Boys Basketball Claim Area, Advances to Regionals

Sophomore+Tyrese+Elliott+goes+up+for+a+lay-up+against+James+Clemens.+

Photo Credit: Photo by Scott Lowe

Sophomore Tyrese Elliott goes up for a lay-up against James Clemens.

Consistency is defined as the achievement of a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time. In the sports world, consistency is key to a successful program.

The boys varsity basketball team won the area tournament, defeating Huntsville 71-63 Saturday night.  The win made it the seventh time in eight years that the team has made Regionals. Starting sophomore point guard Tyrese Elliott aided in the win over Huntsville with 12 points.

“It felt amazing to beat Huntsville on our court. We played well and came together as a team,” Elliott said.

The Regional semi-finals are being held at Jacksonville State at the Pete Matthews Coliseum and tip-off is at 1:30 in the afternoon this Thursday. Their first-round game is against Hoover High School and the second-round game could be against either Huntsville or Oak Mountain.

“We have been scouting Hoover, breaking down film and putting our game plan in place,” Coggins said. “They rebound well and play hard so we have to execute our plan and concentrate on the little things.”

With the tournament comes a possibility of a rematch in the second round against Huntsville. The boys team from Huntsville has faced controversy this year after forfeiting nearly all of their wins after being found to have an illegal player on their active roster.

“It felt good to beat Huntsville, we came out on top and kept it that way for the entire game,” Elliot said. “We played fast and we feel we can beat them again if it comes to that.”

With Thursday fast approaching, the team has been instituting their main game plan to combat Hoover’s abilities on the court. Elliott said that the team has been focusing on defense and coming up with stops since they know they can score easily.

“Hoover plays well, and anything can happen when you get this far in an elimination bracket. We have to stay focused and make sure our guys stick to the game plan,” Coggins said. “We are taking it one game at a time and are looking at sending our seniors off with a great end to the season.”