James Clemens drops basketball region semifinal in overtime
Bob Jones comes up short in comeback bid
HANCEVILLE — A late rally gave James Clemens a tie through regulation, which led to overtime in a Class 7A Northwest Region Semifinal matchup with Tuscaloosa County.
The Jets, however, could not capitalize on their 23-18 fourth-quarter advantage and were outscored 9-7 in the four-minute overtime for a 7573 loss. James Clemens ended a stellar season with a 21-5 record.
“It’s just that confidence,” James Clemens coach Frankie Sullivan said of his team’s comeback from a five-point halftime deficit and trading baskets with the Wildcats in the extra session. “We’ve got a never-quit attitude. These kids embrace that.”
Seito Yokata and Kydn Harris hit key 3-pointers down the stretch to narrow Tuscaloosa’s lead and James Clemens finally went ahead 60-59 on a putback by Alexander Blue. Corban Johnson’s driving layup gave the Jets a 62-59 lead, but the Wildcats clawed back to forge a tie at 66 on Tyler Noble’s two free throws.
Johnson forced ties at 71 and 73 on a reverse jumper and a layup, but Ford Traweek drove into the lane for a layup in the waning seconds to send the Jets home on the short end of a thrilling playoff game.
Each team had three players in double figures. Johnson led James Clemens with 22 points with Blue adding 15 and Isaiah Cleaves 12. Traweek led all scorers with 34 points.
In an earlier region semifinal at Wallace State Community College, Bob Jones nearly erased a six-point halftime deficit and pulled with two points of Thompson to trail 48-46 through three quarters. The Patriots could not sustain the rally and wound up being eliminated with a 68-61 loss.
Bob Jones, which lost in the Area tournament final to James Clemens, finished the season at 14-17.
“I think we struggled with their bigs inside,” Bob Jones coach Bryant Starkey said. “I think our guys battled, especially in the second half.
The Patriots got a team-leading 17 points from Tylan Pace. Harrison Lockett added 12 and Jacob Parks scored 11 with 10 rebounds.
Sparkman also played in the region semifinals on Tuesday against Vestavia Hills. They won by one point, 51-50, and will play in the finals today against Hoover at 2:15 p.m. This story will be updated with the result of that game.
