By Johnny Sanders, Sports Editor
PINSON – In round one of the 6A Area 12 tournament, Pinson enjoyed a bye while the Clay Chalkville Cougars and Mortimer Jordan Blue Devils put on a defensive clinic while fighting for the right to play the Indians for the area championship on Wednesday night.
The contest started with both teams finding it hard to get anything going on offense while the defenses played well. You don’t often get this, but the first quarter ended in a tie. A 0-0 tie.
In the second quarter, each time finally got going on the offensive side of the ball. Mortimer Jordan scored 15 on the Cougars in the period. Clay put up 17 points in the quarter, depending heavily on 3 three-point shots by Sophomore Devin McKinnon paired with an additional three-pointer by Colin Owens. Clay would go into the break with a narrow 17-15 lead and at this point, you knew it was going to be a fight to get to that championship game.
Things slowed down a bit in the third as Mortimer Jordan scored just 11 points, but Clay answered with 13 to double their lead and get ever closer to a big first-round win. Kevin Kirk Jr. and Tiawan Hardy Jr. each had 4 points to go with a three-pointer by Da’Von Cheatham to send the game into the final quarter with Clay in the lead 30-26.
In the fourth, Mortimer Jordan did all they could to come back, even outscoring the Cougars in the period. But they would only do so by 1 point, giving Clay the 3-point win and sending them into the finals against the Pinson Valley Indians. For the quarter, Cheatham scored 7 points to lead the Cougars. Hardy had a three-pointer in the period as well. Clay would win by a final of 42-39.
On the night, 3 Cougars led the team in scoring. Da’Von Cheatham, Devin McKinnon and Tiawan Hardy Jr. were the ones who led the way for Clay Chalkville with 11 points each in the win.
“The game got off to a very slow start,” said Clay Coach Chris Richardson. “This fell right into Mortimer Jordan’s favor. My Sophomore Devon McKinnon got us going with 3 three-pointers in the second quarter. He is one of the best players in the 2025 class. My Seniors Da’Von Cheatham and Tiawan Hardy Jr. made huge plays down the stretch to help us survive on a night where we could not find an offensive rhythm.”
The Cougars will play against Pinson Valley on Wednesday night for the 6A Area 12 Championship at Pinson Valley High School.