Patriots punch ticket to regionals

LINDEN — Linden High (23-2) took control from the outset and scarcely looked back in a 71-45 sub-regional rout of McIntosh Friday night.

The Patriots opened the game on a 17-4 run, carrying a 23-8 lead into the second quarter. Linden stretched its advantage to 21 by halftime and led by as many as 29 in the contest before subbing out its regulars with seven minutes to play in the contest.

While Linden’s transition offense proved effective against McIntosh, it was second-chance buckets that proved the real difference for the Patriots as they out-rebounded the Demons 55-20 on the night.

“I felt like we attacked the glass hard,” Linden head coach Roosevelt Moore said. “We had a lot of second chance baskets that really gave us a cushion.”

The Linden offense came primarily off of drives and put-backs as the Patriots’ normal barrage of three-point shooting was limited to only one basket from long range until the closing minutes of the game when eighth grader Dequan Charleston drained a pair of open looks from deep.

“We generally shoot a lot of threes, but they actually came out and took the three away early,” Moore said. “They came out on all our guys and ran us off the three-point line. They did a good job running us off the three-point line.”

Imoras Agee led Linden with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Shauka Reese added 15 points and five steals in the win. Kynard Craig had 12 points and seven rebounds. Sayvon Parker wrapped up his night off the bench with eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Chris Rogers snagged double-digit rebounds for the Patriots, finishing his night with 11.

William Reed led McIntosh with 11 points. Chester Reed had 10 points for the Demons while Andre Love came off the bench with seven in the fourth quarter. Demarcus Barnes led MHS in the rebounding department with seven.

The Patriots will move on to play the winner of the Brantley and Geneva County contest in the first round of the South Regional in Dothan Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.

Moore, whose team is making its third consecutive regional tournament appearance, expressed his gratitude for the support his team has received this year.

“I want to thank our administration, our parent, community, coaches, faculty and staff for their support,” Moore said.