Photo: Hokes Bluff’s Bryce Whitaker drives to the basket as Madison Academy’s Bryce Curtis (12) and Shane Duke (30) defends during the Eagles’ 36-33 loss in the Class 4A Northeast Regional Tournament semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 13 at Jacksonville State. (Courtesy of Alex Chaney)
By Chris McCarthy/Publisher
The Hokes Bluff offense cooled down at an inopportune time last Thursday (Feb. 13) at Jacksonville State.
After averaging 65.5 poi
nts per game this postseason coming into the Class 4A Northeast Regional Tournament semifinals, the Eagle sharpshooters misfired on one too many occasions on the way to a 36-33 loss to Madison Academy on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at Pete Mathews Coliseum.
Hokes Bluff (24-8) shot 30 percent from the field, including 21 percent in the fourth quarter. The Eagles connected on only 25 percent of its three-point baskets attempts, going 1-for-7 from the perimeter in the second half.
Still and all, Hokes Bluff was very much in the game at the end of the third quarter while leading the Mustangs 31-30. The Eagles came up empty on their first four possessions of the fourth period until Drew McCarver converted a layup with 6:11 remaining.
Unfortunately for Hokes Bluff, that basket was its last of the game. The Eagles went a combined 0-for-8 from the field and foul line down the stretch, while six points from Madison Academy secured the Mustangs a berth in Wednesday’s championship game against Plainview.
“I thought we made throughout the process of the game, we just didn’t make enough of them,” said Hokes Bluff head coach Ryan Smith. “Hats off to Madison Academy – they made plays and won the game. We just came up a little bit short. But at the end of the day, I’m proud of these young men.”
McCarver and Anderson Morgan each scored eight points, while Bryce Whitaker and Logan Carr each scored seven. McCarver grabbed eight rebounds, followed by Whitaker with five and Noah Johnson with four. Johnson also had three steals.
Tony Wilson paced the Mustangs with 10 points, followed by J.R. Howard and Bryce Curtis with seven each.
The teams traded baskets and free throws for much of the first quarter. The Eagles led five points at one point before a three-point basket by Tahj Phillips and a jump shot from Wilson tied the game at 12-12 after the first eight minutes. Respective three-point baskets from Carr and Morgan during the second frame helped Hokes Bluff go into halftime ahead 21-18.
The Eagles were able to maintain their slim advantage through the third quarter and half of the fourth before Madison Academy gained the upper hand for good.
“We’ve had some hard practices and had had some tough games and we’ve beaten a lot of good teams,” said Smith. “[Our] guys fought their guys out, day in and day out. Nobody likes to end their season in this situation, but there’s a lot of positives. These guys have done a lot of Hokes Bluff basketball.”
