The Selma Times-Journal

UNIONTOWN – Fans are usually a good indicator of how things are going in a ball game.

By the end of the fourth quarter Monday night, the seats were emptying in front of a 30-point blowout between R.C. Hatch and Southern Choctaw.

The Bobcats (22-1) got up early and sunk their teeth in until they came away with an 85-56 win over Southern Choctaw in the 2A Area 5 championship.

“Early in the game, we played a little tense,” Bobcats coach Homer Davis Jr. said. “We kept the pressure on them because we knew they didn’t have a point guard that could handle the ball.”

The first four minutes of the ball game spelled trouble for the Indians (7-12). They allowed Hatch to jump out to an 8-0 lead. Later in the first quarter, Greg Turner launched a 3-pointer that cut Hatch’s lead to 14-7. That was the closest the Indians got the rest of the night.

Frankie Sullivan, who scored 27 points and earned tournament MVP, dropped in a layup that put Hatch ahead 45-22 with 2:40 left in the half. Trence Askew threw down a breakaway dunk to send the Bobcats in to the break ahead 51-24.

Hatch went ahead by as much as 31 points in the second half, and Davis cleared his bench early in the fourth quarter.

Lorenzo Scruggs scored 22 points to lead Southern Choctaw, and Jamison Stewart scored 10.

Rodney Scott scored 13 for R.C. Hatch, and Nicholas Johnson scored 10. The Bobcats will play Hale County at 7 p.m. Friday in the sub-regionals.