PREP HOOPS: Evangel wallops Crenshaw; Stanhope Elmore girls top Elmore County
STAFF REPORT
BOYS
Evangel Christian Academy 73, Crenshaw Christian 31
LUVERNE -- Kennedy Holland and Jeremiah Williams combined for 26 points to lead the Lions to a decisive area win over Crenshaw in a game postponed from Jan. 11.
The win extends Evangel’s winning streak to eight games and gave the Lions a 3-0 record in Class A Region 1 Area 1 play heading into the area finale at Abbeville Christian on Tuesday.
Holland and Williams both scored 13 points. Jhamari Giles added 12 points and five rebounds while Nii Addy finished with eight points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Evangel (10-7) will play Edgewood at home on Thursday after meeting the Generals on Tuesday.
Macon East Academy 68, Success Unlimited Academy 65
CECIL -- The Knights withstood a 44-point barrage from Randi Ovalle to escape with a 68-65 win over the Mustangs on Senior Night in the Macon East gym on Monday night.
Tyler Daniels led the Knights with 21points, 15 rebounds, five assists and a pair of blocked shots, including a 9-for-12 performance at the free-throw line.
Macon East needed it because Success Unlimited was nearly flawless from the field, hitting 19 of 21 shots inside the arc and 9 of 18 from beyond the 3-point line. The Mustangs committed 18 turnovers and were just 18 of 30 from the free-throw line, spoiling their upset hopes.
Ovalle hit eight of his 12 3-point attempts and was 12 of 17 from the free-throw line to almost singlehandedly lead the Mustangs to victory. Willie James added 13 points for Success.
Maurice Poole hit five 3 pointers for the Knights, finishing with 17 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals. Jacob Wilson added eight points, six rebounds and five steals, Keagan Roney had eight points and three rebounds, and Garrison Miller had eight points for Macon East.
Macon East closes out the regular season with a pair of area games against Lakeside, facing the Chiefs at home on Tuesday before traveling to Eufaula on Thursday.
GIRLS
Stanhope Elmore 39, Elmore County 33
ECLECTIC -- Jace Haynes had 12 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocked shots and Ariel Gilchrist added 12 points and 11 steals as the Mustangs won their third straight game with a 39-33 win in the Elmore County gym on Monday night.
Gilchrist scored nine of her 12 points in the fourth quarter to help the Mustangs pull away from a one-point lead at the end of the third quarter. Her shooting helped Stanhope Elmore overcome a 6-of-14 performance at the free-throw line in the final period.
Courtney Bolton led Elmore County with 12 points, followed by Bri-an Autrey and Seanna O’Daniel with nine points each.
Stanhope Elmore (17-4) plays host to Holtville on Thursday.
Edgewood Academy 51, Evangel Christian School 27
MONTEVALLO -- Lindsey Brown had 17 points to lead the Wildcats to a 51-27 win over the Lightning on Monday.
Edgewood led by 10 points at the end of the first quarter and extended the lead to 16 by halftime to pick up its eighth straight win.
Kennedy Mensch added 10 for Edgewood, followed by Jaylyn Strength with nine.
Hannah Benson led the Lightning with 11 points, followed by Claire Schultz with 10.
Edgewood closes out area play with a home game against Cornerstone Christian on Tuesday.
From Saturday…
GIRLS
St. James 59, LAMP 54
Ava Card scored 24 points and Danielle Greene added 21 as the Trojans defeated the Golden Tigers 59-54 in the LAMP gym on Saturday afternoon.
Ariana Cannida led LAMP with 19 points, Caitlin Russell added 14, and Grayson Dickert had 11. Serenity Griffin had 10 rebounds for LAMP to go along with her five points.
St. James (16-5) will play host to Booker T. Washington on Tuesday in a 4A Area 3 game.
LAMP (9-11) plays at BTW Magnet in a 4A Area 5 game on Friday.
Park Crossing 71, Trinity 67
Trinity battled the second-ranked 6A Thunderbirds to the wire before falling 71-67 on Saturday afternoon in the Park Crossing gym.
Mya Moskowitz scored 19 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Wildcats, followed by Maddie Smith with 18 points, five assists and five rebounds and Emma Kate Smith with 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Trinity (18-5) travels to Catholic on Tuesday.
Catholic 56, Brew Tech 31
The Knights jumped out to a 26-5 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 25-point win over the Rams in the Brew Tech gym on Saturday afternoon.
Allyse Rudolph led Catholic with 15 points, six rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists. Heaven Bailey added 14 points, seven steals and nine assists and Hannah Smith had 12 points, 11 rebounds and four steals.
Jill Baine led Brew Tech with 13 points.
Catholic (14-6) will host Trinity on Tuesday.
Stanhope Elmore 52, Wetumpka 34
MILLBROOK -- Jace Haynes had 18 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocked shots to help the Mustangs pull into a first-place tie with Wetumpka in 6A Area 5 play with a win on Saturday.
Stanhope Elmore and Wetumpka each concluded area play with a 3-1 record, while Benjamin Russell is 0-4.
Kelbi Johnson added 12 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots for the Mustangs, followed by Summer Hicks with 11 points, 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.
Zariah Fannin led Wetumpka with 11 points, followed by Khloe Harris with nine.
BOYS
Brew Tech 64, Catholic 54
The Rams snapped Catholic’s five-game winning streak with a 64-54 win over the Knights in the Brew Tech gym on Saturday.
T.J. Dudley led Catholic with 17 points and three rebounds, followed by Matthew Reardon with 15 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots and Brennan Binns with nine points.