Story by Mark Everett Kelly mark@southerntorch.com

Girls

Amiaya O'Neal scored all seven of her points in the final quarter, leading Fort Payne to a 52-45 victory over Scottsboro on Tuesday.

The Lady Wildcats overcame their "Valley of Darkness" third quarter, which saw them shoot 2-8 from the field and commit more turnovers (seven) than points scored (five).

Libby Redden's (8 points) basket to start the final quarter ignited the home team, who regained their shooting touch. Zaria Craig's (5 points) three-pointer followed, then O'Neal took over.

The senior buried a three, and her two other baskets, including a nifty up-and-under layup, accounted for seven of Fort Payne's following 11 points. The Lady Wildcats finished 7-9 from the field, including 3-3 from long-range, exploding for 20 points in the final eight minutes. 

"After halftime, they turned the pressure up defensively, which affected our ability to execute in the third quarter. However, we corrected our mistakes, made some shots down the stretch, and answered back in the fourth," Fort Payne Girls Head Coach Steve Sparks said.

He continued, "It was a great win for the team, and the beauty of it is I don't think it was our best game, and we are looking forward to better opportunities ahead."

Zimri Craig (15 points) led a balanced scoring effort, with six players scoring five or more points. 

Boys

Josh Scott scored 14 of his team-high 18 points in the first half for the Wildcats, who led by as many as 25 points in their 60-51 victory over the Scottsboro Wildcats.

Despite the win, lousy news surfaced on Wednesday when x-rays revealed Scott broke his wrist after getting low-bridged grabbing a rebound halfway through the third quarter. Scott landed hard on his wrist and stayed in the game but only managed four points the rest of the way.

"It's part of the game; the guys stepped up, and we got the win, and that's important," Scott said.

The senior is expected to miss 6-12 weeks, making his availability for the rest of the season a question mark.

Jackson Banks played his best game of the season for the home team, scoring 16 points on 5-7 shooting, including 4 of 5 from downtown.

"It means everything to me beating Scottsboro, but we took our foot off the pedal in the second half, and they were able to get back into the game," Banks said.

Fort Payne connected on 12-23 (52 pct) from the field in the first half while holding Scottsboro to 5-19 (26 pct), taking a 36-14 lead into the break.

The road team answered the bell in the second half, outscoring Fort Payne 37-24 and shooting 10-22 from beyond the arc. Jake Jones (19) and Tyler Shelton (22) scored 31 of the team's 37 second-half points and 80 percent of Scottsboro's points for the game. 

Defensively, they held Fort Payne to 7-22 from the field in the final 16 minutes.

"I thought we were excellent early, but we need to learn how to finish games; everyone moved the ball well early, and we got the shots we needed," Fort Payne Head Coach Robi Coker said.

He continued, "Give Scottsboro credit. They're a bunch of winners who have won a bunch of games. They are tough and physical and never quit. We didn't underestimate them in the second half; they shot the ball much better. Holding on to win will help our character move forward this season, meaning we stood up against a wounded animal and survived."

Levi Crow scored nine points for Fort Payne, with all three baskets coming from long-range. Carson Todd scored four points, including a three-pointer, while Roman Harrell and J.J. Willoughby scored four.