Opelika splits with Smiths Station

If you’re only going to score 1 point, you might as well make it count.

Opelika’s David Thomas did just that.

With the Bulldogs clinging to a 5-point lead with just over 30 seconds remaining, Thomas got a steal on the Bulldogs’ end after a missed free throw, drew the foul and hit one of his two attempts to give the Bulldogs a 6-point lead en route to a 66-56 win over Smiths Station on Friday night. The
Panther girls won the night’s first game, 53-41, to clinch the area title.

“That was a big break,” OHS head coach John Wadsworth said. “Just looking at it, you could tell it took a little wind out of their sails. But that’s what David Thomas brings to you. He’s a winner.

“That was a big point to get.”

While Thomas provided the spark when the Bulldogs (15-6, 4-2 Class 6A-Area 7) needed it, four players scored in double figures. LaDecker Johnson and Tay Calloway had 15 points apiece, Morris Lockhart had 12 and Jacoby Payne had 10.

Smiths Station’s Sebastian Thomas led all scorers with 19, and Rod Austin and A.J. Williams had 11 each.

The Bulldogs never trailed in the game, led by as many as 16 in the third quarter and had a 14-point cushion in the fourth, but Sebastian Thomas had something to say about that.

Thomas hit consecutive 3-pointers to pull the Panthers (11-12, 1-5) within 6, but fouled out before David Thomas’ big play.

“My guys were resilient,” Smiths Station head coach Ronnie Battle said. “They did a lot of the things we asked them to do.

“But free-throw shooting has been our Achilles’ heel all season long. And when you’re 10-for-24 in a game that was 5 points at one point that’s a lot to overcome.”

The two teams combined to shoot 28-for-61 from the charity stripe on the night.

After finishing second in the area to Central and with four games to go before tournament play begins, Wadsworth felt like Friday’s win could provide the spark the Bulldogs need.

“Our season’s been a rollercoaster,” he said. “We started off hot, got a guy hurt and we’ve been struggling. Hopefully we can get our confidence going for the end of the year and be playing our best ball.

“We’ve still got four games left, but at this point you’ve got to be talking tournament ball.

“I’m just proud of my kids, though. Most of them were on the team last year when we came in last in the area, and to go from last to second in a year says a lot about these guys.”

Opelika will travel to Beauregard on Monday, while Smiths Station will travel to Stanhope Elmore on Tuesday.

Smiths Station girls 53, Opelika 41
Smiths Station’s girls clinched the area championship with a 12-point win over Opelika on Friday night.

The Panthers led throughout, but Opelika pulled to within 3 early in the fourth quarter after a 10-0 run.

Smiths Station’s Dejah Heard made sure it got no further.

She scored 6 of her 16 points in a four-minute stretch in which the Panthers went on a 12-0 run to seal the win.

“She’s a great leader,” Smiths Station head coach Shana Johnson said. “She’s a three-year starter for us at point guard. She makes plays like that.”

Erika Jones had 13 points for the Panthers (20-4, 5-1 area), and Vannessa Peterson added 11.

Opelika’s Jasmine Cannon led all scorers with 17. She was the only Bulldog in double figures.

tcottrell@oanow.com | 737-2511