By Erik Harris
PINSON – Clay-Chalkville ended its Class 6A, Area 12 schedule with a 66-42 win at Pinson Valley on Tuesday night.
With the Cougars holding a nine-point lead at the break, they blew the game open with an 11-2 run to start the second half. Anthony Holmes started the run with a second-chance bucket and ended it with an old-fashion 3-point play midway through the third quarter.
“We talked about making sure that we started the game well and started the half well,” said Clay-Chalkville head coach Jeremy Monceaux. “I thought the second half was big for trying to take away any momentum that they had and we did that.”
At that point, Clay-Chalkville held a 42-24 lead that grew into its third area win of the season. The Cougars ended their regular season league schedule with a 3-1 mark. The loss dropped Pinson Valley to 0-4 in area play.
Clay-Chalkville forward Nico Collins led the visitors with 14 points. Jalen Jordan slashed his way to 12 points while Holmes pitched in with 11.
For Pinson Valley, Duncan Merriweather provided a team-high 14 points while Cornell Hale worked his way to 13.
“With the area wrapped up, we’re automatically into the subregional,” said Monceaux. “With seven or eight games left to play, I’m just telling (the team) it’s all about improving and getting better. We’ve got a tough stretch coming up, so we needed to get that one.”
Erik Harris is the Sports Editor for the Trussville Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @jeharris2 or email him at jmseharris2@gmail.com.