Playoff tune-up for Bob Jones and James Clemens
BJ plyaers Emily Hatcher and Alex King block a shot against Hoover
(CONTRIBUTED/ AMANDA DESILVA)
MADISON- With area titles in hand, Bob Jones and James Clemens went through one final regular season tune-up on Tuesday night in a tri-match that also brought the Class 6A second-ranked Hoover Bucs to Bob Jones gym.
The Jets fell to Bob Jones in the opening match but came back to defeat Hoover 2 games to 1 to gain some momentum and confidence.
“That’s a very big win,” said James Clemens Coach Amanda Smith. “I wish they had played that well against Bob Jones. We’re peaking at the right time just in time for the playoffs. There is still room for improvement so we will still be working hard.”
Area tournaments will be Tuesday October 22 and both teams will host.
For the second year in a row, James Clemens swept through Area 16 undefeated and will face Decatur in the opening game at 2:30 p.m. Austin and Florence will play at 4. Losers of these matches will see their season end. The winners will meet at 5:30 for seeding in the North Super Regional to be held at the Von Braun South Hall on October 25-26.
In the match the crowd came to see #3 ranked Bob Jones and #2 Hoover squared off.
Bob Jones coach April Marsh said Hoover would be a good test for her team to gauge the competition the Patriots will see both at the super regional and state tournament.
Hoover looked unstoppable in the opening game as the Bucs jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Bob Jones had no answers for the Bucs size and front line who peppered the defense with spikes and blocks. Hoover held leads of 14-6 and 19-8 before winning 25-13.
Bob Jones turned around the momentum in the second game as they never trailed. Jeneva Salter took control at the net as the Patriots jumped out 6-3 and had leads of 11-5 and 18-9.
Salter’s spike gave Bob Jones their biggest lead at 22-10 and Rachel Shockey’s ace put them within a point at 24-12. Salter’s block on the next point won the game.
In the final game Bob Jones got several kills from Alexis Howell and Emily Hatcher scored on a block to go up 11-5. Salter’s off-balance tip caught Hoover out of position for a point and she had a block for the winning point at 15-9.
“It’s a great feeling to beat Hoover because we have heard all year that they are a strong team,” Salter said.
Salter, a 6-foot-1 junior, is Bob Jones tallest player. She is being recruited by several colleges but has not committed yet.
Coach April Marsh talks to Bob Jones team
Bob Jones is still undefeated against cross-town rival James Clemens.
“We played well,” Marsh said. “We passed and served well and stayed in position to attack a lot of balls. We’re trying to stay focused on playing our best come playoffs.”
In the area tournament, Bob Jones will play Buckhorn at 4 p.m. with Hazel Green and Sparkman playing at 5:30. The championship match will be at 7 p.m.
