on Anniston for the 4A championship.
Anniston 60, Andalusia 41
In a highly-emotional contest, Anniston overcame a first-half deficit to down Andalusia 60-41 and advance to the 4A championship.
Andalusia jumped out to an early lead and led by as much as five points in the first period. However, it was Anniston who continued to apply pressure on both ends of the court and win the game.
For Anniston (31-3), Tacouya Allen finished with 23 points, 19 rebounds and four steals while Ashley Gray added 16 points, four rebounds and three steals. Darice Bowie was credited with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Chantavia Lawrence led Andalusia (24-4) with 13 points and six rebounds while Alexis Horton added 11 points and five rebounds.
Anniston will face Midfield in the 4A championship.
Class 4A Boys Championship
Anniston 79, Dora 49
The Anniston Bulldogs won their second AHSAA state championship with a 79-49 victory over the Dora Bulldogs Friday night.
Anniston (27-6) got 25 points and five assists from Milton Curry (Tournament Most Valuable Player). Marquez Safford and Quintarious Hutchinson each scored 13 points. Lorenzo Blair finished with 12 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks while Brenton Tolson totaled 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Anniston jumped out early, building a 27-11 lead after one quarter of play, and never looked back.
For Dora (30-5), Joseph Walls finished with 15 points, four assists and three steals while both Keegan Tarver and Jamichael Swain tallied 12 points apiece.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Milton Curry (MVP), Marquez Safford, Lorenzo Blair and Brenton Tolson, Anniston; Keegan Tarver and Joseph Walls, Dora; Nico Johnson, Andalusia.
Class 4A Boys Semi-Finals
Dora 45, Ramsay 43
Jamichael Swain scored on a tip-in with four seconds remaining to give Dora a two-point victory over the Ramsay Rams. Swain’s winning bucket came just seconds after Ramsay’s Ralph Floyd tied the game with a three-pointer.
Keegan Tarver led Dora (30-4) with 15 points and three rebounds while Whit Forest had 11 points and four rebounds. Swain and Bryant Smith grabbed six and four rebounds respectively.
For Ramsay (15-18), Floyd led the way with 15 points, two rebounds and two steals. Lonnie Smith tallied 11 points and six rebounds.
Dora will take on the winner of Anniston-Andalusia game in the 4A championship.
Anniston 79, Andalusia 68
Milton Curry’s 22 points and three steals led four players in double figures as Anniston defeated Andalusia 79-68.
Also scoring in double figures for Anniston (26-6) were Brenton Tolson (14 points, 16 rebounds, seven assists); Quintario Hutchinson (16 points, eight rebounds); and Marquez Safford (20 points, eight rebounds).
After a closely-contested first quarter, Anniston opened up the contest and led by as many as 18 in the second quarter. Anniston led 42-28 at halftime.
For Andalusia (26-3), Brandon Sims finished with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists while Nico Johnson had 18 points and 13 rebounds. Leslie James had 14 points in the game.
Anniston will face Dora in the Class 4A championship
Class 3A Girls Championship
T.R. Miller 53, Madison Academy 50
The T.R. Miller Tigers captured the Class 3A state championship with a hard-fought, 53-50 victory over the Madison Academy Mustangs.
The Tigers, who last won a state title in 2002, were paced by Kesha Peterson’s 22 points. Nakiya Smith, who along with Peterson made some crucial free throws in the final minutes, finished with 17 points and six rebounds. Keydra Shedrone contributed five points and 10 rebounds.
Madison Academy (31-6) opened up a 16-7 first quarter lead, but a 15-4 T.R. Miller run in the third quarter that changed the momentum of the game. The Mustangs fought hard in the fourth quarter to regain control of the game, but the Tigers held on.
The Mustangs were led by Haley Stewart, who finished with 17 points, while Nyla Johnson had nine points and six rebounds.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:Nakiya Smith (MVP), Kesha Peterson and Keyda Shedrone, T.R. Miller; Nyla Johnson, Haley Stewart and Lydia McGee, Madison Academy; Jamesha Watkins, Sumter County.
Class 3A Girls Semi-Finals
T.R. Miller 53, Glencoe 23
T.R. Miller took control of the game early and coasted to a 53-23 victory in the 3A semifinal. Nakiya Smith led the Tigers (25-2) with a game-high 14 points along with four steals. Kesha Peterson added nine points and two rebounds.
“We are happy to be here again,” said T.R Miller coach Ronald Jackson. “The AHSAA does a terrific job and we did a good job on defense. We clicked tonight.”
For Glencoe (29-5), Chelsea Matthews led the way with 10 points and six rebounds.
“We had a game plan, hoping they wouldn’t shoot the ball well from the outside,” said Glencoe coach John Blackwell. “Give T.R. Miller a lot of credit. Their shooting, speed and balanced scoring was very good. Also their athleticism was very impressive.”
T.R. Miller plays Madison Academy for the 3A championship on Saturday.
Madison Academy 50, Sumter County 34
Madison Academy kept its championship hopes alive with a 50-34 victory over Sumter County in the first 3A girls semifinal.
Nyla Johnson had 16 points, six rebounds and three assists while Lydia McGee added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists as the Mustangs (31-5) moved one step closer to another state title.
Sumter County (26-7) battled back from an early deficit to take a five-point lead in the first quarter but could not hold the lead. Jamesha Watkins finished with 16 points and two steals while Katia May had 10 points and four assists.
Madison Academy plays T.R. Miller for the 3A championship.
Class 3A Boys Championship
Leeds 72, Madison Academy 64
Leeds senior David Murray poured in 29 points Saturday as the Green Wave ended Madison Academy’s stranglehold on the AHSAA Class 3A boys basketball championship.
The Mustangs (29-6) had won the 3A state title in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
The Green Wave (27-9) won their first state basketball crown with the eight-point win and wrote their names in the history books alongside four other schools that were able to win the state football and basketball championships in the same school year. Sidney Lanier accomplished the feat in 1966-67, Hazlewood in 1985-86, Brantley in 1993-94 and Colbert County in 1996-97. Leeds was 15-0 last season to win the 3A football crown.
Murray was 10-of-18 from the field, 8-of-12 at the foul line and cleared 11 rebounds for Coach Michael Turner’s Green Wave. Malik Major added 15 points and Marchus Hutchens 13 and seven rebounds. He also had four steals and four blocked shots.
Madison Academy was paced by Kerron Johnson’s 23 points and five assists. Jordan Matthews chipped in 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Spencer Palmer had 12 points.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Joining Murray were Hutchens, Johnson, Matthews, Brandon Salter of Abbeville and Alex Pitts of LAMP.
Class 3A Boys Semi-Finals
Leeds 71, Abbeville 62
Leeds got 29 points, 12 rebounds and four steals from David Murray as the Green Wave downed Abbeville 71-62 in the nightcap of day two. Also scoring in double figures were Malik Major (10 points, nine rebounds) and Marchus Hutchins (12 points, nine rebounds, four blocks).
Leeds jumped out to an 11-9 first quarter lead and led by eight (31-23) at intermission. Murray had 13 points at intermission.
For Abbeville (22-12), Brandon Salter scored 16 points while Tyler Spann tallied 14 points and six rebounds. Jeffrey Grubbs finished with 11 points and five steals.
Leeds (26-9) will face Anniston in the Class 3A championship.
Madison Academy 86, Lamp 68
Kerron Johnson tallied 32 points and 10 assists as the Madison Academy Mustangs downed the Lamp Golden Tigers 86-68.
Jordan Matthews had 11 points and 12 rebounds while Spencer Palmer finished with 11 points and two assists. The Mustangs held a 32-31 lead at intermission and used a strong second half to seal the victory.
Lamp (26-6) was led by Alec Pitts with 18 points and five rebounds. Also finishing in double figures were Gabriel Brake (17 points, eight rebounds) and Bryan Young (12 points, five rebounds).