*Video of game photos below
BY NOAH GRIFFITH
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — On Thursday, Feb. 12, No. 2-seed Auburn High and No. 3-seed Opelika capped off the opening night of the 7A, Region 4 tournament with an overtime thriller, ending in a 74-71 Opelika victory.
With the win, the Bulldogs booked their spot in the area championship game against the top-seeded Central-Phenix City Red Devils two days later. Along with a chance to win the area tournament, Opelika and head coach Wesley Button secured a spot in the regional playoffs for the first time since 2018.
“[Our players] fought for each other tonight with a fire I have never seen out of the Opelika basketball program, and I’ve been here for five years,” Button said. “I knew this group was going to be special, and I knew if they came together it was going to be even more special. They definitely proved it tonight.”
Auburn and Opelika split two regular-season matchups, and both schools won 20 or more games with a 3-3 record in area play. At a neutral site, an evenly-matched game was expected, but the contest was even more heated than anticipated.
Although Opelika led by multiple scores throughout most the game, it was tied at 64 with 6.6 seconds on the clock. The Bulldogs had possession, and they fought Auburn’s full-court press coverage looking for a go-ahead score.
Opelika’s in-bounder lobbed it to Kaleb Baker down the floor, and he drove for the potential winning layup. It was a little too strong off the backboard, giving Auburn possession with 0.8 seconds. The fourth quarter then ended in a tie, forcing overtime.
Both sides traded 3-pointers to start overtime, but Opelika took the early advantage by hitting two threes in a row. It remained a back-and-forth affair until Auburn missed a pair of consecutive free throws while trailing by two with 47 seconds in the game.
The Opelika defense prevailed in the final 40 seconds, forcing back-to-back Auburn turnovers. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs hit three more free throws to go up 73-69 with two seconds on the clock. One last bucket from Auburn senior standout Antwane Daniels was only enough to limit the deficit, and Opelika escaped with a three-point victory.
Although Opelika benefitted from strong offensive performances, including 20 points by junior Jadarian Holloway, 16 from junior Brady McNally and 14 from senior Caurdae Wright, it was the defense that Button pointed to as the determining factor in getting the win.
“We always told the guys, ‘We will be able to score points this year. Defense is going to be where we’re going to win ball games,’” Button said. “That’s exactly what won us the game tonight.”
For the Tigers, Daniels notched 27 points, while senior Trindon Manior scored 19. A lack of production in the paint on both offense and defense plagued Auburn, even with its star-studded guard duo leading an explosive outside threat.
The win put Opelika at 23-6 going into the area title game, while Auburn’s season ended at 20-11. The win also testifies to significant growth in the Bulldogs’ sports programs, as Opelika also beat Auburn to advance to the state championship in football.
Button stated his respect for Auburn head coach Chris Brandt and the Tigers, but he couldn’t hide his excitement.
“[Auburn] has been kicking my tail for a while… This is huge not only for this program, but for this community,” Button said. “We put them out of the playoffs in football, and we got to do the same in basketball. It feels good.”
