BY TIM GAYLE
SPORTS – SPECIAL TO THE EAN
TOP PHOTO: Autaugaville’s Ladarrien Golson hit by Millry player Clarke Doggett
There wasn’t a lot of suspense in Monday’s Southwest Regional semifinal matchup between Autaugaville and Millry at Garrett Coliseum.
The Eagles made 50 percent of their shots (17 of 34) in the first half, most of them coming on layups following turnovers, to help the defending 1A state champions to a 33-point lead at the half.
From there, a lot of junior varsity players got to play in the fourth quarter as the Eagles rolled to an 82-31 win over the Wildcats on Monday night.
“They’re a better team than they displayed tonight,” Autaugaville coach Darren Golson said. “No. 30 (Jalen Manuel) was one of their key guys. We knew he could shoot. We watched film and knew exactly what they were going to do and the kids went out and executed the defense we wanted them to do and that was key.”
Autaugaville (26-2) will play Keith in the Southwest Regional championship game on Wednesday at Garrett Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. Keith advanced as sophomore point guard Tommy Tisdale scored 34 points in a 54-48 win over McIntosh on Monday.
“We’re familiar with them,” Golson said. “Tisdale is their main scorer. We’ve got to contain him.”
There were no heroics in Autaugaville’s game, just a stingy defense that forced the Wildcats into 24 turnovers, including 13 by Jaquan Stewart and six by Manuel, their primary ball handlers.
Autaugaville’s Jaden Nixon had 19 points, eight assists, nine steals and seven rebounds, followed by Ladarrien Golson with 14 points, Cortez Parker with 14 points and eight rebounds and Jamarcus Rose with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Manuel finished with 14 points and Stewart added 10 points and 12 rebounds, but much of that came in the second half. The Wildcats scored 16 points in the third quarter, more than the other three quarters combined.
Golson emptied his bench in the fourth quarter as a running clock kept the younger Eagles from scoring much. Seventh grader O’Marion Palmer led the group with seven points.
Autaugaville won for the 57th time in the last 59 games, but the two losses in late November serve as a reminder that the Eagles will need a strong post presence from its guards on defense and on the boards in order to advance to the state tournament for the second consecutive year.
“We’re a little better now, but we’re still not where we need to be,” Golson said. “That was evident tonight. We’re going to have to block out with Keith because all five of their guys go to the board and the defense has to pick up a little bit because we were a little shabby tonight.”
