Jets gain momentum as Class 7A, Area 8 race begins

HUNTSVILLE – After trailing for much of the first two quarters, James Clemens wiped out a 10-point halftime deficit Tuesday night to host Grissom en route to its second straight win as the Jets ramp up to begin area play this weekend.

James Clemens rallied for a 70-64 win to give it momentum heading into a Class 7A, Area 8 opener Friday night at Florence, followed by another area clash at home against Austin on Tuesday.

Jets head coach Frankie Sullivan said setting a positive tone before jumping into area play that is currently starting sooner than in previous seasons was a goal.

“We know that whoever gets the upper hand in area play gets to host the tournament, and that’s a good thing,” Sullivan said. “I like that we changed the format from playing all our area games all at once in January and February. Guys get hurt. Something can happen. So, stretch it out a little bit.

He added, “And then also the weather. The weather (and postponements) gets us every year.’’

James Clemens and Grissom traded baskets throughout the first quarter with the Tigers taking an 18-17 edge into the second, when they stretched the advantage to 35-25.

The Jets rallied, and the teams again traded scores before James Clemens took a 52-51 lead into the fourth period.

The Jets eventually went ahead for good and held the Tigers at length in the final minutes.

Josh Gorman and Isaiah Cleaves both scored 19 points to lead the Jets (8-4). London Townsend, who sank a team-high four 3-pointers, added 18.

Gorman, who made three 3-pointers, was 8-of-8 on free throws and Cleaves sank 7-of-7. As a team, James Clemens made 21-of-30 free throws, compared to 20-of-26 for the Tigers.

Griffin Grisby paced Grissom (4-6) with 17 points and Javon Alexander and Medhi Singleton both added 14.

Gorman, a senior, said the Jets have more on their mind than just a fast start in area play.

“The whole motto for December is just win out,” he said. “We wanna win out in December. Coming here is hard to play in this road environment, so we just had to fight through adversity and come together as a team.’’

James Clemens, Bob Jones, Austin and Florence comprise 7A, Area 8.

“It’s very important for us to go in and execute on Friday and Tuesday,” Sullivan said. “You don’t want to go into that (race) 0-and-2. That’s a bad place to be in.’’