BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
SMITHS STATION –– On Friday, Jan. 16, the Smiths Station Panthers hosted the Central-Phenix City Red Devils for a basketball doubleheader. While the boy’s game was a highly competitive rivalry matchup, the Central girls showed out in dominating fashion.
Here is a recap of each game, with the boy’s game first and the girls’ below.
Boys
Despite igniting Panther fans with an 8-0 run, Smiths Station was unable to protect the lead in the second half. Central overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to seal a 53-49 victory.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Panthers, who were looking for their first area win of the season and their first win over Central in four years. Smiths Station falls to 12-7 and 0-3 in area play, while Central improves to 9-8 and 3-0 in Class 7A, Area 4.
“We need to look at it in terms of how we can play with more grit, feeling more energetic, so we can protect our leads and give us a chance to win down the stretch,” said Smiths Station head coach Armon Ingersoll.
The Red Devils went to half trailing 30-21, so a 10-0 run was just what they needed coming out of the break. No. 1 for Central buried a three-pointer to claim the first lead of the game for the Red Devils, giving them a 31-30 advantage with 5:16 remaining in the third quarter.
Central took advantage of a Panther team that has been sluggish coming out of halftime as of late. Holding a 39-38 lead at the end of three quarters, the Red Devils carried momentum into the fourth quarter.
“We had a dead third quarter, and that’s been one of our challenges this year,” Ingersoll said. “The third quarter hasn’t been good to us, so that’s something we have to work on is keeping that momentum going into the second half… We were up on Opelika at the half, and again, lost it in the third quarter.”
Sophomore Mykel Edmund tied things up with a three-pointer for Smiths Station a minute into the fourth quarter, but Central took the lead for good soon after. No. 5 for Central hit a three-pointer to give his team a six-point lead with about three minutes to go in the game, and the Panthers couldn’t catch up after that.
Central made four of its final five free throws to seal the four-point win.
Junior center Jatori “JT” Williams led Central with 13 points. Although the 6-foot-5, 320-pound offensive lineman made his presence felt in the paint, points were evenly dispersed for a hot-shooting Red Devil offense. No. 2 added 12 points, No. 5 scored 10, and both No. 4 and No. 3 put up seven a piece.
On the other end, Smiths Station’s leading scorer — junior Jayden Peabody — had an off night. He shot one-for-10 from the floor and went one-of-two from the free-throw line for a total of three points. Juniors Jamal Carnes and Jarquez Williams were hot in the first half and combined for 18 points in the game, but the inability to find a go-to scorer in the second half hurt the Panthers.
After scoring 30 in the first half, Smiths Station mustered just 19 points in the second half. Only eight of them were in the third quarter.
“[Peabody] got in early foul trouble with two quick fouls, and a lot of times that can kind of throw off your momentum,” Ingersoll said. “It was an off shooting night. If he had made a couple of those early three’s, we’d probably be talking about different results.”
Smiths Station has now lost each of its three area contests by single digits: 55-46 to Opelika, 51-43 to Auburn and 53-49 to Central. Oppositely, Central has now won two area games on the road by fewer than five points: 52-50 at Auburn and 53-49 at Smiths Station.
Next, Smiths Station will host Opelika on Friday in a rematch won by the Bulldogs two weeks prior. Central will look to extend its three-game winning streak at home versus Auburn on Friday.
Despite a back-and-forth contest, each squad is headed for separate fates as the postseason looms. The area tournament is less than a month away, and the Red Devils lead the race for the top seed while the Panthers are currently the underdog battling for the No. 3 spot.
“Right now, of course, we’re battling for the bottom (in the are tournament), but it’s not over by far,” Ingersoll said. “We have to go on the road to Central and Auburn, which will be tough, but hopefully we can put ourselves in position to at least get in the area championship game.”
Girls
Although the boys’ game was tightly contested, the Central girls ran away with a 74-45 win.
The Red Devils jumped out to a 9-0 lead that held up throughout the game. Smiths Station committed 40 total turnovers, roughly twice as many as the Red Devils, and Erica Robinson scored more than half of Smiths Station’s points with 26.
The Panthers fell to 3-15 with the loss, while Central improved to 9-7 with its first win in area play.
“What we’re learning is we need to find more ways to score — way too many empty possessions,” said Smiths Station head coach Dewayne Welch. “We’re playing hard on defense, but we’re not getting much offense from anyone other than Erica right now.”
Central had a clear rebounding advantage, and second-chance points fueled its lead throughout the game. Six-foot sophomore forward Jalaijiah Woodard dominated the boards, and senior guard Jabria Lindsey opened up the perimeter attack with a three-pointer at the end of the first quarter.
Despite Robinson’s buzzer-beater before half — a rebound, full-court sprint and two-point floater — Central took a commanding 42-25 lead to the break.
Keeping its foot on the gas, Central opened the second half on a 6-0 scoring run. Central junior Kandria Mebuge paired with Lindsey to hit several more three-pointers in the back half, and the Red Devil defense held the Panthers to just six points in the fourth quarter.
“We had 40 turnovers, and we missed, I think, 19 free throws,” Welch said. “We really have to focus on that aspect of the game going forward.”
Next, Smiths Station will host Opelika on Friday, looking to avenge a 65-61 loss to the Bulldogs just two weeks prior. On the other hand, Central will go to JAG on Wednesday before hosting Auburn on Friday.
Even after an 0-3 start to area play, Welch maintains full belief in his team. With no seniors and a middle schooler in the starting lineup, the coach knew this season was about learning and growth. He is confident that the best is yet to come for the young squad as they approach the area tournament.
“I don’t care what game we’re going into, it could be the New York Liberty, I feel like we have a chance to win,” Welch said. “Anything can happen if we play our best, and I think we’re still finding out what our best is.”
