McCall hopes MA’s fast start leads to big finish
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MA’s J.J. Sewell avoids the double team of Southside’s Mario Oliver (2) and Baravious Hall in the Eagles’ win on Tuesday. (Staff Photo) Staff Report With a 10-1 start, one might think Montgomery Academy coach Anthony McCall would be pleased with his team’s performance. “I am happy, but…” The Eagles’ 57-48 win over Southside-Selma in the Capital City Conference Christmas Basketball Tournament certainly brought a smile to his face. But, McCall is thinking bigger than a holiday tournament championship. “We want to get to Birmingham but we are not quite where we need to be,” McCall said after Tuesday’s win, which put the Eagles in the tournament finals. “We are getting better. We played with more intensity but (Monday) we were awful. We tend to play to the level of our competition. When our coaches challenge them, they respond. But they need to go out and play with that same emotion every game.” Based on his own scouting report, McCall believes he has one of the bigger lineups in central Alabama. The front line features Joe Azar (6-foot-5), Robert Harris (6-foot-2) and Forrest Yarbrough (6-foot-4) who leads the team in scoring. Yarbrough led the Eagles with 19 points in the win over Southside on Tuesday. In order for the Eagles to contend for a regional title, the inside players must take a step up. “Our 4s and 5s (forwards) have to be more productive,” McCall said. “We are getting about 17 points a game (as a unit) and most of those points are coming from two guys. We need 22-23 points per game from them. If they are scoring, we have a good chance.” While Yarbrough has been MA’s top scorer, the Eagles have options beyond the senior. “We have three or four options when we need it, depending on the situation,” McCall said. “That’s not a bad problem to have. There is no doubt, if we need a score, Forrest is our guy.” The regular-season area title will more than likely come down to a battle between MA and Trinity. The two teams meet twice before area tournaments open in early February. “I like what we have,” McCall said. “I see our team improving but we still have work to do.” |
MA is a very good team and even though they beat us good (ACA) they are fun to watch. They have a lot of talent and are well coached. I love to watch Yarbrough put up all those three’s. You can’t help but be happy for such a great young man as Forrest. Good luck MA with the rest of your season and I hope you can bring a state championship home this year.