Calera edges Pelham in tournament semifinals
Published 10:06 am Wednesday, December 29, 2010
FROM STAFF REPORTS
Calera High School guard Ronnie Clark hit a 3-pointer with just under a second remaining to lift the Eagles to a 66-63 victory Dec. 28 over Pelham in the semifinals of the Champion Sports Medicine Shootout.
Pelham trailed 32-27 at halftime, but a 7-2 run to open the third quarter tied the game at 34-all. The Panthers outscored Calera, 21-13, in the third quarter and took a 48-45 lead into the final quarter.
Clark’s game-winning shot came after Calera had rebounded a Panther miss with just over 3 seconds left in the game. The Eagles called a timeout to set up a final shot, inbounding the ball just short of the midcourt line.
Clark’s game-winner was his only three-pointer in the game. He finished with nine points. Deondre Haynes led the Eagles (12-3) with 32 points as he hit 13-of-22 field goals, including 3-for-5 from three-point range.
Pelham (4-8) was led by senior Tanner Rice who had 19 points and also pulled down nine rebounds. Alec Rash added 13 points for the Panthers. Qadash Williams had eight points and nine rebounds. Graham Reilly led the team in assists with five while scoring four points.
For Calera, Blayne Summerall and Titus Adams each chipped in with 11 points with Adams leading the Eagles in rebounds with nine. Summerall added eight rebounds.
Pelham shot 46 percent from the field for the game, including a 56 percent mark in the second half. The Eagles hit 42 percent from the field.
The Panthers hit 11-of-16 free throws but missed two front ends of critical one-and-one opportunities late in the game.
Calera led 20-17 after the first quarter of play.