By Fred Guarino
The Lowndes Signal

The Calhoun School varsity boys fought the good fight but fell to the R.C. Hatch Bobcats in the Class 2A Central Regional basketball semifinals played at Alabama State University Monday night 67-61.

The Tigers closed out the season with a 14-13 record while the Bobcats advanced with an 18-8 record.

Jakeem Davison led the Tigers with 14 points, Jamichael Jordan scored 12 points and Jamarcus Davison scored 10 points.

R.C. Hatch was led by Eric Carter with 19 points while Jesse Goldsby scored 15.

Calhoun head basketball coach Jim Hunter said, “We made a couple of good runs, but when our legs got tired we started missing our shots. And a couple of tines down the floor, we didn’t get back on defense and gave them a pretty good chance to catch up from a nine point lead.”

Hunter said all in all his Tigers had a pretty good season and played a lot of good teams to get better. “I thought we got good enough to get to the region, just didn’t have enough to make it to the next step,” he said.

Hunter said he felt Jakeem Davison and Jamichael Jordan stood up Monday night.

R.C.Hatch head basketball coach Homer Davis Jr. said his kids never gave up and could have when things were going Calhoun’s way early.

Despite an 18-7 first quarter lead by the Calhoun Tigers, the R.C. Hatch Bobcats survived the initial punch and scrapped their way back to take a 27-25 lead at the half.

The Bobcats led 47-42 at the end of the third period, but Calhoun actually took a 59-57 lead in the fourth before the Bobcats pulled away hitting free throws down the stretch for the 67-61 win.

For the game the Bobcats were 20 for 27 at the free throw line while Calhoun was five for eight at the charity stripe.

Davis said, “We knew that coach Hunter had at least two good shooters, but we didn’t know about three or four good shooters, and we couldn’t stop that three (point shot).”

Davis said his team settled down and came back with more composure and put Calhoun in foul trouble by attacking the basket.

R.C. Hatch will play Luverne Thursday at 8 p.m. at ASU.