Tipton-Rosemark Academy overcomes deficit to defeat Jackson Christian
Tipton-Rosemark Academy needed someone other than senior point guard Andrew Anderson to lift the Rebels to a victory. And sophomore guard Alex Anderson answered the bell. Alex scored a game-high 33 points to give Tipton-Rosemark Academy (10-4, 3-0) the 59-57…
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Continue ReadingTipton-Rosemark Academy needed someone other than senior point guard Andrew Anderson to lift the Rebels to a victory.
And sophomore guard Alex Anderson answered the bell.
Alex scored a game-high 33 points to give Tipton-Rosemark Academy (10-4, 3-0) the 59-57 victory over the Jackson Christian Eagles (7-6, 2-1) in a highly contested league game Thursday night in the competitive Division 2-A West District.
Alex scored the first two points for the Rebels, and would also be the one to score the winning basket. After forward Conner Richardson made two foul shots to tie the game 57-all, Tipton-Rosemark Academy head coach Cedric Anderson called a full timeout to setup the winning play.
It was designed for Alex to take the last shot. On the game’s final possession, the 6-foot-5 guard drove to the basket, only to be met by multiple Jackson Christian defenders, and threw up a desperation shot that bounced on the back of the rim for at least four seconds before falling between the net as the buzzer sounded.
Alex quickly got up as the shot went in and ran a quick loop around the gym as his teammates followed.
“First of all, he has that mentality. He has always had that, so he didn’t just get it as a sophomore this year,” coach Anderson said about Alex, who went 10 for 15 from the free throw line. “He doesn’t think about the situation. He thinks about the next play, and he feels like he can make the next play, regardless if he’s guarded by a big, a double team, or a small guard.”
The Rebels scored 29 points in the final eight minutes, and Alex was a big part of that. With his team trailing for most of the game, Alex scored nine points during a pivotal 16-0 run, which gave Tipton-Rosemark Academy the 55-47 lead with 1:36 left in the game.
Andrew, who went scoreless in the first half, finally woke up, scoring four of his 12 points during the run, but Jackson Christian didn’t go away.
Guard Seth Snider knocked down a 3, then guard Malik Richardson made two foul shots to get his team within two before Conner tied the game to setup the crazy finish.
Conner led the Eagles with 20 points. Snider added 18, and Malik provided 13 in a game Jackson Christian dominated for the most part until the fourth quarter.
Outside of Alex’s solid performance, coach Anderson was happy to see Andrew not get rattled because of the rough night he was having.
“Andrew is our motor. He’s the engine for this machine that we have,” coach Anderson said. “If you see a nice car going down the street, you’re not going to see the engine. You just see what’s on the outside. But, you have to have that engine to go.
“We count on him to bring the ball down the court in tough situations, get us in the right fits, and keep everybody confident. He does that. He makes the right plays every night.”
3 takeaways
- Jackson Christian played an up-tempo style of offense for the entire game, but once the fourth quarter arrived, it was obvious the Eagles were gassed.
- With Andrew playing the point guard position, he has to be able to make shots from the foul line. The South Alabama commit finished 0 for 6.
- Alex showed he wasn’t afraid of the big moment. That’s a plus for Tipton-Rosemark Academy moving forward.