By Loyd McIntosh,
For The Tribune
IRONDALE — The Shades Valley Mounties went toe-to-toe with a scrappy Center Point squad Monday night before pulling away late to win by 12 points, 56-44.
The Mounties came into the non-region matchup with a record of four wins and five losses and were coming off a tough 67-53 loss to Auburn High School on Saturday. Their opponent, the Eagles of Center Point, made the trip to Irondale with a 4-4 record and were also looking to avenge a 29-point loss to Wenonah on Thursday, December 8.
From the opening tip, the pace was blisteringly up-tempo as each team looked to establish itself on defense and find the upper hand on offense. In the end, the Mounties’ defense was the winning factor as they denied the Eagles’ the ability to establish an inside game and controlled the boards en route to the 12-point victory.
Center Point jumped out to a slim lead in the first quarter as freshman Jeremy Chatman had the hot hand early, sinking a pair of three-pointers, catching Shades Valley, coaching staffing included, off guard.
“That little freshman (Chatman) kind of took us by surprise. We didn’t know he could shoot it like that,” said Shades Valley Head Coach Audwin Howard.
Shades Valley would eventually establish control in the first period, relying on an aggressive style of zone defense that shut access to the paint down. Offensively, the Mounties overcame some struggles in their outside shooting game, leaning on their big man, Kendarius Irvin, who made his presence known inside.
Still, the Eagles battled back keeping the game close, trailing by only four points, 25-21 at halftime. Shades Valley managed to push its lead to 10 points early in the third quarter before the Eagles’ Chatman and Malik Brown sank back-to-back three-pointers to pull within four points. By the end of the third quarter, the Mounties’ lead stood at five, 38-33.
In the fourth quarter, Shades Valley finally broke things open, holding off frantic efforts by Center Point to keep things close. Midway through the final frame, Center Point sophomore guard Deon Moore picked up his fifth foul and was sent to the pine for the remainder of the game.
Center responded with two ferocious back-to-back dunks, first by Rashad Bryant, followed moments later by Irvin, pushing Shades Valley’s lead to 15 points and out of reach for a comeback by Center Point.
Final score: Shades Valley 56, Center Point 44.
‘It was a hard-fought win,” said Howard. “Some of our guys that really make shots weren’t on tonight, but we played good, solid defense down the stretch and I think that really helped us get to where we need to be.”
Cent Point Head Coach Rodney Chatman said he believes the lass to Shades Valley could be a good learning experience for a young Eagles squad with limited experience on the varsity level.
“We hope that we grew up tonight,” said Chapman. “We’re very and we have a lot of inexperience from some of our older guys. We only really have one player that is back from last year and that’s #1, the point guard.
“A lot of it is our lack of maturity. Untimely turnovers, a missed rebound on a stop where they got a second chance,” Chatman added. “They fought tonight, so hopefully, this will help us grow up.”
The Eagles fall to 4-5 on the year and will face undefeated Pinson Valley on Wednesday, December 13.
Shades Valley improves to 5-4 and will host Leeds on Thursday, December 15