By Kyle Parmley
CLAY – In one of the wildest games of the season for both teams, Clay-Chalkville rode point guard Hasan Abdullah’s 34 points to a 93-75 win over Hewitt-Trussville on Monday night.
Abdullah exploded for 17 points in the second quarter alone, which saw him bury four pull-up 3-pointers inside of the final two minutes, including one at the buzzer to pull his team to within three. His performance was able to distract his coach from the Cougars’ first-half struggles.
“As a coach, you’re frustrated about how you’re playing,” said Clay-Chalkville head coach Jeremy Monceaux. “But you get caught watching a little bit, because that was amazing. It was fun to watch. I’ll go watch it on film for sure.”
Not to be outdone, Hewitt-Trussville freshman Sean Elmore attempted to match Abdullah blow for blow in the second period. The freshman scored 13 of his 16 points in the quarter, including three shots from deep.
“It feels really good (to get in a zone),” Elmore said.
Abdullah was honored at midcourt prior to the game, along with Lady Cougar point guard Kristian Hudson, to recognize his nomination to the McDonald’s All-American game. The Naval Academy commit hit five 3-pointers overall and added seven rebounds, five assists and five steals to an already stellar statistical performance. He also sunk all nine free throws he attempted.
Harrison Stanley’s performance would not be overshadowed by the second quarter battle between Abdullah and Elmore. Stanley led the Huskies with 24 points on the night, including a pair of 3-pointers in the second quarter that saw each team notch 25 points. He was excellent from the charity stripe as well, hitting all seven of his free throws.
Both teams combined for a whopping 17 3-point makes in the first half. The shots continued to fall for both teams through the third quarter, leaving the score tied at 64. But the fourth quarter would reveal a completely different result for Hewitt-Trussville, as the Huskies were outscored 29-11 and were held without a field goal for several minutes to start the last frame.
“We were able to pressure them, and we got to the rim in the final quarter,” Monceaux said. “I’m just glad we got out of here with a win.”
Edward Leggett did what he does best, hitting three shots from beyond the arc and scored 15 points for the Cougars. Sean Burrell had a solid game as well, scoring 10 points and pulling down six rebounds.
Kam Prewitt easily notched the highlight of the game not associated with 3-pointers. In the first quarter, he stepped in front of a Husky pass near half court, drove it the rest of the way with no one around, and slammed it home with his left hand.
Chris Lewis, recently called up from the junior varsity team, made quite an impact for Hewitt-Trussville. He scored eight points, grabbed seven rebounds and blocked two shots. Josh Monski also finished with eight points and dished out four assists.
Both teams play on their home floors Tuesday night, with Clay-Chalkville playing Carver-Birmingham and Hewitt-Trussville hosting Pinson Valley.
The Cougars and Huskies will meet again Friday night at Bryant Bank Arena.