Randolph County still unbeaten
The Randolph County Tigers are on a roll heading into the Christmas break, riding a 9-0 start in the new basketball campaign.
Randolph County began its week by blasting area opponent Ranburne, 68-19. The Tigers had little trouble defeating Ranburne and finding offense.
Randolph County blanked Ranburne in the first quarter, 12-0, before extending the lead to 32-5 at the halftime break.
By the end of the third quarter, Randolph County held a commanding 49-13 lead.
“We were just more experienced and just quicker,” Randolph County head coach Randy Sparks said.
Ty Sparks led the Tigers with 18 points, Dontae Barrett contributed 15 points and 9 rebounds, while Lance Daniel and Tay Childs added 8 points each.
Randolph County continued its season opening streak of victories with a 58-30 win over Clay County in the Lineville Christmas Tournament’s opening round.
Clay County kept it close in the first quarter with Randolph County leading only 14-10 at the end of the first. The Tigers doubled up the Panthers in the second quarter, leading 28-14 at the half.
By the end of the third quarter, Randolph County amassed a comfortable 44-18 lead.
“We rebounded much better,” Sparks said. “The first time we played them, we could not rebound against their size. We have talked about rebounding all year. The two games in the Lineville tournament got us started in the right direction.”
Randolph County out-rebounded Clay County 36-23 in the win. Dontae Barrett had a stellar night with 33 points and 9 rebounds. Barrett hit seven 3-pointers and went 10-of-12 at the free-throw line. Sparks added 8 points with 7 assists, Nick McKenney had 9 rebounds and Daniel had 7 points with 7 rebounds.
Randolph County took the tournament championship with a 49-36 win over the hosting Lineville Aggies.
Sparks said the Tigers were playing lights out ball, with a rowdy Wedowee crowd cheering them on.
“We played extremely hard,” Sparks said. “It was an electric atmosphere. I want to thank our fans. It was unbelievable.”
Randolph County led 12-5 at the end of the first and held a 16-11 lead at the halftime break. The Tigers had a 34-26 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
Sparks said for the second straight game, the Tigers rebounding was a major factor in winning.
“We rebounded better again,” Sparks said. “We out-rebounded them by a pretty good margin. We played good defense. I was extremely proud of the way our guys defended. We took care of the ball and only had four turnovers. It was a huge factor in the game.”
Sparks led the Tigers with 16 points and 9 assists, followed by Daniel with 13 points and 12 rebounds and Barrett with 8 points and 8 rebounds.
Randolph County won’t play again until after the Christmas break. Sparks said the Tigers can either continue the early momentum or the break can slow that momentum.
“Sometimes the Christmas break messes up the momentum,” Sparks said. “But I’m extremely pleased with how well our guys have played as a team. We’re really team oriented. This team hustles more than any team I’ve coached in a long time.”
