Boys
A young team, learning a new coach, a new system, and how to finish games, held off LAMP in a 52-50 thriller Friday night. The Eagles have won three of their last four games and are showing improvement every time out.
Christian Snipes hit the first shot of the game, but LAMP controlled much of the opening period and led 11-6 with 2:26 left. Devin Moseley and Mac Moorer hit back-to-back threes to give ACA a 12-11 lead. The lead switched hands three more times in the final 96 seconds as LAMP held a 15-14 advantage at the end of the quarter. Neither team scored during the first two minutes of the second quarter. Snipes broke the scoreless drought and put the Eagles back up by one. The teams traded baskets as the lead changed four times over the next two minutes. The home-standing Tigers finally put together consecutive scores and once again built a five-point lead, 25-20. Snipes and Darius Gardner combined for seven straight Alabama Christian points to take a two-point lead, but LAMP hit a triple late to take a 28-27 advantage into the half.
Darius Gardner guards the LAMP ballhandler.
LAMP scored the first five points of the second half to build their biggest lead of the game, 33-27. Once again it took ACA a while to get in a rhythm as they scored their first points more than two and a half minutes into the period. With 1:15 left in the third, Mac Moorer connected from downtown to give the Eagles the lead for good. Christian Snipes added two free throws one possession later and ACA took a 40-37 lead to the final quarter. The Eagles looked poised to run away with the contest as the lead extended to seven points early in the period on a Snipes basket. To LAMP’s credit, they fought back and tied the score 48-48 with 1:09 remaining. ACA turned the ball over, but the Tigers returned the favor with an errant throw on a fast break opportunity. On the next possession, Darius Gardner was fouled going to the hole and calmly sunk his free shots with 33.8 seconds left. The defense forced a LAMP turnover and Gardner hit two more freebies with 20.8 seconds to ice the contest. The home team scored at the buzzer for the final margin of 52-50.
Tyree Saadiq looks for an open teammate.
Christian Snipes scored a game-high 24 points with seven rebounds and three blocks. Darius Gardner scored eleven, hitting all six of his free throws, with nine rebounds while Mac Moorer had ten points. Tyree Saadiq had a team-high five assists as he directed the offense.
Girls
The Lady Eagles had their chances against LAMP Friday night but shot poorly from the floor and the line as the game got away from them in the fourth quarter. ACA shot just 27% from the floor and made one of twenty 3-point attempts.
Alabama Christian scored the first six points of the game and looked ready to blow LAMP out, but it never happened. The Lady Tigers methodically ran their offense and trailed by only one point at the end of the first, 7-8. In the second, the contest remained close as the lead changed hands a couple of times. Rachel Rine and Jaide Newkirk scored the last four points of the half to give the Eagles a 20-17 advantage.
The Eagles built the lead to five on three different occasions in the third, but LAMP responded every time. The Tigers held ACA scoreless for over three minutes in the middle of the period and hit a three in the final seconds for a 30-28 lead. In the fourth quarter, Alabama Christian wilted under the pressure LAMP produced. The home team outscored its opponent 11-2 to start the quarter and stretched the lead to double digits. Overall, the Eagles were outscored 8-19 in the period and lost 36-49.
Rachel Rine produced a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds with three steals. Jaide Newkirk had eight points with twelve rebounds and two blocks while Katelyn Sutton had seven points, all in the first half, with four steals and three rebounds.