The basketball marathon continued Thursday in the Minden Holiday Classic with the action headlined by Minden’s nightcap versus Ringgold.
The Crimson Tide came out looking to put on a show for the home fans and did just that, running away from the Redskins, 76-55 to advance to the winners bracket.
Despite the win, head coach Alan Shaw believes his team wasn’t even close to their best.
“I thought we didn’t play very well tonight, especially in the first half,” Shaw said. “Our defense was pretty porous and we just didn’t do a very good job on the defensive boards. We were giving them three or four looks everytime down the floor. It was like we played more for the show than the win.”
Shaw must have gotten his message across at halftime because in the second half the Crimson Tide played better, using their depth to run Ringgold ragged.
“I thought in the second half we came out and played much better,” Shaw said. “We got some great bench production tonight. I had some guys come in and play really well, which I was pleased with.”
L’Jarius Sneed was the high-point man for the Crimson Tide with 14 points. Anfernee Red finished with 12 points, as did Sakari Batton. Kevin Hamilton added 11.
The Crimson Tide will now face Homer, Friday at 8:30 p.m. at The Palace.
“We have to come out and play a lot better against Homer,” Shaw said. “If we don’t we won’t make it out of the second round.”
Here are the results from the rest of what was an action-packed night of hoops.
Boys
Doyline vs. Haynesville
Haynesville topped Doyline in boys action, 67-44 behind 18 points from Trey McDaniel. Jatavion Jackson led Doyline with 23 points.
Homer vs. J-Hodge
The Homer Pelicans defeated Jonesboro-Hodge behind 12 points from Mikael Burns. Homer will advance to face Minden in the quarterfinals.
Evangel vs. BTW
The Evangel Eagles defeated the BTW Lions, 51-30. Evangel got 21 points from Calvin Daniels in the win.
Red River vs. Loyola
Loyola surged past Red River, 76-58 to advance to the quarterfinals where they’ll face the Haughton Bucs. Loyola got 28 points from Dominique Kennedy.
El Dorado vs. Mansfield
El Dorado defeated Mansfield behind 18 points from Daniel Gafford and will play Evangel in their next contest.
Haughton vs. Calvary
The Haughton Bucs beat the Calvary Cavaliers by a score of 47-38. The Bucs were led by D. Snell with 15 points.
Woodlawn vs. Neville
Woodlawn defeated the Neville Tigers, 58-56 in overtime to advance in thrilling fashion. Woodlawn was led by Telvin Thomas with 18 points.
Girls
Doyline vs. Lakeside
The Doyline Lady Panthers beat the Lakeside Lady Warriors, 36-34 in a barn-burner. Tia Thomas had a big night for Doyline scoring 17 points.
Woodlawn vs. Loyola
The Loyola Lady Flyers advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Woodlawn 50-49. Amber Smith led Loyola with 25 points.
Red River vs. Ringgold
Red River defeated Ringgold 60-50 behind 19 points from Dominique Burton.
El Dorado vs. Haughton
The Haughton Lady Bucs fell to El Dorado, Arkansas, 42-36. El Dorado was led by Tasheanne Armstrong with 13 points.
Neville vs. J-Hodge
Neville blew out the Jonesboro Hodge girls, 54-35 behind a balanced scoring effort by all Lady Tigers.
North Caddo vs. Evangel
North Caddo defeated Evangel in a matchup of top teams, 60-53. North Caddo advances to the quarterfinals behind Keyarrea Easter’s 24 point performance.
Ruston vs. Southwood
The Ruston Lady Bearcats defeated the Southwood Lady Cowboys, 56-39. The Lady Bearcats got 23 big points from Amari McWain to pace them to the win.