Clarke Central High School JV guard Alya Johnson dribbles the ball past Cedar Shoals High School guard Layla Hubbard on Dec. 20 in Akins Ford Arena. Basketball teams from both Cedar Shoals High School and Clarke Central High School participated in an all-day event, giving them a chance to play in a 8,500-seat stadium.. “I’m glad they got the opportunity to play here,” CSHS girls varsity basketball head coach Ta’Kesha Wall said. “This is the type of atmosphere you’re going to play (in playoffs), being under the lights at an arena. Getting that opportunity to see what that feels like (for the first time).” Photo by Grady Dunston
CCHS and crosstown rival Cedar Shoals High School went head-to-head in four basketball games at Akins Ford Arena on Dec. 20 in the Classic City Championship.
The Classic City Championship was held at Akins Ford Arena on Dec. 20, with all varsity and JV basketball teams from Cedar Shoals High School and Clarke Central High School playing each other in an all-day event.
The first game of the day was the JV girls game at 1 p.m. which saw the Jaguars come out on top with a score of 34-29.
The scores for each quarter of the Clarke Central High School girls junior varsity basketball team’s game against Cedar Shaols High School are shown. Graphic by Sam Harwell and Lea D’Angelo
The unofficial statistics of the Clarke Central High School girls junior varsity basketball team’s game against Cedar Shaols High School are shown. Graphic by Sam Harwell and Lea D’Angelo
Following the JV girls game, the JV boys played at 3 p.m. with the Gladiators having a dominating first quarter and cruising the rest of the game, winning 57-32.
The scores for each quarter of the Clarke Central High School boys junior varsity basketball team’s game against Cedar Shaols High School are shown. Graphic by Sam Harwell and Lea D’Angelo
The unofficial statistics of the Clarke Central High School boys junior varsity basketball team’s game against Cedar Shaols High School are shown. Graphic by Sam Harwell and Lea D’Angelo
Following the JV games, the girls varsity teams took to the court at 5 p.m. The game had a quick start, with both teams scoring on their first possession. However, the Gladiators’ offense began to slow down, while the Jaguars’ offense picked up momentum. As such, CSHS jumped out to an early 11-5 lead.
“I like how our team played together. We did more of passing the ball, which is something we’ve been struggling (with) lately, but I feel like we (had) a lot of teamwork today,” Cedar Shoals High School shooting guard Kameran Brown, a senior, said.
As the second quarter started, the game became more physical, with a combined nine personal fouls being handed out to both teams. CCHS started to push back and close the scoring gap. Gladiator Point guard Kaiden Bradford dropped six points in the quarter, helping CCHS tie it up at halftime, 16-16.
The Clarke Central High School girls varsity basketball team lost to Cedar Shoals High School with a final score of 42-29 in the annual Classic City Championship on Dec. 20 in Akins Ford Arena. At halftime, the game was tied 16-16, but in the fourth quarter, the Jaguars finished the game and secured the win. “We just had to bring the energy. We knew we had to pull away from the score being close, and we just had to motivate each other. The energy started to show in (the) fourth quarter and we started playing more together,” CSHS shooting guard Kameran Brown, a senior, said. Photo by Grady Dunston
“I think we came out playing. We got down at first. We worked our way back into the game,” CCHS girls varsity basketball head coach Carla Johnson said.
The game was a shootout in the third quarter, with CSHS shooting guard Riley Freeman converting her free throws to keep the game close, but the Gladiators edged their noses in front to lead 25-24 entering the final quarter.
“I feel like we need to learn to play like we’re always winning. Because right when we got up, we weren’t as intense and we didn’t make good passes, we weren’t talking,” Clarke Central High School shooting guard Mary Wicker said.
Things fell apart for the Gladiators in the fourth quarter. CSHS’ Ty Thompson scored seven points and accounted for two assists. The Jaguars put 18 points on the board in a dominant conclusion, shutting down the Gladiators and finishing the game 42-29 winners.
The scores for each quarter of the Clarke Central High School girls varsity basketball team’s game against Cedar Shaols High School are shown. Graphic by Sam Harwell and Lea D’Angelo
“We just had to bring the energy. We knew we had to pull away from the score being close, and we just had to motivate each other, because the energy started to show in (the) fourth quarter, and we started playing more together,” Brown said.
The final game of the night was a showdown between the boys varsity teams. The Jaguars had a hot start to the first quarter, easily blowing past the Gladiators’ defense to score 16 points and lead the game 16-6.
“I’ll say, (Cedar Shoals) looked well prepared tonight. That was evident. My team, we weren’t so prepared tonight. I don’t think we prepared for the atmosphere. (We) weren’t prepared for the stage,” Clarke Central High School boys varsity basketball head coach Dr. Stefan Smith said.
In the second quarter, CSHS continued to assert dominance over CCHS. Jags power forward Tybias Lay, a junior, put on a defensive showcase with four blocks and two steals, which kept the Gladiator offense at bay. The quarter ended with the Jags up 33-12.
The Clarke Central High School boys varsity basketball team lost to Cedar Shoals High School with a final score of 50-62 in the annual Classic City Championship on Dec. 20 in Akins Ford Arena. CCHS was doing poorly compared to CSHS, with a 21 point difference by the end of the first half. “I’ll say, (Cedar Shoals), look well prepared tonight. That was evident. My team, we weren’t so prepared tonight. I don’t think we prepared for the atmosphere. (We) weren’t prepared for the stage.” head boys varsity basketball coach Dr. Stefan Smith said. Photo by Grady Dunston
“I thought our defense was pretty good tonight. You know, we were able to keep guys in front of us. Overall, I thought that the game was great (for us), ” Cedar Shoals High School head boys varsity basketball coach L’Dreco Thomas said.
CCHS fought back offensively to start the third quarter, doubling their points from 12 to 24. However, the Jaguars simply had too strong of a lead. CSHS shooting guard Devin Hubbard, a junior, led both teams in scoring, single handedly putting up seven points in the quarter and 18 points in the game, which kept the Jags ahead at the end of the third quarter, up 46-24.
“I think it started on defense, my effort on defense, (and then I) started scoring, and my energy really spread throughout the whole team. We can all come together as one team,” Hubbard said.
“(Cedar Shoals) looked well prepared tonight. That was evident. My team, we weren’t so prepared tonight. I don’t think we prepared for the atmosphere. (We) weren’t prepared for the stage,”
— L’Dreco Thomas,
Cedar Shoals High School head boys varsity basketball coach
Because of their crosstown rival’s large lead, the Gladiators subbed in several freshman and sophomore players, who started for the JV team, to begin the fourth quarter. The substitutes, however, began to turn the tide of the game. Gladiator point guard La’Gracion Little, a sophomore, had 12 points in the fourth quarter alone, which helped CCHS put up 26 points in the final period of play.
“That’s the highest amount of points I’ve actually scored, and I feel like if I actually take it to that level, I can score (more and more). I just got to stay focused and keep working,” Little said.
However, the points were not enough to make up the deficit, and the Jaguars won 62-50, ending the day-long event with CSHS taking three of four contests. CSHS will face off against the CCHS later in the varsity basketball season however, leading to a potentially fierce rivalry down the line.
The scores for each quarter of the Clarke Central High School boys varsity basketball team’s game against Cedar Shaols High School are shown. Graphic by Sam Harwell and Lea D’Angelo
“What I do know is, Coach (Smith) does (a) great job. And next time we play (Clarke Central), I expect it’ll show. I expect them to be a lot better. We got a lot of time before then, but, we’re happy to get this one, but we still have another one to play,” Thomas said.
