It took 10 days during a snowy February, but Olmstead’s favored teams lived up to expectations Saturday, Feb. 12 in winning both divisions of the Logan
County Middle School Tournament. The games were very different with the girls romping 42-8 and the boys working hard for a 52-45 decision, beating
Auburn in both contests.
Coach Daniel Alvis’ Lady Rams allowed the Lady Tigers only four points in the first three quarters. Madison Alvis, the champs' only eighth grader,
scored 17 points while Rachel Barnett had 10, Logan Williamson 4 and Cierra Johnson had 4 each, Molly Latham 3, and Taylor Borders and Taleia Mason 2
each.
One of the most dominant teams ever in the tournament, the Lady Rams had a balanced attack. Madison Alvis averaged 16 points a game, but Johnson had 20
points in a semifinal romp over defending champion Chandlers. Williamson, who is only a sixth grader, ran the team with precision from the point guard
spot while Borders and Barnett dominated the boards and played excellent defense. Mason is officially a sub, but she basically was a sixth starter.
Coaches Alvis and Chris Wilcutt worked with the girls throughout the offseason, playing in summer tournaments and going to a camp. They even had a
Facebook Page. With only one player ready to graduate, the team seems to have a good future.
Auburn played well in a semifinals win over Lewisburg with small but talented guard Adriana Hinogoza taking the ball to the hole with either hand for
16 points. In the finals, though, Olmstead was just too big and too talented even for her to succeed. She scored the only four points Coach Josh Hall’s
Lady Tigers managed in the first three quarters of the championship game.
Last year, Matt Harper was too sick to be a positive factor in the championship game when the Rams were upset by veteran coach Stanley Fleming and his
Chandlers Bears. For a while Saturday it seemed that Harper might not be around for the end of the game after he and rugged Tiger forward Hunter Britt
collided hard going for a loose ball. Fortunately for Coach Todd Gill and his team, Harper was able to return against an Auburn team which refused to
go away without a great effort.
Harper, who had made a steal and a basket to put Olmstead up 22-21 at the half, scored 11 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter,
withstanding countless Tiger comebacks. Reserve Jose Garcia hit a couple of big 3-pointers on the way to 7 points.
Centers dominated early with Olmstead's John Wilson Coots and Auburn's Ben Wright both scoring 10 points in the first half, but each only had two
points in the second half. Tucker Baldwin scored 6 points for the winners with Daniel Beaty adding 5. Caleb Bruner also started for Coach Todd Gill's
Rams, who finished 21-2. That meant four of the starters were members of the Logan County Little League team which played in the World Series in 2009,
along with Coots.
Tahmir Graham had 11 for the Tigers with Kaleb Coursey scoring 8, Cole Stanley 7, Noah Whittinghill 5, and Hunter Britt 2. Taylor Owens saw extended
action. Hall coached both Auburn teams/
In the semifinals, the Lady Rams beat Adairville 51-23 with Johnson scoring 20 and Alvis 15. Lauren Batten and Brooke Barnes each scored 6 for
Adairville. The Rams won over Chandlers 70-16 with Harper scoring 17, Coots 10, Beaty 9, and Baldwin and Bruner 8 each. Austin Hyde led the Bears with
6. Buddy Wright was Gill’s assistant with the Rams
The Auburn Lady Tigers won over Lewisburg 36-15 with Hinojoza scoring 15. Regon Cole and Savannah Larson added 6 each. Jordan Goss scored 6 for the
Lady Rangers in the loss. Ben Wright scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half and dominated the boards as the Tigers beat Lewisburg 50-29. Graham
added 12 points and Whittinghill 8. Only three players scored for the Rangers. Dalton Furlow totaled 14, Garrison Rosser 9 and Jackson Wells 6. This
was the best of the four semifinal games, and it still ended in a 21-point margin.
Fifth grader Austin Rayno scored 18 for Adairville in the opening round, but Chandlers advanced 43-41 while Hunter Anderson, Tanner Chapman and Hyde
had 10 each for the winning Bears. Ann-Meguiar Bouldin had 8 points in the Adairville girls' 29-13 victory over Chandlers while Alana Hallman and
Brianna Wooden had 6 each. Desirae Powell topped the Lady Bears with 5.
Jerald Tabb and Bob Nelson coached Lewisburg and assisted each other along with Ronnie Rosser. Todd Webb coached both Adairville teams with help from
Jennifer Webb, Kevin Rayno and Bill Hendricks. Fleming and Amber Creek McKinney coached Chandlers.
FINALS
GIRLS
Score by Quarters:
1) OMS 12-2, 2) 25-4, 3) 31-4, Finals)
Olmstead 42, Auburn 8
OMS (42)
Madison Alvis 17, Rachel Barnett 10, Logan Williamson 4, Cierra Johnson 4, Molly Latham 3, Taylor Borders 2, Taleia Mason 2, Lee Ann Coots, Kameron
Higgins, Keechera Palcious, Claire Wilson, Ginny Edwards
AuMS (8)
Adrianna Hinojoza 6, Kallie Shoemake 2, Sierra Morrow, Regon Cole, Chandler Larson, Susanna Higgins, Lauren Allen, Teanna Gray, Victoria Welch,
Courtney McGinnis, Alyssa Johnson
BOYS
Score by Quarters:
1) AuMS 9-6, 2) OMS 22-21, 3) OMS 35-31, Final)
Olmstead 52, Auburn 45
OMS (52)
Matt Harper 22, John Wilson Coots 12, Jose Garcia 7, Tucker Baldwin 6, Daniel Beaty 5, Caleb Bruner, Cody Higgins, Hunter Harper, Kenton Howard, Wesley
Hadden, Josh Canler, Lorenzo Garcia
AuMS (45)
Ben Wright 12, Tahmir Graham 11, Kaleb Coursey 8, Cole Stanley 7, Noah Whittinghill 5, Hunter Britt 2, Taylor Owens, Austin Bagby
SEMIFINALS
GIRLS
Score by Quarters:
1) OMS 11-7, 2) 27-15, 3) 39-17, Final)
Olmstead 51, Adairville 23
OMS (51)
Cierra Johnson 20, Madison Alvis 15, Taylor Borders 6, Taleia Mason 3, Logan Williamson 2, Claire Wilson 2, Rachel Barnett 2, Keechera Palacious 1,
Coots, Higgins, Latham, Edwards
AdMS (23)
Lauren Batten 6, Brooke Barnes 6, Alana Hallman 5, Amanda Crutchfield 4, Ann-Meguiar Bouldin 2, Laura Hendricks, Jordan Woodard, Rachel Phillips,
Kristen Hendricks, Christian Lynch, Grace McLellan, Haley Reid, Brianna Wooden, Emily Crutchfield
Score by Quarters:
1) AuMS 13-2, 2) 21-8, 3) 30-13, Final) Auburn 36, Lewisburg 15
AuMS (36)
Adriana Hinojoza 15, Ragon Cole 6, Chandler Larson 6, Sierra Morrow 5, Courtney McGinnis 5, Kaitlynne Fisher, Higgins, Shoemake, Allen, Gray, Welch,
Johnson
LMS (15)
Jordan Goss 6, Lauren Burnett 4, Brittany Wilhelm 3, Savannah Rogers 2, Breanna Baptiste, Merideth Johnson, Michaela King, Meleea Reno, Karson Inscoe,
Brooklyn Givens, Rebecca Weir, Kela Heltsley
BOYS
Score by Quarters:
1) 2) 28-6, 30 43-8, Final)
Olmstead 70, Chandlers 16
OMS (70)
Matt Harper 17, John Wilson Coots 10, Daniel Beaty 9, Tucker Baldwin 8, Caleb Bruner 8, Wesley Hadden 6, Cody Higgins 4, Jose Garcia 4, Josh Canler 2,
Hunter Harper, Lorenzi Garcia
CMS (16)
Austin Hyde 6, Hunter Anderson 4, E.J. Offutt 3, Jordan Blick 2, Micah Lindsey 1, Luke Woodall, Tristan Armstrong, Ty Burchett, Dalyn Chapman, Tanner
Chapman, Connor Hopkins, Kaleb Justice, Devin Mayhugh, Payton Moberly, Lucas Montgomery
Score by Quarters:
1) AuMS 10-6, 2) 28-17, 3) 40-17, Final)
Auburn 50, Lewisburg 29
AuMS (50) Ben
Wright 14, Tahmir Graham 12, Noah Whittinghill 8, Hunter Britt 6, Taylor Owens 3, Kaleb Coursey 3, Kenny Cornist 2, Cole Stanley 2, Bagby, Jack Wright,
Erick Williams, Michael Riley, Easton May
LMS (29)
Dalton Furlow 14, Garrison Rosser 9, Jackson Wells 6, Jordan Hendrix, Lennon Reed, Jarrett Hamilton, Quentin Nash, Hunter Crafton, Mykal Hampton, Tyler
Kinkton, Jonathan Furlow
OPENING ROUND
BOYS
Score by Quarters:
1) 9-9, 2) CMS 23-17, 30 38-34, Final)
Chandlers 43, Adairville 41
CMS (43)
Hunter Anderson 10, Tanner Christian 10, Austin Hyde 10, E.J. Offutt 7, Luke Woodall 2, Micah Lindsey 2, Lucas Montgomery 2, Burchett, D. Chapman,
Justice,
AdMS
(41) Austin Rayno 19=8, Taylor Blakemore 10, Caleb Phillips 9, Jackson Campbell 2, Jackson Allen 2, Jordan Campbell, Sedale Shannon, Will Robey
GIRLS
Score by Quarters:
1) AdMS 8-3, 2) 17-5, 3) 23-6, Final) Adairville 29, Chandlers 13
AdMS (29)
Ann-Meguiar Bouldin 8, Alan Hallman 6, Brianna Wooden 6, Christian Lynch 3, Lauren Batten 2, Brooke Barnes 2, Haley Reid 2, A. Crutchfield, Taylor
Ward, McLellan, Baylee Martin, E. Crutchfield
CMS (13)
Desirae Powell 5, Kendra Chestnut 3, Shelbi Hyde 2, Amber Carroll 2, Rachel Cunningham 1, Ariel Roberts, Kayleigh Robertson, Tabitha Hyde, Shelby
Rigsby, Madison McReynolds, Ava Simmons