Alex stumbles against Sheridan
Dec. 27—ALEXANDRIA — Even in defeat, there is a smile that comes to the face of Alexandria boys basketball coach Marty Carroll when talking about this year's team that was rarely evident as last year's squad limped to an 8-16 finish.
This year's edition is every bit as young and inexperienced, but there is something different about the 2023-24 Tigers.
"We are (energized) by these guys," Carroll said.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Sheridan Blackhawks muted that excitement somewhat for a day as they seized momentum late in the first half and held off a number of second half Tigers charges for a 71-59 win on Garth Cone Court in the Jungle.
Alexandria dropped to 5-3 with the loss while Sheridan snapped a brief two-game losing skid and improved to 4-3.
Sheridan boasts four players on its roster who average double-figure scoring, and all four reached that mark again Wednesday. The multi-faceted offensive attack from the Blackhawks made it difficult for the Tigers — missing starting point guard Gabe McGuire with an illness — to defend, particularly when in comeback mode as they were for much of the day.
"I thought they moved the ball really well today," Carroll said of Sheridan. "They're solid. They had the right people shooting, obviously."
After an up-tempo first half that featured six ties and nine lead changes, Alex moved to within 34-32 after a pair of free throws from freshman Conner Kettery. The Tigers then had two opportunities to tie or retake the lead, but committed a pair of turnovers instead. Sheridan took advantage, scoring the final nine points of the half to take a 43-32 lead into intermission.
With two sophomores and a freshman in the starting lineup, the Tigers were in the difficult position of having to play comeback the rest of the way.
"And those turnovers were unforced. They weren't really pressing (us)," Carroll said. "There were times we cut it to five, but then we'd go three possessions without a shot or miss a layup."
A runner from junior Carson Hall — who led Alex with 18 points — early in the third quarter trimmed the deficit to three points at 45-42. But a basket from Carson Wright and a pair of free throws by Trent DeCraene stretched that lead back to seven points.
Twice more, the Tigers were able to trim the deficit to five points or less, but each time the Blackhawks had the answers, once on a 3-pointer from Damon Winston and the second instance on a drive by DeCraene to close out the third quarter.
Back-to-back 3-pointers from Wright — who led Sheridan with 16 points — to open the fourth quarter staked the Blackhawks to a 61-48 lead. Baskets by Hall and freshman Bryson Eckler helped pull Alex within eight points, but that was as close as it got the rest of the way.
Senior Carson Cuneo posted a double-double for Alex with 18 points and 11 rebounds while Eckler added 13 points.
Winston and Trey Page each scored 14 for Sheridan while DeCraene added 13 points and Winston posted his own double-double with 12 rebounds.
Still, Carroll is excited to see what this group might look like by the end of the season.
"Eckler has just gotten better and better this year," he said. "We're playing young kids, and at the same time, we're trying to compete and win. We also know we want to be at our best at the end of the year."
The Tigers will host Liberty Christian on Tuesday in a Madison County Tournament first-round game.
Alexandria also fell to Sheridan in the junior varsity contest by a 59-31 score. The Tigers were led by 14 points from sophomore Jon Aiman.
Contact Rob Hunt at
or 765-640-4886.
