Danville looks to kickstart postseason run at Morgan County tournament
Jan. 30—SOMERVILLE — Benjamin Mastin wasn't going to sugarcoat the importance of Tuesday.
On Tuesday night at Brewer High School, Danville will face off with Brewer in the Morgan County tournament final.
The Hawks got to the final by beating West Morgan 62-57 on Saturday in a game in which Ty Bailey scored 21 points and AJ Holladay scored 10.
Like any coach or player in Morgan County, Mastin, Danville's second year head coach, highlighted the importance of playing for the county championship.
"Our kids are stoked. This is a big deal in Morgan County, and it's something that's been on our goal board all year," Mastin said.
Playing for the championship is just the next step in what has been a strong year for Danville so far. The Hawks are 16-7, having won four of their last five games. They come into the tournament as the top seeded boys team.
Danville has also started to gain notice from across the state, recently debuting in the Alabama Sportswriters Association basketball poll at No. 10 in Class 3A.
"It's definitely good to be ranked, but at the end of the day it means nothing. There's been plenty of ranked teams not even make it out of the area tournament," Mastin said. "It's good for our team, but being ranked is not our goal."
Mastin said Tuesday could be a catalyst for Danville reaching its goal of the regional tournament or beyond.
"We actually have our area meeting Tuesday morning, and we'll be flipping to see who will host the area tournament. Then we have the county finals that night," Mastin said. "We've been playing good basketball, but I thought the snow week threw us off. This could be just what we need to build momentum back. It could be a huge day."
—caleb.suggs@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2
