Eufaula turns out to be “too much” for Elba at Prep Classic

OZARK — Eufaula simply had too much athleticism, too much height and too much firepower for Elba Monday.

The Class 5A third-ranked and unbeaten Tigers of Eufaula, as expected, overmatched the 2A Tigers of Elba, dominating 65-43 in quarterfinal play at the Dothan Progress/Dothan Eagle/Southern Star Holiday Prep Classic.

The win pushes Eufaula (15-0) into the tournament semifinals for the second straight year. The Tigers face Robertsdale (10-7) today at 5 p.m.

“The thing is we wanted to make sure that we stayed focused and knew what this game meant — to make it the semifinal round, that was our goal,” Eufaula head coach Mike Henry said.

“We felt like we met our goals, so we have another game and look forward to that game. We will work hard and try to make it to the championship game.”

Eufaula got its running shoes out early and seized a 7-0 lead in the first three and half minutes.

More fastbreaks combined with pinpoint passing of point guard Lazabian Jackson helped Eufaula build a 17-6 lead late in the period.

Jackson dished off nice passes on two straight plays for baskets for Josh Jones and Calvin Thomas.

Herbert Brooks and Thomas added a fastbreak layup each for Eufaula, which hit 8-of-11 shots in the opening period.

Scrappy Elba, though, closed it to 17-11 at the end of the quarter behind the gritty play of guards Gavin Respress and Keenan Phillips. Respress drove the lane for a basket and Phillips bombed home a 3-pointer.

Eufaula quickly reestablished control in the opening moments of the second quarter with a string of six straight points then cruised into halftime up 32-18.

A quick 13-2 burst to start the third quarter sealed any doubt about the outcome.

Eufaula’s starters played barely more than two quarters yet combined for 47 points and hit 22-of-37 from the floor.

Eufaula also entered with a sizable height advantage and capitalized on it. All five starters and 11 players overall stand at 6-foot-1 or better for Eufaula. Elba, by comparison, had just two players overall at 6-1 or better.

As a result, Eufaula dominated the boards, claiming a 41-23 advantage, highlighted by 15 offensive rebounds.

Jones, a 6-foot-5 force inside, led the way for Eufaula with 15 points and seven rebounds. Thomas and Brooks added 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Jackson, the point guard, had only four points, but dished out six assists and would have had two or three more if not for missed shots.

“He really looks to pass first,” Henry said. “He gets a kick out of making a great pass. He could easily score more, but he knows his role and he loves to make that pass.”

Hans Rice, the other Eufaula starter, also had only four points, but led in rebounding with 10.

Respress led Elba (8-5) with 16 points, highlighted by three 3-pointers and a couple of aggressive penetration baskets against the taller Tigers.