DOWNTOWN DOTHAN HOOPS CLASSIC DAY 1: Slocomb holds off Providence Christian (with video)

The outside shooting of Jermaine “Juicy” Williams and Lee Merritt gave Slocomb a good start, and the defense helped the Red Tops finish a 48-41 win over Providence Christian in the first round of the Downtown Dothan Hoops Classic at the Dothan Civic Center on Friday.

Williams hit his first two 3-pointers of the game, and Merritt hit his first as Slocomb raced out to a 14-8 lead after one quarter. But the scrappy Eagles kept it close throughout.

Midway through the second quarter, Slocomb went from a box-and-1 defense to a man-to-man, and the Eagles never could even the score.

“Once we went to that, we were able to hold them down,” Slocomb coach J.J. Price said. “We forced them to drive on us and didn’t give up outside shots.”

Keith Granger, who scored 10 in the game, hit a bucket down low for the Eagles with six seconds left in the first half, cutting the halftime lead to 20-18. But Slocomb went up 33-27 after three quarters and went up 10 with 3:59 left in the game on a jumper from Clay Holmes.

Williams hit 7-of-12 shots, finishing with a team-high 16 points. He also guarded Providence star guard Johnny Dowd, who scored 21 points, but had to take 19 shots to do it.

“I assigned Juicy to him, and that’s a lot to ask of him because I expect so much of him offensively, but good thing he’s got a motor that never stops,” Price said.

Holmes, a 6-foot-4 forward, scored eight of his 12 points in the fourth quarter as Slocomb extended its lead. The Eagles hit 6-of-8 free throws late and cut the lead to five with 22 seconds left, but couldn’t get closer.

“Their players hit some big shots and we didn’t,” Providence coach Chris Fain said. “Every time we were able to close on the lead, they would hit on a deep shot or a contested shot. They just made plays.”

Providence was without a starter for much of the game as Justin Peak injured his ankle just 48 seconds into the game.

Fain said Peak, a freshman, could have a badly sprained ankle, but would have to go in for X-rays.

“He’s probably our second-best ballhandler on the team, a smart kid, and he shoots the ball well,” Fain said. “There were certainly some opportunities tonight where we could have used him.”

Slocomb plays Dale County in the semifinals Monday at 2 p.m.

Dale County 64, Headland 62: The Warriors blew an 18-point lead, but held on at the end when the Rams missed two free throws in the final seconds.

Trey Merritt led DCHS (11-2) with 22 points and eight rebounds. Greg Henderson scored 16 with 16 rebounds. Jeremy McKay led the Rams with 34 points and eight rebounds. Dishon McKay scored 12.

Houston County 90, G.W. Long 33: The Lions led 32-6 after one quarter, 54-11 at half and 76-13 after three quarters. Edward Robinson scored 23 points with 11 rebounds, Patrick Smith scored 17 and Andrew Bolden 14.

Carlos McLeod led the Rebels with 12 points.

Ashford 58, Northview 53: The Yellow Jackets advanced to Monday’s semifinal against Houston County with the win. D.C. Condrey led the way with 24 points. Tim James scored 12 and Johnny Lewis 10.

Otwann Lynn led Northview with 14 points. Anrico Bighem and Jacquez Gibson each scored 12.

SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
at the Dothan Civic Center
Georgiana vs. New Brockton, 2 p.m.
Geneva vs. Rehobeth, 4 p.m.
Dothan vs. Malone, 6 p.m.
Houston Academy vs. Wicksburg, 8 p.m.

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VIDEO 1 - Action from Slocomb’s win over Providence Christian. Two plays of note (from 0:23-0:40) Johnny Dowd finds Keith Granger down low, who converts a lay-up and is fouled. Next (from 1:20-1:28), Slocomb’s Lee Merritt gets a steal and drives for a shot, but teammate Josh Adams gets the rebound and putback.

VIDEO 2 - Slocomb head coach J.J. Price talks about the victory, followed by senior forward Chase Merritt.