THARPTOWN - Red Bay coach Kevin Morrow has had seventh-and-eighth-grade basketball teams that finished with better records than this year’s bunch. But these Tigers closed their season in a manner consistent with many of the rest.
As county champions.
Red Bay got a game-high 16 points from Coby Jackson and two three-pointers apiece from David Lindsay and Carson Corum on Saturday, pulling away from Phil Campbell for a 61-31 win in the finals of the junior high Franklin County Tournament.
The Tigers finished the year 15-8, winning five of their last six games and cruising by first Belgreen and then the Bobcats last week at Tharptown to claim the county title.
“There were days where I thought we had a really good chance to win it,” said Morrow, who has led Red Bay to nine B-junior boys championships—including the last four in a row—in 16 years as head coach. “Here at the end of the year, we’ve been playing pretty well. We had a big win over Winfield, who had beaten us twice earlier in the year. We got behind 8-0 at Sulligent [on January 4], and I called a timeout to get their attention a little bit. We ended up winning that game 41-18.
“From that point on, we’ve played pretty well. I always felt like if we came out zoned in and ready to play, we’d be fine. At the same time, you’re dealing with twelve- and thirteen-year-old kids, so you’re never quite sure what you’re gonna get.”
What the Tigers got in Saturday’s final was a balanced scoring attack led by Jackson and Andrew Ray, who combined to score 26 points; a dominant performance on the glass that saw them out-rebound Phil Campbell 31-17; and a relentless effort on defense that helped them break open a close game with a big second quarter.
“We defended well,” Morrow said. “We got after it in the press and got some easy baskets that helped us pull away in the second quarter. The first quarter was nip and tuck.
“Coby and our other post guys got after it on the boards pretty good. Our wing guys, Owen Terry and Andrew Ray, are really aggressive on the offensive and defensive glass.”
Red Bay raced out to a quick start, surging to a 9-2 lead on a three by Hayden Seahorn with barely three minutes gone by. The Bobcats battled back, getting a three from Brennan Misner and a putback from Cam Habada to cut the lead to 9-7 at the end of one quarter.
Phil Campbell pulled even on a layup by Habada early in the second quarter, but that’s when the Tigers started to take control. Ray followed a basket by Bryson Hacker with two buckets of his own, and then Lindsay buried a three to make it 18-11 with 2:45 left in the first half.
The Bobcats were still trailing by just seven with a minute to go when Corum nailed a three to spark a closing 7-0 run. Ray converted a steal into a layup, and then a jumper by Owen Terry sent Red Bay into the locker room with a commanding 28-14 lead.
The Tigers out-scored Phil Campbell 19-7 in the second quarter.
“We didn’t turn the ball over a lot,” Morrow said. “When you’re able to force some turnovers and you take care of the ball, you end up with a few more shots than the other team. And if you pound the glass, that just gives you even more opportunities.”
Habada hit a three-pointer for the Bobcats to open the second half and cut the lead to 11, but Jackson proceeded to take over in the paint. The eighth-grade big man scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds during a dominant two-minute stretch, helping the Tigers open up a 36-18 advantage.
“Coby has a lot of ability,” Morrow said of Jackson, who averaged 12.0 points in two tournament games. “We think the ceiling is pretty high for him, if he continues to work. And he’s one who’s willing to do the work.”
Red Bay extended the margin to 21 on a three by Paden Allison at the 1:10 mark and led 41-23 at the end of three. Corum and Lindsey each hit another three in the fourth quarter, helping the Tigers out-score Phil Campbell 20-8 down the stretch to run away and hide.
“We got balanced scoring out of all of them,” Morrow said. “Nine of our eleven players scored today, so that was good to see.”
Jackson finished with six rebounds to go along with his 16 points, and Ray added 10 points and four boards. Lindsay scored seven points, and Corum, Hacker and Landon Glover each had six. Allison finished with five, and Seahorn had three. Terry chipped in with two points and five rebounds. Charlie Huffman grabbed a team-high six boards, and Brian Parker Blair added two rebounds.
Habada led Phil Campbell with 11 points. Kyle Pace added seven, and Misner finished with five. Cooper Riddle, JJ Quillen and Cole Pace each scored two points, and Clayton Demartin and Sage Raper had one apiece.
In B-junior girls action at the county tournament on Saturday:
Phil Campbell 39 Tharptown 25
Madison Branch had 17 points and nine rebounds for the Lady Bobcats, who dominated the first half on their way to winning the county title.
Jade Roberson added 10 points for Phil Campbell, which led 10-3 at the end of one quarter. Branch opened the second quarter with a long jumper and a three-pointer, and then Roberson nailed a corner three to make it 18-3 with 4:00 left in the half.
Alexis Stewart later closed out the half with a jumper, sending the Lady Bobcats into the locker room with a 27-8 lead. Branch and Roberson combined for 13 second-quarter points, helping Phil Campbell out-score Tharptown 17-5.
Stewart finished with six points, and Mary Kathryn Swinney added four. Allie Herring had two points and four rebounds, helping the Lady Bobcats hold a 28-15 edge on the boards. Katelin Frazier also grabbed four rebounds, Gracelyn Habada pulled down three, and Chesney Hamby added two.
Autumn Montgomery went 5-for-6 from the foul line and finished with nine points to lead Tharptown. Katelyn Simmons had six points on 6-for-9 shooting from the line and also grabbed seven rebounds. Kendall Morgan added four points.
In previous B-junior girls action at the county tournament:
Phil Campbell 35 Red Bay 30
Jade Roberson shot 4-for-5 from the foul line and scored 14 points last Thursday as the Lady Bobcats got by Red Bay to earn a spot in Saturday’s final.
Harley Cummings added eight points for Phil Campbell, and Gracelyn Habada had six. Madison Branch finished with five points.
Emma Netherly led Red Bay with 14 points, and Sarah Eaton had eight.
