By: Brett Greenberg
TUSCALOOSA, AL. - The championship game for the Class 6A, Area 7 boys basketball tournament is set after Paul W. Bryant and Hillcrest defeated their opponents in the semifinal round at Hillcrest High School on Thursday night.
Bryant defeated Northridge 72-47, powered by two-sport athlete Tobias Burrell’s 18 points. Brodie Vail led the Jaguars with 16.
Hillcrest defeated Brookwood 63-52 to give the Patriots a season sweep of the Panthers and their 18th win. Hillcrest's Mason Jones led all scorers with 19 points. Brookwood's Quinton Lee (15 points) and Connor Sanders (14) combined for nine made 3-point shots.
Hillcrest will host Bryant Saturday at 7 p.m. .
Here’s what we learned:
Stampede of a start Bryant was up 23-10 after the first quarter, powered behind four 3-point makes, three from Jonathan Crawford, who finished with 14 points. Burrell added eight points in the first quarter.
The Stampede led by eights or more the rest of the game.
"We know they [Northridge] is a good 3-point shooting team, so we wanted to run them off the line," said Northridge coach Shon Peck-Love. "We stepped up and made stops when he had to as well."
Bryant's intensity, quickness too much The Stampede outrebounded the Jaguars by six in each of the two halves. Marquise Nash was able to use his size to give the Stampede plenty of second-chance opportunities.
The Stampede dissected the Northridge full-court press for multiple easy lay-up opportunities, contributing to its close-out run in the fourth quarter.
"We expected a press from the previous two games where we struggled with it," said Peck-Love. "We worked on that this week, so once we figured it out we were able to execute it and at least not turn the ball over."
AISA State Tournament:3 storylines to watch at AISA state basketball championships at Cramton Bowl Multiplex 6A, Area 7 Girl's Final:Championship set for high school girls basketball Class 6A, Area 7: Hillcrest vs. Northridge Hillcrest size, free throws key in victory The Patriots’ starting lineup features Shah Hall, checks in at 6-foot-9. Nearly all of Hillcrest’s points came from inside the paint as Hall and DJ Hamblett were able to secure several offensive rebounds apiece.
The Patriots reached the free throw line 19 times in the second half and shot 15 of 25from the line.
Reach Brett Greenberg at bgreenberg@gannett.com or follow @74talk on Twitter.
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