Bob Jones boys busy during holiday break
Dalton Barkley in action against Decatur
The coach and players of the Bob Jones boy’s basketball team are feeling good about their team as they head into the Thanksgiving holiday break.
The totally new look team picked up their first win of the year last Thursday night in the home opener against Decatur 47-42.
Getting their first win was important for the team, especially considering all the starters from last year’s team have moved on.
“It feels great, nothing like it,” said first year head Coach Graham Aderholt.
“It feels good to get it over with. Now we have to move on and improve and get better each day.”
Not only is Aderholt in his first year as head coach, most of the players are new to the team. Only two varsity players, Jamarcus Jones (Sr, 6-foot-0) and Ryan Flanagan (Jr, 6-foot-4), were even on the team last year and they played only in reserve roles.
Against Decatur, Jones started at point guard and Flanagan at forward.
The newest varsity player is also the biggest and he made quite an impression on the home crowd. Dalton Barkley is a 6-foot-5 sophomore center who played on the Bob Jones junior varsity last year.
Barkley’s 3-point play gave the Patriots an early 5-0 lead and set the tone for the entire game. The big man also nailed a 3-point shot and pulled down 9 rebounds to lead Bob Jones. He finished with 13 points.
Bob Jones led 15-10 after one quarter. Decatur tied the game at 15 and led 19-15 but the Bob Jones zone defense was effective and Jamarcus Jones’ two free throws capped an 8-0 run by the Patriots. Bob Jones led 27-23 at halftime.
After falling behind in the third quarter, a 3-point basket by Jamarcus Jones put Bob Jones ahead for good at 39-38. A steal and score by Barkley made it 43-38.
Jones led the team in scoring with an efficient 19 points. He shot 14 free throws and made 11 of them. He also hit 2 of 3 from behind the arc.
“These guys are so coachable, they play so hard, they just do what you ask them to do,” said Aderholt who was an assistant to head Coach Danny Petty last year. “We’re going to work hard and get better each game. Jamarcus stepped up and hit some huge shots for us.Dalton, he is just a sophomore, he is going to be a heck of a player. I’m proud of all of them.”
With football season ending, two more players with size will come on board. Trey Bankhead and Roderick Randolph will now join the team.
The record is 1-1 after the win. The team had a season-opening loss in overtime at Grissom. During the Thanksgiving break the Patriots will play in a tournament in Florence before getting back in action at home on Tuesday, November 27 against Florence.
Bob Jones will compete in Class 6A, Area 15 with Buckhorn, Hazel Green, and Sparkman.
