WEEKEND PREPS: MA holds off Trinity; Catholic tops LAMP; local teams place in AHSAA wrestling Duals

Montgomery Academy’s DJ Vison muscles past Trinity’s John Morris for a shot in Friday’s matchup at Joe Mooty Court. (Ryan Gayle)

By TIM GAYLE

Brewer Welch had been silent for virtually the entire game.

With five minutes left and his Montgomery Academy squad facing a four-point deficit, Welch suddenly came to life, scoring his first points on a 3-point basket. He followed up with a layup, another 3-pointer, a pair of assists to Skyler Stovall and another 3-pointer as the Eagles held off Trinity 63-59 in the 18th annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic on Friday night at Montgomery Academy.

“We’ve been talking about making the right play, whatever that play is, and whoever gets the look gets the look at some point,” Montgomery Academy coach Jeremy Arant said. “Brewer got his and he’s been working really, really hard on his 3-point shot the last two weeks. That just paid off for us in the fourth quarter. He was huge for us.”

 Welch went from virtually unnoticed to game changer in two minutes, transforming a 50-46 deficit into a 61-52 lead, going 3 for 3 from behind the arc and handing out two of his six assists.

“Any time you’re playing against a good shooter, he hasn’t hit a lot against us this year but you know it could be coming,” Trinity coach Matt Arrighi said. “When the first one goes in, you really don’t want him to get another one real quick. He got two back-to-back, then another. He stepped up and had a big push that was the difference in the game.”

The win virtually assured Montgomery Academy of the home-court advantage for the upcoming 3A Area 6 tournament as the Eagles improved to 4-0, followed by Trinity at 2-2, Alabama Christian at 2-2 and St. James at 0-4.

“We knew coming into it that getting that (win over Trinity) pretty much sealed it up for us,” Arant said. “There are different tiebreaker scenarios but I think we win all of those, so it was something we had talked about coming into it, that it was big for us to do that.”

The two teams struggled early to find any offensive rhythm as the game evolved into an intense physical defensive battle. The game was tied 17-17 at the end of the first quarter despite the fact that both teams’ leading scorers, Trinity’s John Morris and Montgomery Academy’s Skyler Stovall, were struggling to find open looks.

“They hurt us early when we were trying to get in our pressure stuff so we backed off that and played half-court man,” Arant said. “We focused on (Morris). We talk about him a lot, obviously. He’s a really good player, so our plan was to try and limit him as much as we could.” 

Morris never got untracked but the Trinity offense, as usual, was balanced and kept the Wildcats in the contest until Welch started hitting from the perimeter.

“I feel like the game was neck and neck all night, pretty intense,” Arrighi said. “I’m proud of our guys for fighting, but credit MA for hitting some really big shots down the stretch.”

Mac Stewart led Trinity (14-6) with 14 points, followed by Thomas Stewart and Cayson Keller with 12 points each and Morris with 11.

Stovall had 28 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists and five steals, heating up with three field goals in the second quarter and four in the third. DJ Vinson had eight points, 11 rebounds, five steals and a pair of blocked shots, while Seth Edwards had eight points, seven rebounds and two steals.

Lost in the stat sheet was Cole Caddell, the senior guard who had just six points but drew a school-record five charges in the contest.

“He’s our glue,” Arant said. “He’s been through all of these games for three years now, so he knows what it takes. He understands what we’re trying to do defensively and he’s the best we’ve got at taking those charges.”

 Montgomery Academy (17-6) will play at Catholic on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

Trinity (girls) 66, Montgomery Academy 27

Trinity coach Blake Smith was complaining a little about his team’s movement and spacing on both ends of the court following a loss to St. James on Tuesday.

He had no complaints on Friday.

The Wildcats held Montgomery Academy to one field goal in the first 11 minutes of the game while scoring 32 points in the first quarter on the way to a 66-27 win over the Eagles in a 3A Area 6 matchup at Montgomery Academy’s Joe Mooty Court.

Trinity (17-5) improved to 3-1 in area play, a game behind St. James, while Montgomery Academy (5-13) dropped to 1-3 in area play, a game ahead of Alabama Christian.

“I think, ultimately, for us right now, it’s defensively,” Smith said. “We want to be in the right spots defensively. And as much as anything, it’s just being aware, everyone on the same page, knowing what we’re trying to do. They play hard. The question isn’t whether our girls play hard, but sometimes we play hard and maybe our minds are checked out a little bit. So right now, for us, it’s defense, defense, defense.”

Trinity led 47-9 at the half in the annual Coaches vs. Cancer Classic before Smith made wholesale substitutions in the second half.

Mya Moskowitz led Trinity with 18 points, followed by France Morris with 17, Lillie Smith with eight and Emory Causey with seven.

Olivia Smith and Kirsten Daniel each had eight to lead Montgomery Academy.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Catholic 62, LAMP 33

Jayden Phifer scored 17 points to lead the Knights to a 62-33 win over the Golden Tigers in a 4A Area 4 game at the LAMP gym on Friday night.

JJ Williams added 11 points, five rebounds, five steals and two assists, while Marquee Belser had eight points, four rebounds and two blocked shots.

Catholic evened its area record at 2-2 and will travel to Tuskegee to play Booker T. Washington in another Area 4 game on Tuesday.

Prattville Christian 69, Wilcox Central 66

PRATTVILLE -- Cade Segars scored 26 points to lead the Panthers to a 4A Area 5 win over Wilcox Central on Senior Night in the PCA gym on Friday night.

Collier Connell added 21 points and four rebounds, followed by Brady Roberson with 15 points, six assists and four steals, PJ Evans with four points, eight rebounds and eight assists and Justin Chapman with three points and four rebounds.

PCA (12-11) improved to 3-0 in area play and will travel to Plantersville on Monday to play Dallas County in an area game.

In the junior varsity game, Wade Mora scored 17 points and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead PCA in a 57-33 loss to Wilcox Central. Easton Miller grabbed six rebounds and dished out five assists, Ethan Girlie scored five points, Carter Bolden scored four points and Carter Fiacco had three for PCA (5-6).

 Hooper Academy 64, Autauga Academy 60
PRATTVILLE -- Luke Mosley and Slade Russell each had five points in the fourth quarter as the Colts rallied late to turn back the Generals 64-60 in the Autauga gym on Thursday.

Mosley finished with a game-high 19 points, followed by Nolan Cole with 14 and Russell with 12. Lucas Spellman, who had two big 3-pointers in the second half, added 10 points.

Colin Edwards and Cam Wright each had 15 points to lead Autauga Academy. Edwards had 10 points in the first half and Wright had eight as the Generals rallied from a 14-12 deficit in the first quarter to take a 28-27 lead at the half and a 44-43 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Bryant Dupree added 12 points, scoring nine of those in the fourth quarter, and Damien Dickerson had 11.

Lowndes Academy 77, Crenshaw Christian 35

LOWNDESBORO -- Lowndes Academy won its 12th consecutive game, celebrating Senior Night with a 77-35 win over Crenshaw Christian in an area game on Thursday night.

The Rebels improved to 3-0 in area play with the win. The Lowndes girls also improved to 3-0, defeating the Cougars 78-10.

Clayton Hussey had 29 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists and eight steals as Lowndes raced out to a 19-6 lead in the first quarter and a 41-17 cushion at the half.

Zack Azar added 14 points and five rebounds, followed by Watters Box with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists, Andrew Myers with 11 points, a rebound, two steals and a blocked shot, Will Brassell with six points and a rebound, Pierson Hill with three points, four rebounds and a steal and Jase Howard with two points and three rebounds.

Lowndes (14-3) will travel to Selma next week for an area matchup with Meadowview Christian.

Bullock County 57, Catholic 54

UNION SPRINGS -- Jayden Phifer had 19 points to lead the Knights, but Catholic fell just short in a 57-54 loss to Bullock County in a 4A Area 4 game in the Bullock County gym on Thursday.

The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was pushed back two days because of the sub-freezing temperatures.

Marquee Belser added 11 points and four rebounds for the Knights, followed by Courtney Williams with 10 points, three rebounds, five steals and six assists. Jo Pierce had a team-high seven rebounds along with four points.  

Glenwood School 51, Macon East Academy 33

CECIL -- Jackson Todd had 11 points, two rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead the Knights, but the Gators were able to pull out a 51-33 win in AAA Region 1 play in the Macon East gym on Thursday night.

Jacob Johnson added eight points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, Omarion Wilson had seven points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal and Keagan Roney had six points, eight rebounds and a pair of steals for Macon, which dropped to 1-6 in region play.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Catholic 84, LAMP 15

Lela Rogers scored 20 points to lead Catholic to a comfortable 84-15 win over the Golden Tigers in a 4A Area 4 game in the LAMP gym on Friday night.

The Knights led 29-5 at the end of the first quarter and were up 43-11 at the half. Hannah Smith added 19 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, four steals and two blocked shots, followed by Heaven Bailey with 16 points, five rebounds, seven assists and seven steals. Kierstyn Green added 11 points for the Knights, who improved to 4-0 in area play.

The Knights will travel to Tuskegee to play Booker T. Washington in another area match up on Tuesday.

Prattville Christian 69, Wilcox Central 34

PRATTVILLE -- Freshman Kayden Carr led the Panthers on Senior Night, scoring 25 points, pulling down five rebounds and dishing out four assists in a 4A Area 5 game.

Baylee Rogers added 18 points, four rebounds and four assists, followed by Avery Rogers with 13 points and eight rebounds, Leah Cate Wilson with five points and 11 rebounds, Ally Blankinchip with three points, 13 rebounds and six assists and Sydney Lee with three points.

PCA (18-5) improved to 3-0 in area play and will travel to Dallas County for an area game on Monday.

St. James 71, Alabama Christian 47

Ava Card scored 27 points to help the Trojans maintain their lead in the 3A Area 6 race with a 71-47 win over Alabama Christian on Friday night.

St. James in 4-0 in area play, followed by Trinity at 3-1, Montgomery Academy at 1-3 and Alabama Christian at 0-4.    

Kaitlin Mitchell scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds for the Trojans, while Natalie Barton scored 12 points, had nine steals, seven assists and five rebounds and Morgan Lilly had 11 points and grabbed four rebounds. Katie Brightwell dished out seven assists on the night.  

St. James (20-4) will travel to Montgomery Academy on Tuesday for another area game.  

Chambers Academy 51, Lakeside School 50

LAFAYETTE -- Chloe Helms scored 25 points as the Chiefs dropped a heartbreaker in the Chambers Academy gym on Friday night.

Sophie Seaborn added 12 points for Lakeside, followed by Addysen Ericksen with six and Addy Helms with five.

Catholic 81, Bullock County 32

UNION SPRINGS -- The Catholic girls won for the fifth time in the last six games, cruising to an 81-32 win over Bullock County to improve to 3-0 in 4A Area 4 play.

The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but was pushed back two days because of sub-freezing temperatures.

Hannah Smith led the Knights with 21 points, 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals, followed by Haley Isman with 18 points, two assists and three steals, Kierstyn Green with 15 points and two steals and Heaven Bailey with 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists and five steals.

Park Crossing 62, Pike Road 42

PIKE ROAD -- Park Crossing beat Pike Road to sweep the season series and remain unbeaten in 6A Area 3 play with a 62-42 win in the Pike Road gym on Thursday.

Jazz Johnson led the Patriots with 17 points and seven rebounds and KJ Fencher chipped in 13.

The Patriots, 1-2 in area play, close out area play with a game at Russell County on Saturday.

WRESTLING

Tallassee falls in 5A Duals finals to Scottsboro

The Tallassee Tigers entered the AHSAA Class 5A Duals Wrestling semifinals undefeated at 30-0.

The record was still perfect after a 36-31 decision over Gulf Shores

But like last year, the Tigers’ perfect record ended with a loss in the tournament finals.

Tallassee fell to Scottsboro, 52-21, in the 5A championship round on Friday at the Bill Harris Arena. It was the second year in a row to lose in the finals. Last year, the Tigers were defeated by Jasper after beating Gulf Shores in the semis.

In the match against Gulf Shores, Landon Bell (40-0) sealed the win for the Tigers with a 17-1 technical fall victory in the 146-pound match – which was the 13th of 14 matches in the semis. Christian McCary won his 167-pound division match with a pin in just 36 seconds.

In the championship round, Tallassee (31-1) earned wins with a pin by Nolan Addeo in the 192-pound bout and Landon Bell gave the Tigers a big moment at 146 pounds with a pin in just 38 seconds.

St. James reaches 1A-4A finals, loses to Weaver

BIRMINGHAM -- The Trojans advanced to the 1A-4A finals with an impressive 48-24 win over Ranburne, but fell in the AHSAA Duals Wrestling state finals to Weaver 42-23 on Friday at Bill Harris Arena.

The Trojans got wins from their first six wrestlers -- Braylen Corley (128 pounds), Luke Robbins (134), Logan Hartson (140), Conner Johnston (146), Miles Zukowski (152) and Emmett Rasmussen (159) -- in the semifinal win over Ranburne. Pruitt Conner (192 pounds), Brooks Bachelor (217) and Andrew Shalayda (122) also posted victories for the Trojans.

In the finals, Weaver (22-0) won three of the last four matches by pinfall and earned a 42-23 victory. Cael Fuller (108 pounds), Haiden Hise (122 pounds) and Dalton Fink (128 pounds) delivered the crucial pinfall victories to give Weaver its first duals title for a starting lineup that includes five eighth graders and two freshmen.

The Trojans earned wins from Noah Rains (115 pounds), Miles Zukowski (152), Pruitt Conner (177), Brooks Bachelor (192) and Owen Penney (287).

Pike Road falls to Mountain Brook, then loses in consolation

BIRMINGHAM -- Pike Road fell to Mountain Brook in the 6A semifinals, then lost to Athens in the consolation match in the AHSAA Duals Wrestling state finals Friday at Bill Harris Arena.

In the semifinals, unbeaten Mountain Brook defeated the Patriots 48-34 with every match ending in a fall except one, a 115-pound match won by Pike Road’s John Duncan. Mountain Brook forfeited its final three matches to the Patriots’ Myers Duncan (140), Maddox Bowen (146) and Carson McBryer (152) to give the Patriots 18 points and Cody Kirk (159) and Mason Hussey (177) posted wins as well.

In the consolation, Pike Road (14-7) led 28-22 with five matches remaining, but Athens rallied to win three matches with pins and avoided pins in the other two matches for a 40-37 victory. Winning matches for the Patriots were Dylan Yarema (108), John Duncan (115), Jack Posey (128), Myers Duncan (140) Kirk (159), Hussey (177) and Ethan Holloway (192). 

PCA splits with American Christian, Catholic on Senior Night

PRATTVILLE -- Prattville Christian honored Matthew Post, Brody Pugh, David Tubbs-Hill, Aiden Cockrell and Eli Staggs on Senior Night in a tri-match with American Christian and Catholic.

The Panther wrestling team defeated American Christian Academy in the first dual of the night 60-12, then fell to Catholic 46-33.

PCA is off this weekend and will return to action next Tuesday as they travel to Beauregard for a tri-match with the Hornets and Russell County.