Eagles, Magnet girls triumph
MAGNET COVE — A secondquarter surge fueled by defense and a dominant third period gave Cutter Morning Star’s senior boys a strong regularseason finish.
The Eagles made eight steals while closing the first half on a 10- 0 run, then scored the third quarter’s first 12 points and routed Magnet Cove 51- 30 Friday night.
In the nightcap of 2A- 5 matchups rescheduled a week earlier, Magnet Cove senior girls Abby Stevens and Shelby Stone combined for 37 points in a 55- 31 win.
Senior Bailey White and reserve Dax York led balanced Eagle scoring with 12 points apiece, York netting six in a 17- 4 third period. Spencer May had 11 and Ryan Scroggins seven.
A defensive change sparked CMS ( 14- 10), which finished 8- 4 in conference and No. 3 seed in the 2A- 5 tournament. The switch came after Magnet Cove’s Eli Fisher’s third threepoint basket.
“We started out in 2- 2- 1 zone pressure and matched up some,” CMS coach Jesse Slick said. “We wanted to keep the ball out of ( Fisher’s) hands and make their other guys do things. Early on, once they figured out our 2- 2- 1 pressure and got some good looks we got out of our zone pressure and went ‘ man.’ We got more aggressive — turned the heat up, got the intensity up a notch.”
Matthew Bates started the game- turning surge with a pair of free throws, the second after a steal, in four attempts for a 17- 16 CMS lead. The Eagles made seven steals in the first half’s final four minutes, White sinking a free throw and York a fall- away jumper and Chance Taylor driving for a layup after steal straight swipes - the first two by White.
York hit twice from the line after a York steal, and Sam Byrd one of two with 8.8 seconds left for a 25- 16 halftime margin.
Magnet Cove went scoreless for more than 10 minutes, York’s six points, May’s four and two by Bates pushing the lead to 37- 16 late in the third quarter before Kaleb Jacks’s rebound basket ended the Panthers’ drought. Ryan Scroggins’ five straight points made it 4218.
Kaleb Jacks led Magnet Cove with 10 points, six in the fourth quarter. Fisher finished with nine.
“It was a physical game, and sloppy at times,” Slick said, “but I give my guys credit for battling and keeping their composure. Dax York did a good job coming off the bench. He dominated the paint and made some post moves. There was a stretch there where he was all over the court.”
The 2A- 5 tournament starts Monday in England, CMS playing Monday’s Abundant Life- Magnet Cove winenr at 8: 30 p. m. Tuesday.
*** In the girls game, Stevens scored 19 points and went five for six on three- pointers, the last three thwarting a brief CMS late- third quarter rally. Stone added 18, scoring six in the first and fourth periods.
Stone had a three- point play and Stevens hit her first trey in an 11- 2 start. Magnet Cove made it 25- 9 with a 12- 2 second- quarter surge, and it was 27- 11 at halftime.
CMS ( 11- 12, 6- 6 in conference) finally mounted a threat with a 6- 0 run, pulling to 36- 24 on Gabby Breshears’ three- pointer and Kaitlynne Sorrells’ putback. Stevens answered with a three from the left side with six seconds left in the third, and connected twice early in the fourth for 45- 26.
Faith Woodfield added nine points for Magnet Cove, the 2A- 5 tourney’s No. 2 seed, and Sadie Martin had a team- high six rebounds.
Shelby Chapman and Tiffany Miller each scored seven points to lead the Lady Eagles, Breshears adding six. Destinee Hamilton had five points and a game- high 12 rebounds, Chapman grabbing nine rebounds.
The Lady Eagles, seeded fourth in the district tournament, play fifth- seeded Mount Ida at 4 p. m. Tuesday.