Laney tops Evans in tourney
Laney High School junior Rod Hall led all scorers with 19 points to help the Wildcats down the Evans Knights 57-50 in the championship of the Robolli's Christmas Tournament at Evans High School.
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The two teams went back and forth in the fourth quarter, with Evans leading in the final two minutes. But after the Wildcats took the lead the Knights were reduced to putting Laney on the foul line, where the team had found success all night.
"It came down to free throws and they just made more than we did," said Evans coach Kevin Kenny. "(Laney) is a very disciplined team. They're well coached."
Tony Davis scored a team-high 18 points for the Knights, who trailed by three at halftime.
Evans would take a two-point advantage into the fourth before faltering late.
Troy Griffith added 10 points for the Knights, who dropped to 7-3 on the season.
GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP
Silver Bluff 63, W'side-Macon 59
When Silver Bluff junior Kaylin Foreman fouled out 23 seconds into the fourth quarter with her team down by nine, it was her sister who was in charge of taking over the comeback effort.
Jamie Foreman did just that, leading Silver Bluff to a 63-59 victory over Westside-Macon in the championship game of the Robolli's Christmas Tournament at Evans High School.
Jamie scored 10 points over the final six minutes and controlled the boards en route to earning tournament MVP honors and giving Silver Bluff its first Christmas tournament title in school history.
"(Kaylin) told me I had to put the team on my shoulders because she was out. I knew that I had to step up," Jamie said.
Through the first three quarters, the Lady Bulldogs' offense was sluggish at best. After scoring its initial basket, Silver Bluff went nearly four minutes without denting the scoreboard in what turned into a turnover-riddled first quarter.
The second quarter saw Westside-Macon find a little offensive rhythm, but Silver Bluff's defense struggled to slow down Westside's Jazzmin Grove. Grove, a senior, scored 16 points in the first half and had 26 after three periods.
Kaylin's 17 points up to that point had Westside within striking distance, but Silver Bluff still trailed by as much as 13 in the second half and by 11 at the end of the third quarter.
After Kaylin picked up her fifth foul, Westside's smaller lineup slowly started to chip away at the Lady Seminoles' lead. Jamie, who finished with 14 points, hit a pair of free throws with 3:20 left to give Silver Bluff its first lead.
Jamie made the biggest play of the game on the defensive end, blocking Grove's breakaway layup attempt with 1:20 remaining.
"It's kind of like we're the Comeback 'Cats, the Arizona team in '97. We're the Comeback 'Dogs." said Silver Bluff coach Robbie McKenzie, whose team also rallied from a 10-point deficit in the semifinals.