MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Despite a 41.8 percent mark on field goals, with just 25.9 percent from three, and a plethora of fouls that resulted in a combined 71 free throw attempts, the Faulkner Eagles did just enough to escape with a win in the nightcap of the first day of Battle of the Beach. Faulkner came out on top 94-88 Friday against the Thomas Night Hawks at Tine Davis Gymnasium, with the tournament that debuted in Panama City in 2019 moved to Faulkner's campus due to COVID-19.
Thomas's 60 percent mark on threes gave the Night Hawks the advantage in the first half, as Shamar Brown nailed a long-range shot as time expired to give his team the 42-40 lead going into the locker room. However, the Eagles cracked down on defense after the break, shot more accurately, with a 47.37 percent mark from the floor as compared to their 34.48 percent clip in the first half. They also made all but one free throw in the period.
The beginning of the second half proved more of a back-and-forth affair until the Night Hawks took a 10-point lead with 12:25 left in the contest. The Eagles responded with a 16-3 run that put them in the lead for the first time since Brown's buzzer-beater,. Faulkner got 10 of those points, including a go-ahead bucket off the backboard, courtesy of
Garrett Sanderson.
The Eagles were able to build a lead that grew to as much as 11 points before Thomas got back within single digits thanks to seven Faulkner fouls in the final 3:13. The Eagles were able to answer every Thomas push with more points, however, to coast to the finish.
"We got some consecutive stops," Coach
Scott Sanderson said of his team's comeback. "You know, they scored nine out of their first 10 possessions and go up 10, and then after that, we got down 10. They went 9-for-28, shooting, 30 percent,, and we go from down 10 to up eight or nine. I thought we were out-of-sync defensively, I thought we were out-of-sync offensively, I just didn't, but you have to give Thomas a lot of credit. I thought they jumped up, they have not shot the ball particularly well this year. They jumped up and made a bunch of threes. We couldn't keep the little kid, 12 [Jordan Booker], in front. He was so quick, and he caused us to collapse, they kicked out and made some threes. And some of the threes they made, they were contested, and they just made 'em, you know? And sometimes, when you don't have your best stuff, you got to figure out a way to win, and we did that."
C.J. Williamson headed Faulkner's attack, stuffing the stat sheet with a career-high 32 points, to go along with 11 rebounds, two blocks, and three steals. The game was Williamson's first time playing at Tine Davis this season.
"He can take a game over," Sanderson said of Williamson. "He can take a game over defensively 'cause he's active. He got a couple of, he got a steal down there on a hustle play and got a bucket about three or four minutes to go. Driving downhill, he can finish at the rim. He knows where the shooters are in the corners, and he knows where to throw the ball. You know, he stepped up late, and had a, was a huge help for us down the stretch."
Jordan Hamlette also had a career game, scoring 22 points and six boards, despite being his first day back in action after missing two weeks. Sanderson added 14 points and three assists, and
Brandon Reeves, following his own career day against Carver, pitched in nine points and four rebounds.
Booker, who Coach Sanderson made specific mention of, indeed had a huge game, with 25 points, nine assists, and six steals. Brown had 19 points and three boards.
Both teams are back in action in the tournament tomorrow, with Faulkner closing the day again against Florida Memorial, and Thomas taking on William Carey. The Eagles improve to 4-0, while the Night Hawks fall to 2-5 on the season.
