By Daniel Schmidt
PHENIX CITY – Heading into Saturday’s matchup against Central High School, Auburn High School had lost both area games to their archrivals down U.S. Highway 280 and were looking to exact revenge with an Area championship on the line. The third time was not the charm, however, as the No. 2 ranked Red Devils took down the Tigers 63-50 in Phenix City on Feb. 8.
CHS improves to 26-4 on the season, while AHS falls to 21-9 as both teams enter the 2025 Alabama High School Athletic Association boys’ 7A state tournament. CHS star guard Jacoby Hill, a Jacksonville State University signee and 2025 Alabama Mr. Basketball contender, was named the 7A Area 4 tournament MVP.
After the game, Auburn coach Chris Brandt commended his players for their fast start before a slew of first quarter injuries forced the Tigers to alter their original game plan.
“We had to go to our bench really fast, which hadn’t been a problem, but it just kind of got us out of synch and out of our normal routine and rotation,” Brandt said. “But we’ve been down this road with them before. Last year we won the area but lost to them in the regional final, so we’ve got another day to keep on playing and fighting.”
Despite the tough loss to the Red Devils and the potential for injuries to linger into the state tournament’s regional rounds, Brandt expressed optimism that his team will rise to the challenge.
“I think they’ll be fine. I have 100 percent confidence that we’re going to rebound from this and that whoever we play (Dothan High School or Enterprise High School), we’ll have a great game plan for them and we’re going to give it all we have and fight to the bitter end,” Brandt added.
Following the opening tipoff, it appeared the Tigers were primed to take the fight to the Red Devils, racing out to a 7-3 lead behind an early Cash Reif three-point basket. However, minor injuries to Antwane Daniels and Trindon Manior and dazzling offensive basketball from Jacoby Hill — who scored eight of CHS’ 15 first quarter points — highlighted a high-octane, back-and-forth first quarter.
With the Red Devils ahead 15-11, AHS looked to even the score down by four points entering the second quarter. Yet despite a lightning-quick run that cut CHS’ lead to 17-16 after three minutes, scoring opportunities ultimately proved few and far between for the Tigers as CHS’ defense looked to make a statement.
Between the smothering defensive effort and a more balanced scoring approach on the offensive end of the court, the Red Devils entered halftime with a commanding 29-19 lead.
Coming out of halftime, the Tigers required an immediate turnaround to get back into the game. Instead, errant passing and a missed three-pointer led to a slam dunk by Jonah Jones, a tip-in by Hill and a timeout from Brandt less than a minute into the pivotal third quarter. It appeared a harbinger of things to come as CHS went on a 16-11 run to take a commanding 45-30 lead entering the fourth quarter.
Facing a 15-point deficit with eight minutes left to play, AHS further turned to its bench to close the gap. While the Tigers finished the game strong, a 20-18 run, Tabari Allen’s six points and a scoring onslaught in the final few minutes did little to overcome CHS’ advantage.
Hill led all scorers with 20 points, while Dezmond Williams and Jones contributed 14 and 10 points, respectively, for the Red Devils. Allen paced the Tigers with 10 total points.
Up next, the Tigers will hit the road to face off against 7A Area 3 tournament champion Enterprise High School. That game will be played at EHS on Feb. 14 at 10:30 a.m. The Wildcats are 18-6 and finished the regular season as the No. 8 ranked 7A team according to the Alabama Sports Writers Association. EHS scores an average of 54.8 points per game while allowing an average of 41.4 points per game.
The Red Devils will host 7A Area 3 tournament runner-up Dothan High School. That game will be played at CHS on Feb. 14 at 1:30 p.m. The Red Wolves are 24-3 and finished the regular season as the No. 4 ranked 7A team according to the ASWA. DHS scores an average of 64.6 points per game while allowing an average of 49.4 points per game.
The winners of those two games will meet in the next round, which will be played on Feb. at 10:45 a.m. That game’s location will be decided after Friday’s results.