Five Takeaways: Thompson vs. Oak Mountain

Last night, February 7, Thompson (21-10) and Oak Mountain (19-9) went head to head at Hoover High School in the Class 7A Area 5 Semifinals. Both teams were playing for a chance to play the winner of Hoover and Tuscaloosa county and advancing to the sub-area tournament. Oak Mountain led by two after the first quarter. There was lots of good ball movement by both teams but also plenty of missed shots too. Play was still slow in the second quarter but sparked with a tip-in at the buzzer by Thompson to put them up 22-19. In the third, it was all Thompson as they took advantage of missed shots by Oak Mountain and capitalized on the other end, extending their lead to 12. In the fourth, Oak Mountain led a charge to pull within one, but in the end, Thompson proved to be too good down the stretch and pulled out the victory. Oak Mountain will now play Hoover in the area finals on Saturday night.   Key Observations: Oak Mountain’s Zane Nelson can ball If it weren’t for the junior point guard, Zane Nelson, Oak Mountain would have lost by a lot more. He was relentless all night in attacking the basket. He passed the ball well with both hands and managed the game excellently from the floor general position. He made big shots down the stretch and finished with both hands, but came up too little too late for the Eagles. Uncle Drew Dunn As Oak Mountain put on a fourth quarter surge, it was Zane Nelson, but also led by Drew Dunn the senior shooting guard. He shot the ball efficiently with two big threes in the fourth quarter to draw them closer. Thompson was fortunate to come away with the win after leaving him open too many times. BOX OUT AJ Bonham Oak Mountain never got the memo to box out Thompson’s AJ Bonham. The 6’4 senior was relentless in attacking the glass and giving Thompson second chances all night long. Bonham’s athleticism transcends beyond the court as he was a star wide receiver for Thompson and a crucial part in its state championship this past season. You can’t leave Jack Dorolek open Coming out of the slow and rather stagnant first half, Thompson needed a spark. Two big threes by the sophomore guard, Jack Dorolek, helped Thompson extend the lead in the third quarter. It is shots like that that will make the sophomore a reliable piece as they advance farther into tournament play. Word of advice: don’t leave him open or he’ll make you pay. Tre Roberson has the clutch gene Oak Mountain pulled the game within one point late in the fourth quarter. They fouled the 6’3” sophomore, Tre Roberson, and it proved to be a big mistake. In the final 28 seconds, he was 4-4 from the free throw line including the game sealing rebound with 2.3 seconds remaining. Big players make big plays in crunch time. Expect the same in the finals on Saturday from Roberson.