Class 7A Area 1-4 Tournament Recap
With Area tournaments in full swing, there are lots of games happening all over the state on any given night! It can be very difficult to keep up with, thankfully, Prep Hoops has taken care of that for you! Below…
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Continue ReadingWith Area tournaments in full swing, there are lots of games happening all over the state on any given night! It can be very difficult to keep up with, thankfully, Prep Hoops has taken care of that for you! Below is a short recap of each game that took place in the Class 7A Area 1-4 tournaments along with some stats on the top performers.
Area 1
First Round: Davidson vs. Alma Bryant: 51-49
In the 4th and 5th seed matchup, Davidson faced off against Alma Bryant. The game was close, but Alma Bryant came out on top with the 2 point victory over Davidson. This advanced Ama Bryant to the semifinal game against Baker.
Semifinal #1: Baker vs. Alma Bryant: 90-36
This one turned out to be pretty one-sided, with Baker crushing Alma Bryant to advance to the Area 1 Championship game. Kriston Davis led the way for Baker with 15 points and Branden Hayward added 11 points. For Alma Bryant, Xavier Forrest had 12 points and George Foster had 11 points.
Semifinal #2: Mary Montgomery vs. Theodore: 50-39
In the 2nd and 3rd seed game, Mary Montgomery faced off against area rival Theodore. The Vikings lost 2 of 3 games against the Bobcats this season, and the odds won out for this game, with Theodore advancing to the Area 1 Championship game. Jordan O’Neal led the way for Theodore with 16 points and Ky’Odrick Pogue Thompson added 11 points.
Finals: Baker vs. Theodore: 64-60
After both teams lost on the road in the regular season matchups, most assumed that this would be a good matchup. And they were right. In a close game, Baker was able to get the 4 point edge over Theodore to take home the Area 1 Championship. Kriston Davis led the way for the Hornets with 16 points and Jalen Lilly added 10 points. Jordan O’Neal was the high scorer for Baker, with 17 points. Terrance Lofton and Gabe Dubose both added 11 points to the Bobcats total.
Area Champion: Baker
What’s Next?
-Baker will play Fairhope in the Regionals matchups.
-Theodore will play McGill-Toolen in the Regionals matchups.
Area 2
Semifinal #1: Fairhope vs. Murphy: 64-42
Murphy beat Fairhope pretty handly twice in the regular season and the story was the same in the area tournament. The Pirates routed the Panthers by 22 points to advance to the Area 2 Championship game. Riley Leonard was the leading scorer for Fairhope, giving them 16 points. Hunter Ivy also had a good game, scoring 13 points.
Semifinal #2: Foley vs. McGill-Toolen: 74-33
In McGill-Toolen’s first regular-season matchup with Foley, they won 64-17. The case wasn’t much different Wednesday night when the Yellow Jackets defeated the Lions 74-33 to advance to the Area 2 Championship game. Barry Dunning Jr. had a monster game for McGill-Toolen, with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Jack Flynn also had a nice game for the Yellow Jackets, scoring 12 points.
Finals: Fairhope vs. McGill-Toolen: 54-53
This game was back and forth the whole way, and with 6.5 seconds left, Fairhope was up 53-50 and it looked like they had it won. But then, an elbow to the face resulted in a technical against Fairhope and McGill-Toolen had new found hope. Christopher Al Suggs went up to the line for the Yellow Jackets and was able to make them both free throws. This made the score 53-52, McGill-Toolen was down by 1 and had the ball with 6.5 seconds left. After a missed drive to the basket, Freshman Barry Dunning was able to tip the ball in before the buzzer and give McGill-Toolen the Area 2 Championship. Riley Leonard put up 20 points for Fairhope and Barry Dunning scored 19 points for McGill-Toolen.
Area Champion: Mcgill-Toolen
What’s Next?
-Fairhope will play Baker in the Regionals matchup.
-McGill-Toolen will play Theodore in the Regionals matchup.
Area 3
Semifinal #1: Lee-Montgomery vs. Prattville: 78-23
The #2 ranked Generals had no issues with the struggling Bobcats of Prattville. Lee had a very dominant showing against Prattville to advance them to the Area 3 Championship game.
Semifinal #2: Jefferson Davis vs. Enterprise: 46-43
The #2 seed vs #3 seed matchup turned out to be just as good as promised, with both teams winning on their home court during the regular season. In the third matchup on Tuesday night, Enterprise came out on top, by just 3 points, to advance to the Area 3 Championship game. Dallas Howell performed well for Enterprise, with 16 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals. Jalen Cunningham also had an impressive game for the Wildcats with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Finals: Lee-Montgomery vs. Enterprise: 67-52
In their 2 regular season meetings, each team took home the victory, so there is no doubt that Lee-Montgomery hosting the area tournament helped them out with getting the win over Enterprise and taking home the Area 3 Championship. Despite a 15 point loss, the first half was close, and Lee didn’t take the lead over Enterprise until the last 3 minutes of the 3rd quarter. However, the rest of the game was all Lee. Ja’Juan Hayes led the way for the Wildcats, with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Dallas Howell also had a great game, with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Area Champion: Lee-Montgomery
What’s Next?
-Lee-Montgomery will play Smiths Station in the Regionals matchup.
-Enterprise will play Central in the Regionals matchup.
Area 4
Semifinal #1: Auburn vs. Smith Station: 56-52
With the winner going to the Area 4 Championship game and advancing further in the tournament, it is not surprising that this game was close. In the regular season, both teams won on the road, so a neutral site meeting turned out to be the true test of the better team. However, after a close game, the Panthers came out on top by just 4 points. Donovan Pearman led the way for the Wildcats with 17 points, helping them advance to the Area 4 Championship game.
Finals: Central vs. Smiths Station: 60-52
After Central defeated Smiths Station twice in the regular, they were able to complete the regular season sweep on their rivals. After a hard fought game, Central defeated Smiths Station by 8 points, to take home the Area 4 Championship. Tremere Brown had a monster game for Central, with 25 points, 19 rebounds, 7 blocks and Marquez Henery also added 20 points for the Red Devils. Jalin Thomas put up 18 for Smiths Station and Keandre Cooper added 13 points.
Area Champion: Central
What’s Next?
-Central will play Enterprise in the Regionals matchup.
-Smiths Station will play Lee-Montgomery in the Regionals matchup.
For more tournament action, check the Class 7A Area 5-8 Tournament recap.