Butler County bests Covington in first Basketball Showcase event

Published 11:00 am Wednesday, February 1, 2023

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Butler County took two out of three games against Covington County in the first annual Basketball Showcase event Saturday, Jan. 28, at Andalusia High School.

Andalusia 97
Greenville 94

Andalusia battled back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth period and won a 97-94 overtime thriller against Greenville in the final game of the day.

Both teams came out on fire in the opening period and traded the lead on several occasions. Tyler Sigers sank two three-pointers, and Jordan Stallworth also made a pair of baskets. Cadariyus Love also added a long-range shot for the Bulldogs. Tyler Mallory began the contest strong with 14 points as the Tigers took a 20-17 lead after one. Sigers added nine more points in the second, while Stallworth found the hoop for another four. Love knocked down a second trey, and Tevin Sigers also banked a trifecta. Andre Davidson had seven points for GHS and was followed by Mallory at six. AHS scored 25 points and forced a 42-42 tie at halftime.

Andalusia’s Tevin Sigers, left, goes up for two points against a Greenville defender. (PHOTO BY ZACK MAIO)

The two sides remained even with 20 points each in the third period. Christian Sheridan led the way for Andalusia with nine points. Tyler Sigers blistered another three-pointer and had five in the frame. Mallory earned eight more for Greenville as J.J. Washington collected five before action moved to the fourth all knotted up at 62-62. The Tigers erupted in the first minute of the fourth and took a 73-62 lead. Not to be outdone, the Bulldogs rallied and closed the gap down to single digits. Tyler Sigers and Kam Weaver led AHS with eight points each in the final regulation period. Mallory and Washington both delivered nine for GHS. The action shifted to an extra four-minute session after regulation ended in an 85-85 tie.

Mallory had all nine of the visitors’ points in the frame. The hosts received field goals by Weaver and Sheridan but saw the remainder of the points come from the free-throw line. Stallworth went four-of-six as the Bulldogs held on when a last-second shot by the Tigers missed.

Tyler Sigers led Andalusia (11-10) with 29 points in the win and was followed by Weaver at 20. Stallworth and Sheridan also tallied double digits with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

Straughn 51
McKenzie 62

McKenzie faced a 10-point gap after halftime but mounted a rally and made it stand for a 61-52 win over Straughn in the first game.

The two teams were fairly even in the first period as MHS took a 13-12 lead. Jaylen McMillan and Jahmarren Jackson led with five and three points, respectively, in the frame. Daniel Bell drained two shots beyond the arc and scored eights for SHS. Micah Turner made two free throws and notched four. McMillan added five more to his total in the second for McKenzie. Turner then converted four field goals in the second and helped Straughn grab a 24-23 lead at the break.

Daniel Bell, right, looks to make a big play for the Straughn offense as a McKenzie player looks for a stop on defense. (PHOTO BY ZACK MAIO)

Bell and Turner repeated their first-period outputs in the third as SHS opened up a 40-30 lead. Ziquayvion Jackson and McMillan started a comeback bid for MHS who pulled within 42-39 after three. Turner notched six more points in the fourth, while Bell converted his fifth three-pointer of the game. McMillian went seven-of-eight from the line in the final period and led McKenzie to its comeback win.

McMillan paced MHS with 23 points, and Jackson also had double-digits with 13 points in the win. Turner led SHS (5-14) with 22 points in the loss and was followed by Bell at 19.

Opp 62
Georgiana 67

In a back-and-forth battle, Georgiana prevailed 67-62 and snapped Opp’s nine-game winning streak in the second game.

Jabarri Hill, JaKanye Mount, and JaKelleus Lane all had four points in the first period as the Bobcats took a 17-12 lead. Nasir Cheatham led the Panthers with eight off four successful buckets, and Jacob Lowery added a long-distance shot. Lowery kept up the hot shooting with two more three-pointers in the second. Cheatham scored his first trifecta and went two-for-two at the line. Hill drained two shots from long-range as OHS also received two from A.J. Coleman, Mount, and Lane. Kaveon Miles also made two baskets as GHS carried a 31-30 lead into the intermission.

Jabarri Hill makes a move to the basket for Opp and scores two points on a layup against the Georgiana defense. (PHOTO BY ZACK MAIO)

Coleman found a groove with eight points in the third, and Terry Davis had his second three-pointer. Lane also had four points for the Bobcats. Jaden Stallworth and Cheatham each earned seven points for the Panthers who held a 47-45 lead with eight minutes remaining. Cheatham finished strong with 11 points in the fourth, while Stallworth collected another six and went four-of-four from the foul line. Lowery made his fourth trey of the game. Coleman took five down the stretch as Hill and Lane were close behind at four.

Cheatham earned 31 points in the win for Georgiana. Lowery closed the contest with 12 points. Coleman was the top scorer for Opp (14-8) with 17 points. Lane and Hill were next with 14 points, and Mount rounded out the effort with 10 points in the loss.

Andalusia and Opp played Tuesday night. The Bulldogs will end the regular season Thursday, Feb. 2, at home against Charles Henderson beginning at 4:30 p.m. The Bobccats are finished until next week’s area tournaments. Straughn will travel to Brantley Thursday, Feb. 2, for a 4:30 p.m. start.