Northeast Regional: Indians prevail in overtime, Lady Cougars fall
JACKSONVILLE – When Kam Woods was told that he scored 31 straight points for the Pinson Valley High School boys basketball team on Friday afternoon, he laughed.
And his coach’s jaw nearly hit the floor.
“I had no idea,” Woods said.
However, that fact was not completely correct.
He actually scored 32 straight for the Indians. Beginning with a tip-in with 5:41 left in the third quarter through the end of regulation, Woods was the only Indians player to put the ball in the hoop.
They needed every one of those baskets.
Woods scored 41 points in all and carried the Indians to a wild, back-and-forth 70-67 overtime win over Oxford in the Class 6A Northeast Regional semifinals at Jacksonville State University’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
“I want to commend my guys for fighting to the end and never giving up,” Pinson Valley head coach Darrell Barber said.
After a slow first half for Pinson’s standards, Oxford held a 27-23 lead at the break. Woods had just five points.
“I knew I had to score for us to be in it. The first half I was sluggish, so I had to get into it,” Woods said.
Barber said he didn’t need to raise his voice at halftime. Much of the Indians’ roster consists of players that contributed to last year’s state championship.
“These guys are veteran guys,” he said. “They’ve been there before. We knew we needed to correct those things. I told them, ‘We’ve got 16 minutes, you can go home or you can advance.’”
Oxford (22-9) increased the lead to as many as 12 points late in the third quarter, but Woods refused to be denied. He drained three 3-pointers across a 90-second stretch early in the fourth quarter to give his team a 47-45 lead. The lead exchanged hands six times in the final six minutes of regulation.
The lead changed hands four more times in overtime, but an Austen Griffie free throw and a two-hand jam from GaQuincy McKinstry gave the Indians a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
In the final seconds, Oxford had one final attempt, but McKinstry channeled his football defensive back skills to deny Roc Taylor a clean catch on a long pass.
“When the ball went up, I knew he wasn’t going to catch it that time,” McKinstry said.
Woods’ pull-up 3 from roughly 35 feet to end the first quarter was a sign of things to come. He finished the night 15-of-38 overall from the field, also contributing four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
McKinstry was the only other Pinson player to reach double figures, as he finished with 10 points and eight boards. JoJo James had eight points and seven rebounds as well.
Zondrick Garrett led the way for Oxford, as he finished 28 points and 18 rebounds. Taylor also had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds.
Pinson Valley now draws Huffman, which held off Albertville in double overtime earlier Friday, in the regional final on Tuesday afternoon. The Indians have lost just three games all season, but two of those defeats were to the Vikings. Pinson hasn’t lost a game since Dec. 17, when Huffman won 83-69.
Click here to view and purchase photos from the Indians' victory.
Lady Cougars’ season ended by Fort Payne
The Clay-Chalkville girls basketball team was unable to keep up with Fort Payne on Friday morning, falling 61-46 in the Class 6A Northeast Regional semifinals at Jacksonville State University’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.
It was the Lady Cougars’ first appearance at the regional tournament since 2015, when they also fell to Fort Payne.
“These kids work hard all year and they’re great kids,” Clay-Chalkville head coach Justin Haynie said following the game. “We were a little shorthanded today, we only had seven active players. They played hard and did what I asked them to do, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Fort Payne came out hot, opening up a 14-2 lead in the game’s first few minutes. But Clay-Chalkville (17-11) adjusted to the atmosphere and settled in, cutting the deficit to 23-16 after a quarter of play.
“It’s kind of unique coming up here and playing,” Haynie said. “We talked about the environment not getting to us, but I think it did coming into it.”
The Lady Cougars struggled offensively over the second and third quarters, with Fort Payne opening up a 19-point lead. Clay-Chalkville shot just 5-of-31 (16 percent) for the game.
Khali Johnson led the scoring charge for Clay-Chalkville in the contest, putting up 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Johnson was sidelined with a knee injury that was thought to be season-ending, but she was cleared recently to return to action.
“It was hard for me, but I had to still be with my team and support the team,” she said. “When I came back, I realized I had a second chance.”
She made the most of that chance, adding five rebounds and four steals to her scoring total. She was one of three seniors for the Lady Cougars, along with Aukeivah Tellis and Olivia Watson.
“Being with my teammates, mostly,” Johnson said, when asked what she would remember most about this season. “Our bond was good. The best part is being able to compete with other teams together.”
Junior Tamyia Muse posted a double-double for the Lady Cougars, going for 11 points and 11 rebounds on the game.
“It was our first time (at regionals), it felt good to be here and compete with good teams and good players,” she said.
Vonquice Wilson, a junior, scored six points and pulled down four rebounds. Michelle Jones had 10 points and nine boards.
Fort Payne was led by Kylie Neil, who had a huge game, with 26 points and 16 rebounds. Fort Payne moves on to face two-time defending stte champ Hazel Green in the regional final on Tuesday.