Eagles on the court
BY KATHY PICKENS
The Greenville Standard
The Fort Dale basketball program was on the move last week playing three games on the road and one at home as they headed toward post-season play.
The Lady Eagles defeated Snook Academy at Foley 50-18. Senior forward Lily Van Dyke’s 12 points, senior forward Maire Scott’s eight rebounds, and sophomore guard Anna Claire Thomas’ five steals were the standout stats.
The varsity girls also won over region rival Morgan Academy in Selma 62-48 with Van Dyke’s 27 points and 13 rebounds adding to her long and growing list of double-doubles.
Later in the week, the Lady Eagles enjoyed a 50-22 victory over Crenshaw Christian on Senior Night before losing a close one (59-55) to region opponent Clarke Prep at Grove Hill.
Van Dyke led against CCA with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore guard Brinkley Long scored 26 against Clarke Prep with Scott adding 11 points and pulling down 13 rebounds.
On the varsity boys’ side, the Eagles split the week with wins against Crenshaw (62-50) and Clarke Prep (50-30) and losses to Snook (71-56) and Morgan (38-33).
Senior forward Grant McGriff, junior forward Ty Carter, and junior guard Sawyer Fossett each scored 12 points against Snook with Carter also leading in rebounds with eight.
Fossett’s 11 points and junior guard Ethan Alford’s eight were the top stats in a largely defensive game versus Morgan.
The matchup with CCA was all about outside shooting. Three-pointers accounted for 36 of the Eagles’ 62 points.
Fossett led with five 3’s, junior guard Jackson Scott chipped in four, and Alford added another three. McGriff led in rebounds with six. Scott had five steals while Alford tallied up eight assists.
Fossett’s hot streak continued in the win over Clarke Prep with 15 points, eight rebounds, and four steals.
Sophomore forward Dain Winters was a major contributor under the goal with 13 points, seven rebounds, seven steals, and two blocks.
The Eagles’ final regular season game is at Monroe Academy on Tuesday, January 31.
Fort Dale is classified as AISA AAA Region 2. Following Tuesday’s play, the region record for each team will be used to determine the host location and seeding for the region tournaments Feb1-3.
Elite 8, Final 4, and championship matches will take place the week of Feb 6-10.
