Marla Jones, Sports Editor
marla@southerntorch.com
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.-- The Plainview Bears defeated the Sumter Central Jaguars, 55-41 on Tuesday in the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Class 3A State Basketball Semifinals at the Legacy Area in Birmingham and punched their ticket to the State Championship.
Plainview rallied to overcome a game-opening run by Sumter Central, which racked up 9 unanswered points by the Plainview Bears.
“I didn't want to call a timeout, they were making shots and we were missing the easy ones, but our guys did a great job of showing their resilience and not panicking” stated Plainview Basketball Head Coach Robi Coker.
The Plainview Bears got back into their groove when Jonah Williams scored a three-pointer in the first quarter, to close out the period with a score of 17-12.
During the second quarter, Senior Dylan Haymon started and finished a 9-0 run to take the Plainview lead. Luke Smith helped with a dunk to take the 11-0 run, giving the Plainview Bears the 27-24 lead at halftime.
The Plainview Bears regrouped after the half and gained the 55-41 victory.
“We just had to keep taking good shots and not panic” stated Luke Smith. “We knew the shots would eventually fall for us and we’d get back in the game”.
“There’s not a lot of coaching that goes on out there. These guys have to make split-second decisions” stated Coker.
Dylan Haymon and Jonah Williams scored 15 points for the Plainview Bears. Haymon had (3) three-pointers, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals. Williams had (5) of the team's 3-pointers Luke Smith finished the game with 12 points and seven rebounds. Landon White had 10 points.
The Plainview Bears have won eight of its last nine games at the Legacy Arena. Plainview was defeated by Midfield in the 2017 Championship game. Plainview will advance to the State Championship game again against Midfield on Friday in hopes of winning the program’s fourth state title since 2018 and settling the score.
The State Championship Game is set to begin at 2:15 p.m. on Friday. 98-3 Wild Country will have live coverage of the game.
