Huge first day at Hometown Lenders N2 Hoops Tournament
Brandon Nicholas of Mae Jemison lay up against Murphy (Record Photo/ Ernest Reese)
MADISON- Fans were ready for basketball and the Hometown Lenders N2 Hoops Tournament provided plenty of action Monday with seven games. Headliner Mae Jemison featuring Alabama signee John Petty did not disappoint.
Petty and teammate Devontae Lanier, both six foot seven seniors, led the way as the Jaguars beat Murphy 72-60. Petty opened with a three pointer and had two blocked shots on the defensive end. Jemison went up 33-18 on a Petty dunk followed by a Brandon McCarver dunk and Petty on an alley-oop to the delight of the crowd.
Earler in the day Bob Jones continued their impressive early season play with a dominating win over Creekwood 63-32. Chase Fiddler had his career best 19 points including three three pointers.
Sparkman defeated Madison Academy 61-55 and Lee defeated Auburn. Hazel Green advanced with a win over Gadsden City and will face Bob Jones tonight at 8 p.m.
Sparkman will face Jemison in prime time at 6:30 in the main gym.
The real story of the day was the overall talent level on display and turnout of fans Sparkman coach Jaime Coggins said.
“This is a really nice tournament with players being recruited by colleges. The games are competitive and it’s a great atmosphere for fans to see all this talent. I’m seeing more fans here tonight than all of last year. The fans are excited about the level of competition with top players from in-state and out of state,” Coggins said.
“We were down 11 at halftime and our guys didn’t quit. Our defense sparked us and we made some shots to advance. Our guys are excited about playing on the main floor in the next round.”
This is the second year for Bob Jones to host the N2 Hoops Tournament.
“You can tell the excitement level and attendance is bigger,” Coggins said. “It takes a few years for tournaments to get established. Like the Huntsville Times Classic has been played since the 1980’s. Sparkman has a great following so I expect a big crowd. The kids thrive on that and look forward to playing tonight.”
Also in the winners bracket tonight will be Blackman, TN against Lee-Huntsville at 5 pm. Austin also advanced.
The championship game will be Wednesday at 6:30 pm.
