BY DANIEL SCHMIDT
FOR THE OBSERVER
AUBURN — On a special night that honored both survivors and victims of breast cancer, the Auburn High School girls and boys basketball teams both defeated Smiths Station High School at home on Jan. 27.
The Lady Tigers (17-3, 5-0) secured a dominant 72-29 win over the Lady Panthers (6-16, 1-4) to put themselves in position to finish undefeated in 7A Area 4 play, and the Tigers (18-9, 3-2) outlasted the Panthers (13-10, 1-5) 57-50 in a game that was competitive until the final minutes.
Lady Tigers 72, Lady Panthers 29
After a sensational offensive performance in the second quarter later caused the referees to start a running clock in the fourth quarter, AHS girls’ head coach Courtney Pritchett was left unsatisfied with the lack of minutes his backup players received.
With the area tournament and a likely playoff berth just weeks away, the remaining chances to find reliable contributors are quickly running out.
“It’s kind of hard with games like that, because I can’t really get the rotation down because we get close to the end and there’s a running clock. But this is always a game where we evaluate the kids that don’t get an opportunity to play a lot of minutes,” Pritchett said. “I would like to have more guard contributions. I would like to have more production from the guards that are coming off of the bench.
Something Pritchett doesn’t have to worry about entering the postseason is the play of guard Kayden Carr, who powered AHS with a sensational performance from behind the three-point line.
One of the Lady Tigers’ top scorers this season, Carr said she felt herself enter a flow state early in the game and didn’t look back.
“I knew I was on from the beginning, from the first two or three [three-pointers]. And so I knew I was on, and it was my night, so I have to take advantage of it, because they don’t come often,” Carr said. “It just gives me more confidence knowing I can do it, which I know I can, but it shows I can, and it gives another threat for other people to look at.”
That confidence shone through in the opening minutes as AHS’ size and speed helped them race out to a 15-5 lead in the opening four minutes. After that initial surge, SSHS closed the gap after taking advantage of several turnovers from the Lady Tigers’ backup players before AHS subbed their starters back in and reclaimed their 10-point advantage.
With AHS up 22-12 entering the second quarter, Carr felt free to stamp her mark on the game, scoring 14 points in the period as the Lady Tigers overwhelmed the Lady Panthers offensively. As the gap between the two teams widened, the Lady Tigers further stretched their lead by dominating the offensive glass and converting most of their second-chance scoring opportunities.
Between Carr’s three-point shooting and those second-chance opportunities, AHS went into halftime with a 46-16 lead after going on a 24-4 second quarter run.
Coming out of the break, the Lady Panthers showed much better fight on both ends of the court despite continued offensive efficiency from the Lady Tigers. However, AHS’ size advantage proved to be too much for SSHS to overcome, and the Lady Tigers’ lead grew to 61-29 in spite of some sloppy play at times.
The fourth quarter then featured a running clock that prevented either team from running effective offenses, with AHS mostly scoring on fast-break plays to put up 11 unanswered points and end the game.
Carr led all scorers with 26 points, while Winfrey and Isabella Paul scored 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Lady Tigers. Erica Robinson paced the Lady Panthers with 11 points, and Ava Deloach contributed seven points.
Tigers 57, Panthers 50
On most nights, the Tigers are accustomed to starting strong out of the gate offensively. A determined SSHS team completely flipped that script on its head in the first half as it controlled the game clock to AHS boys’ head basketball coach Chris Brandt’s initial frustration.
“Smiths Station did an excellent job of trying to control the pace. They would go slow, they would go fast. They almost played the same game plan last year as they played Central, and they were trying to control the tempo. And it did rattle us, I mean that was a snail’s pace that first quarter, that first half,” Brandt said. “We just luckily, finally put things together. And I’m just so proud of the team and what we did. And I’m so proud for Antwane.”
A key component of that second half turnaround was standout senior guard Antwane Daniels. While he recognized that there is still improvement to be made, he was confident that last Tuesday’s performance showed why the Tigers can make a run.
That showcase of grit and determination came at the perfect time as Daniels’ mother, Shana Daniels, was honored during the night’s festivities after losing her battle with breast cancer in 2023.
“It was a special night just knowing that the whole Auburn community was coming out to show support to not just my mom with breast cancer, but to all the families around us being affected by breast cancer. It was good to see everybody out wearing pink and just showing their faces,” Daniels said. “We feel good. We’ve still got things to work on, because we’re still a growing team, but as long as we keep pieces up together, I feel confident in our team made a big run in the playoffs.”
Despite an early three-pointer from Daniels to kick things off, a slow, grinding pace and fierce defense that forced numerous turnovers from both teams prevented either from finding quality shot opportunities. However, some nice shooting by SSHS’ guards down the stretch helped the Panthers establish a late 9-5 lead.
After going down early, the Tigers started driving into the lanes and attacking the rim in the second quarter’s opening minutes, which quickly forced SSHS to also focus on creating shots in the paint. Yet those tactical changes did little to keep the Panthers from playing with a slow pace as their defense made AHS fight for every opportunity en route to a 23-18 SSHS lead at halftime.
A spirited pep talk from Brandt at the half rallied the Tigers as Trindon Manior and Daniels sparked the turnaround with better decision-making and improved shooting. It was a night and day difference compared to the first half, when shots refused to go through the rim and SSHS pounced on every misjudged pass.
Although they were down 39-33, the Panthers managed to cut the lead to three points within the first two minutes of the fourth quarter as Tyquest Benson relentlessly drove into the lane and drew numerous fouls. Yet for all SSHS’ brave effort, Daniels made the difference by making enough free throws down the stretch to give AHS enough breathing room to defend their lead in the final 17 seconds.
Daniels and Manior both scored 21 points for the Tigers. Benson led the Panthers with 11 points, while Jayden Peabody contributed 10 points.
