Combined Reports
(Feb. 24, 2010)
BIRMINGHAM - Here is a recap of the first day of the Alabama High School Athletic Association state finals at the Birmingham BJCC Arena.

Pickens County 59, Sand Rock 54

Pickens County of Reform closed out Tuesdayís Class 2A session with a hard-fought 59-54 win over Sand Rock.

Pickens County (26-2), the Central Regional champs, made the big plays defensively down the stretch to lift Coach Russ Wallaceís Tornadoes into Thursday nightís 8 p.m. finals against Houston County. It marks the first time Pickens has reached the finals since 1971.

Junior guard Deion Curry led the way with 17 points. He also had six rebounds and four steals while playing 31 of the gameís 32 minutes. Sophomore Warren Betts added 11 points, Nicholas Stewart had nine and Dominique Jones had four and a team-high 10 rebounds.

The Tornadoes were able to win with by attacking the basket ñ to the tune of 44 points inside with 22 coming on second-chance shots.

Sand Rock junior guard Brannon Burt sank 5-of-11 3-point goals and finished with a game-high 24 points. Riley Norris, a 6-6 eighth grader, added eight points for the Wildcats (28-4) and a game-high 13 rebounds. His older brother, 6-2 sophomore Drew Norris, also had eight points.

Houston County 72, Mars Hill Bible 66

Houston County (26-9) of Columbia outscored Mars Hill Bible (28-4) in the fourth quarter 30-26 to overcome a 33-point effort by Panthers senior guard Jake Mitchell and held on to a 72-66 victory in the first Class 2A semifinal played Tuesday.

Four players led the Lionsí balanced scoring with Jazerek Peterson scoring 18 points, Desmond Warren adding 16, Jeremy Robinson 15, and Andrew Bolden 12. Robinson also had 10 rebounds and Bolden handed out seven assists as Houston County advanced to its first-ever state basketball final.

Coach Emanuel Brownís quick team forced 22 turnovers with Warren getting four steals and Peterson three.

Mitchell was 11-of-20 from the field and a perfect 10-of-10 at the foul line while also handing out five assists and clearing six rebounds. Steven Thomas added 14 points.

Class 1A Boys Semifinals

Edward Bell 59, Parkway Christian 54

Exciting 5-foot-10 senior guard† Damien Carr nailed a Final 48 Class 1A state tournament record-tying six 3-point goals and finished with 30 points as Edward Bell moved into the Class 1A finals to face J.F. Shields Thursday night.

Carr helped the Bears (26-2) jump out to a 36-24 halftime lead with 21 points in the first two quarters.† Armis Holloway added 10 points and 10 rebounds and Jamie Edwards tallied nine points while dishing out five assists for Coach Mitch Joinerís Bears. Cobe Bowens also had 11 rebounds.

Parkway Christian (16-14), making its third Final 48 appearance in the last four years, clawed back into the contest, thanks in part to 5-7 junior guard Alfred Banksí 21 points. He sank three treys and† was 4-of-5 at the foul line. Walter Arnold added 12 points with a 6-for-6 free throw effort and Breyon Washington had 10 points and a game high 13 boards.

J.F. Shields 45, R.A. Hubbard 38

Outstanding defense was the main staple in J.F. Shieldsí 45-38 victory over R.A. Hubbard in the first boys Class 1A semifinal game Tuesday.

The Panthers (23-5) out-rebounded the Chiefs (28-3) by seven, 41-34, and blocked seven shots. Coach Jerome Sandersí team also forced several other altered Hubbard shot attempts as the Chiefs managed shooting just 22 percent overall from the field, including 0-of-15 on 3-point tries.

Jeterious Johnson led Shields, which plays Edward Bell in the finals Thursday night at 6 p.m., with 17 points and three steals. He was 4-of-5 at the foul line.† Carlos Castophney chipped in 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.

Mykmyk Ingram was the lone Chief in double figures with 14 points. Clifton Benford added nine and Larry Hampton had six steals.

Class 2A Girls Semifinals

Clements 59, Barbour County 39

The taller Colts (33-3) went inside for 36 of their 59 points as Clements beat Barbour County 59-39 and advanced to Fridayís 4 p.m. Class 2A state championship game against North Sand Mountain.

Daneshia Malone poured in 19 points, Jordan Beggs 16 and Chelsea Haggermaker 11. Malone also had eight rebounds, blocked five shots, managed three steals and also sank 5-of-6 free throws.

Clements, coached by Sonya Marks, outscored Barbour County 38-24 in the second half.

Shakkara Dinkins scored 11 points for Barbour County (21-5) of Clayton and Jakita George added nine points and nine rebounds.

North Sand Mountain 68, R.C. Hatch 66

In the best girls game of day 1, North Sand Mountain (28-6) of Higdon beat R.C. Hatch of Uniontown by two, 68-66.

Chelsea Ellison had 18 points for the Lady Bison with some key free throws down the stretch, including one with :01 left to seal the win. Lauren Cummins added 12 points and 13 rebounds, Lacy Huckabee added 14 points, and Keely Ellison had 10 points for North Sand Mountain. Stella Camp had 10 boards.

Hatch senior guard Eboni Smith had 26 points and eight rebounds, Kristy Lipscomb added 18 points and eight rebounds, and Marchae Wright had 10 boards plus an nine blocked shots.

Class 1A Girls Semifinals

J.F. Shields 50, Hackleburg 36

J.F. Shields (28-0), the only undefeated AHSAA team remaining in the state championship hunt, advanced to the Class 1A championship game Friday at 4 p.m. to face Sunshine (23-1).

Junior guard Tyika Robinson scored 29 points for the Panthers of Beatrice. She made 13-of-16 free throws and had six rebounds. April Montgomery also had 12 points and 12 rebounds while Mariah Jones and Carnneshia Huff pulled down 10 rebounds each.

Hackleburg (25-6)† was led by Hope Hudsonís 14 points while Cyndra Kivette had a tournament high 18 rebounds, seven points and three blocked shots.

Sunshine 51, Spring Garden 49

Sunshine senior Shafontaye Myers, a University of Alabama commitment, took an inbounded ball into the lane and scored a 2-foot jumper with one second remaining to give the Tigers (23-1) a 51-49 win over Spring Garden (23-10) in the first contest of the day Tuesday morning.

Myers finished with 31 points and 10 steals. JohnQuesha Childs chipped in nine points and eight rebounds.

Tara Mullinax led Spring Garden with 24 points, including a 9-of-10 performance at the foul line, and eight rebounds.† Jordan Sides added 11 points and Kelsey Turner had eight plus 12 rebounds.