Posted by davefilby on 4/10/2014 7:36:00 PM (view original):
N Alabama (3-2) @ Barton (1-4): N Alabama has been up and down this season, riding leading scorer & freshman PG Lawrence Holiday's 18 ppg. Three other scorers reach double digits: the outside stoke of sophs Ted Gilbert & Kyle Hoy, and the post play of Alden Arnold. N Alabama's young guns shoot 41% from deep. Barton is led by the senior trio of Edward Thiess, Rudy Kennedy, and Tim Langley. They combine for more than half of Barton's scoring. Don't be fooled by Barton's record, they have a double OT loss and an OT loss. Oddmakers like Barton by a point.
Mount Olive (4-1) at Montevallo (3-2): Mount Olive boasts D-II's leading scorer, Martin Hatfield and his 29.6 ppg. Hatfield's speed & shooting ability are a tough matchup for any team, we will see how he fairs against Montevallo's zone. The Mont possesses an inside-out attack with seniors Harry Fairbanks & Jerry Snyder combining for over 25 ppg. The Mont by a bucket.
It's not part of the Challenge, but St Marys squares off against Limestone tonight.
Barton 78, N Alabama 65: Barton made a small halftime lead into a big one during the second half, stretching the margin to 18 before calling off the dogs. N Alabama couldn't keep up with Barton's efficient offense. Barton shot 56% from the floor, 50% from deep, and 81% from the charity stripe. Barton's Theiss, Kennedy & Langley combined for 42 of the 78 points. N Alabama's Lawrence Holiday had 25.
Montevallo 80, Mount Olive 54: Montevallo, showing why they were preseason #3, blows out Mount Olive by 26. The Mont had a true team effort, shooting 57% and dishing out 18 assists, and having an advantage in every statistical category. Mount Olive shot 34% and committed 30 fouls, a recipe for disaster. Eleven players scored for Montevallo, led by Kevin Swanson's 14. Mount Olive leading scorer Martin Hatfield was "held" to 16 points on 6 of 18 shooting.
1-1 in the Challenge. In other news, Limestone is really good, beating St Mary's by 18.