ANOTHER CLASSIC FOR THE RIVALRY
MBaron@CalhounTimes.com
When Calhoun and Sonoraville take to the court, you know a hard-fought battle is about to commence.
With an electric and rowdy crowd, the Calhoun Yellow Jackets (3-0) rallied back from 11 points down in the fourth quarter to prevail in overtime 71-66 over the Sonoraville Phoenix (23) Thursday at Sonoraville High School.
About halfway through the fourth quarter, all signs pointed toward a Phoenix victory in the 53 Frenzy Hoops Edition. Calhoun built an early 16-9 lead after one quarter, but that seemed like an afterthought to how the latter half of the contest was playing out.
“I felt like every time we got momentum, (Sonoraville) would answer,” Yellow Jackets head coach Vince Layson said.
However, the Jackets stormed back on a 13-1 run, taking a brief 59-58 advantage with 1:59 remaining on the clock.
“Basketball is a game of runs, no different than the run they went on to get up 16-9 after one quarter,” Phoenix head coach Brent Mashburn said. “Early on, we forced too many outside shots I thought and then kind of settled in and started attacking the basket a little bit better and that created some better shots from the outside and got us some easy ones.”
Shortly thereafter, Sonoraville retook the lead with a basket from senior Blade Bryant, then junior Orry Darnell hit two free throws (on separate fouls) for a 62-59 edge.
Calhoun got the ball back with a chance to tie the game, and the stage was set for sophomore Peyton Law.
“Just shortly before, I looked at him on the bench and I put him in and said ‘Hey, we need offense,’ and he said ‘I got you, coach,’” Layson said.
Law, with ice (possibly) in his veins, nailed a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds left to play in the fourth. The Calhoun sideline erupted. Ironically enough, it was Law’s first field goal of the night.
“They were looking for me to get the
BOYS,
throughout. After one quarter, Sonoraville held a 10-9 lead with only seven field goals made between the teams combined.
“We made some defensive adjustments in just the way we guarded some folks (last) Wednesday night to tonight,” Lady Jackets head coach Jaime Echols said. “(Sonoraville’s) quick and they’re long and they get in your face. They’re always in the right spot, which makes it difficult. We’re not the shooting team we want to be yet. Our kids are getting there, (but) we’ve still got a little bit of work to do on that end.”
The Lady Phoenix started to stretch their lead toward the end of the second quarter, going on a 9-2 run to close the first half. Sonoraville junior Matti Parker hit two field goals, interspersed with a 3-pointer by Abby Chambers and a basket by senior Maliyah Parks. The Lady Phoenix led 29-18 at the break.
“Our pressure gave them a little bit of trouble,” Caudell said. “We were able to get a couple of turnovers at the end of the first half and it turned into some easy offense. Abby Chambers made a big three and, generally with this group, when they see the ball go in a couple times, they tend to feed off that.”
The second half also saw a similar defensive struggle, as Sonoraville could not pull away from Calhoun. When the final horn sounded, the Lady Phoenix had secured a 10-point victory for their sixth in-a-row over the Lady Jackets.
In the win, Sonoraville junior Alexa Geary led all scorers with 20 points. Parker was second with 16. For the Lady Jackets, junior Lyndi Rae Davis finished with 13.
“Alexa is a talented offensive player,” Caudell said. “She’s one that we depend on every night to get baskets and I thought she did a good job staying within herself and made a couple of tough ones. In the fourth quarter, she made some really big shots.”
For Echols, this was his first game coaching a regional battle between the two programs.
“I thought it was awesome,” Echols said on the atmosphere. “Our fans were behind us, going crazy and their fans were. That’s what high school ball is about, so it was a lot of fun. I know it was fun for our kids and I was really pleased with the way they held their composure and played through all the craziness.”
“I’ve been part of lots of them, but it’s always a good atmosphere,” Caudell said. “The kids love it. They love playing in front of that kind of crowd. It’s fun to have a rivalry if it makes everybody raise their game.”
The Lady Phoenix move to 4-2 while the Lady Jackets fall to 1-3.
“I liked our fight tonight,” Echols said. “I thought we came out ready to play aggressive, and that’s what you’ve got to do against a really good team like that.”
Both teams have a quick turnaround as Calhoun’s home opener is Friday versus Murray County while Sonoraville travels to Ringgold.