Huntsville City Classic Day 2 Recap
Day 2 of the Huntsville City Classic had a lot of great action from some elite teams and players. The day was split into two segments, with the first round featuring teams that were battling for a spot in the semifinals, while a win in the second half of the day assured teams a spot in the championship game.
There was a lot of great action from elite players like Malik Tyson, Mark Sears, and Kobe Brown. The day also featured some rising stars, like Brandon Nicolas, Garrett Hicks, and Geraldo Lane.
First Half of Day 2:
Game 1: Sparkman 64 | Muscle Shoals 57
This game was one of the best games of the first half of Day 2. Sparkman and Muscle Shoals both came out strong, putting up a 20-19 first quarter in Muscle Shoals favor. At the end of the third quarter, Sparkman pulled ahead of Muscle Shoals, 45-43, and Muscle Shoals was unable to finish the game on top. Muscle Shoals struggled from the three-point line, shooting only 7-29. Mark Sears scored 31 points, had 5 rebounds, and 5 assists for Muscle Shoals. Malik Tyson led the way for Sparkman with 30 points, 13 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
Player of the Game: Malik Tyson
Honorable Mentions: Mark Sears (MS), Michael McIntosh (MS), Tyrese Elliot (Sparkman)
Next Opponent: Mae Jemison
Game 2: Mae Jemison 70 | Huntsville 41
After a strong first quarter, Huntsville started to slip in the second quarter, then completely fell apart in the second half. Huntsville began the game leading 14-12 at the end of the first quarter but then was outscored 37-13 in the second half. Huntsville and Mae Jemison also both had a high number of turnovers, losing the ball a combined 38 times. A strong second half allowed Mae Jemison to easily take care of Huntsville. John Cole Norris had 13 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist for Huntsville. Brandon Nicolas led Mae Jemison to a victory with 38 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Player of the Game: Brandon Nicolas
Honorable Mentions: John Cole Norris (Huntsville), Isaiah Green (MJ)
Next Opponent: Sparkman
Game 3: Columbia 70 | James Clemens 63
After a sloppy 15-8 start in the first quarter, Columbia found themselves trailing by 7 points. They were able to battle back with a strong 26-15 third quarter to get help them get the edge over James Clemens. This game was back and forth most of the time, with 8 lead changes. Columbia had plenty of time to rest in between plays, shooting 26-41 from the free throw line. A whopping 26 fouls for James Clemens gave Columbia 26 free points and allowed them to defeat James Clemens. Garrett Hicks had 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals for James Clemens. Geraldo Lane led the way for Columbia with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists.
Player of the Game: Geraldo Lane
Honorable Mentions: Garrett Hicks (JC), AJ McGinnis (JC), Jamiah Holloway (Columbia)
Next Opponent: Lee-Huntsville
Game 4: Lee-Huntsville 57 | Oxford 53
This game was arguably the best game of the first half of the day. Lee went into the fourth quarter with a 41-38 lead and Oxford was unable to complete the comeback in the fourth quarter. Both teams shot the ball really well, with Oxford shooting 48% and Lee shooting 47%. Oxford shot 3-15 from three-point land and came up 4 points short at the final buzzer. Zondrick Garrett II had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks for Oxford. Kobe Brown led Lee to a victory with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Player of the Game: Kobe Brown
Honorable Mentions: Zondrick Garrett II (Oxford), Eugene Leonard III (Oxford), Tyreece Smith (Lee)
Next Opponent: Columbia
Second Half of Day 2:
Semifinal 1: Mae Jemison 86 | Sparkman 73
Mae Jemison was pretty dominant in this game, getting off to a 22-12 start by the end of the first quarter. By halftime, they had extended their lead to 42-24. However, Sparkman battled back a little bit in the fourth quarter, closing the gap to single digits, but they were unable to complete the comeback. Mae Jemison shot 60% during the game, which certainly gave them an advantage over Sparkman’s 44% shooting. Despite a late push by Sparkman, Mae Jemison took care of business in this one and never allowed Sparkman to have the lead. Rondell Cole had 25 points and 4 rebounds for Sparkman. Brandon Nicolas had 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists to give Mae Jemison the victory, although he was not named the Player of the Game.
Player of the Game: Isaiah Green
Honorable Mentions: Rondell Cole (Sparkman), Malik Tyson (Sparkman), Toney Tony (MJ), Brandon Nicolas (MJ)
Next Opponent: Columbia (Championship Game)
Semifinal 2: Columbia 63 | Lee-Huntsville 56
This game was easily the best semifinal game of the day and one of the best games of Day 2. Columbia and Lee went back and forth in the first half, with Lee leading Columbia 18-14 after the first quarter and then Columbia outscoring Lee 20-16 in the second quarter to tie it up at halftime. Columbia took a 2 point lead into the fourth quarter and outscored Lee by 5 points in the fourth quarter, to give them a 7 point victory. Kobe Brown had 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists for Lee. Larry Penn had 18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals to help give Columbia the victory.
Player of the Game: Larry Penn
Honorable Mentions: Kobe Brown (Lee), Zyan Green (Lee), Geraldo Lane (Columbia)
Next Opponent: Mae Jemison (Championship Game)
This completes the Day 2 recap of the Huntsville City Classic. Mae Jemison will face Columbia this afternoon (12/29) at 12 pm.