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By TYLER RALEY | Staff Writer

HOOVER – While their first game after Christmas did not turn out like they hoped, the Oak Mountain Eagles used a first-round loss to fuel their fire and earn fifth place in the Black Bracket of the Big Orange Classic at Hoover High School.

Oak Mountain ended its final mid-season tournament with back-to-back victories. The first one came in the form of an 83-37 win over the Central Tuscaloosa Falcons on Friday, Dec. 27, before defeating the Ashville Bulldogs 79-30 on Saturday, Dec. 28.

The holiday action was not all golden for the Eagles however, as they began the tournament with a dramatic 58-54 loss to the Muscle Shoals Trojans on Thursday, Dec. 26.

After falling behind 12-2 in the early goings of the first quarter, Oak Mountain finished the opening period of the tournament by cutting the score to 15-9. That momentum was taken into the second, where big efforts from Gray Plaia and Will Patterson helped to tie the game at 23 going into the break.

The third quarter was full of runs from both sides, seeing the Eagles take a one-point lead into the fourth quarter. While the competitive adrenaline allowed them to keep it tight, turnovers and fouls began to mount in the closing minutes, allowing Muscle Shoals to pull away and take the victory, sending Joel Floyd’s squad to the consolation bracket.

Chris Kunard led Oak Mountain with 13 points while Plaia logged 12 points, Patterson had nine, Chase Lamey put up eight, Kasen Lemons had seven and Patton Knight had five.

The Eagles used the burn they took from the loss into day two of the tournament, putting on an offensive showcase against Central Tuscaloosa.

From the jump, Lamey took clear control of this game on his own, giving his team a burst of momentum with 11 out of the team’s 21 points in the opening quarter while shooting perfect from the field in the process.

From that moment on, it was all Oak Mountain, as Lamey’s momentum was continued while being shared with Plaia, who combined for 14 out of the squad’s 27 points in the second period and helped take a 48-24 lead into the half.

The third quarter featured much of the same trend as Patterson caught a hot hand, dropping eight points in the third quarter and playing a part in pushing the lead to 35 heading into the final quarter of play.

The Eagles coasted to the finish from that moment but continued to play solid defense, only holding the Falcons to two points to close the game, securing the 83-37 win.

Lamey was the outright player of the game, leading the team with 21 total points on the night while shooting perfect from the field. Patterson put up 14 points while Kunard and Plaia each scored 12. Lemons also joined the party with eight of his own, with Knight and Blake Benson putting in four apiece.

Following the dominant win in the semifinals of the consolation bracket, Oak Mountain used the momentum it built and brought it into the fifth-place game against Ashville.

The Eagles grasped firm control of this one early on, as seven players scored on the way to a 23-5 first quarter.

The second quarter was a continuation of the first, as Lamey started to find his stroke for the day, hitting a pair of 3-pointers while Xander Hughes scored seven in the period to move his total to nine for the half.

That burst of scoring gave Oak Mountain a 41-13 lead heading into the break, one they continued to expand on as the third quarter began.

Lamey caught fire coming out of halftime, scoring 11 points thanks in part to three makes from beyond the arc. He was the major contributor in the period, yet another one that saw seven Eagles put points on the scoreboard to help make it 66-23 heading into the fourth.

Oak Mountain finished the job handily in the final minutes of the game, as Lemons put up a 3-point basket while Lamey put up four points in a 13-point quarter, leaving the tournament with a 49-point victory.

Lamey finished off the game with another 21 points, totaling 50 points on the weekend. Plaia dropped nine in addition to Kunard’s eight. The trio of Lemons, Benson and Will Burgess all scored seven points each for the day, while Hughes and Jake Hartsfield each put up six. Patterson added to his totals as well with four of his own.

The Eagles leave the Big Orange Classic by pushing their overall record to 17-3, ending the 2024 calendar year on a high note before they return home to take on the Moody Blue Devils on Friday, Jan. 3.