Eagle boys make state playoffs

BY KATHY PICKENS

The Greenville Standard

 

In FDA varsity boys’ actions, the Eagles did not have a first round tournament bye which put them in the unusual situation of playing Monday through Friday last week.

In regular season play, Monday’s exciting 41-36 victory over Morgan saw junior guard Sawyer Fossett score 14 points, pull down five rebounds, and make three assists.

Junior forward Ty Carter had eight points and led rebounds with eight.

In Tuesday night’s 57-34 loss to Monroe, junior guard Jackson Scott led with 14 points.

Sophomore forward/guard Dain Winters added seven points and led the rebound stats with 12.

In postseason regional tournament play, the Eagles defeated Clarke Prep 69-61 on Wednesday.

Fossett had 20 points, five assists, and six rebounds. Senior forward Grant McGriff had 12 points with 11 rebounds, and senior forward Brody Stringer had 15 points and six rebounds.

The Eagles powered on to upset Bessemer 49-42 in Thursday night’s semi-final game after losing to the Rebels twice in the regular season.

McGriff had nine rebounds and 12 points. Winters added 10 points and four assists and also recorded nine rebounds.

Fort Dale and Morgan split in regular season play with two close games.

Friday night’s rematch saw a boisterous crowd in a packed house to watch the region final.

The Senators led early, but head coach Marshall Watts’ half-time adjustments helped the Eagles close the gap to 40-39 as the third quarter ended on a buzzer beater from a dramatic near half court by Fossett.

The game ended with a 50-50 tie, sending the game into a four-minute overtime period.  Morgan came out on top defeating the Eagles 55-52.

Placing second in the tournament set up the Fort Dale boys to host the Region 1 third seed on Tuesday, Feb. 7, with the winner advancing to the final four (Feb. 9) and possibly the championship (Feb. 10).