Lindsay Lane, Tanner win area titles

Published 10:48 am Sunday, February 10, 2019

Two more local schools clinched area championships Saturday night, with Lindsay Lane winning the championship of Class 1A, Area 15, and Tanner taking the Class 2A, Area 16 title.

Lindsay Lane rode the hot hand of Tommy Murr, who scored 56 points in the Lions’ 79-69 win over Whitesburg Christian. The win gave Lindsay Lane its first area basketball championship in school history.

Whitesburg led 15-13 after one quarter, but Lindsay Lane recovered to take a 36-31 lead at halftime, with Murr scoring 30 of the Lions’ 36 points. The Lions were then able to expand the lead in the second half to take the area championship.

A key to the second-half performance was not only the performance of Murr, who scored 26 second-half points, but of his Lindsay Lane teammates, who tallied 17 points after halftime. Charlie Morrison was Lindsay Lane’s second-leading scorer with 12 points.

Lindsay Lane (17-13) will host Woodville (14-15) in the sub-regional game at 7 p.m. Tuesday, with the winner advancing to the Northeast Regional Tournament at Jacksonville State University.

Class 2A, Area 16

Tanner 69, Sheffield 59

Tanner took home yet another area championship Saturday night, overcoming a halftime deficit to defeat Sheffield.

Tanner was down 30-27 at halftime, but outscored Sheffield 21-9 in the third quarter to take a nine-point lead into the final quarter, and held Sheffield at bay over the final eight minutes to take the victory.

Five Tanner players scored in double figures, led by Malik Atkins with 17 points. Nathan Montgomery scored 15, while Jaquan Thompson added 12, Jireh Jackson tallied 11 and JJ Jones chipped in with 10.

Tanner (24-6) will host Sulligent (9-13) in the sub-regional game at 7 p.m. Tuesday, with the winner advancing to the Northwest Regional Tournament at Wallace State Community College in Hanceville.