The Selma Times-Journal

A brief tug of war in the third quarter was all that stood in the way of Tuscaloosa Academy winning the Meadowview New Year’s Tournament Saturday night.

Omari Horne was named tournament MVP after scoring 23 points and leading the Knights to a 53-46 win over Morgan Academy.

Horne dominated in the paint, especially in the first half, and it paid off in a 29-19 advantage. The Knights (7-6) began the third quarter on an 8-0 run to take a 37-39 lead.

Morgan (10-4) fought back with an 8-0 stretch of its own, mainly off turnovers and transition baskets and trailed 40-31 going into the fourth.

Weston Mason hit a 3-pointer with 28 seconds on the clock, making Morgan’s deficit 51-46.

The Knights held on to the ball and took advantage of the fact that the Senators had to foul.

Mason led Morgan with 12 points. Logan Cowart scored 11, and Daniel Lee scored 10.

Cowart made the shot that cut Tuscaloosa’s lead to single digits for the first time in more than 8 minutes. His turnaround jumper with 38 seconds left in the third made the score 37-29.

Alston Poellnitz added seven points for the Knights.