Longhorns go cold in second half, fall to Tuscaloosa Academy

LINDEN — Marengo Academy’s offense sputtered in the second half as the Longhorns fell to Tuscaloosa Academy 52-45 Tuesday.

The visiting Knights opened on a 10-0 run before Marengo clawed its way back into the contest on the outside shooting of brothers Carson and Hayden Huckabee.

Marengo trailed just 18-15 at the end of the first quarter and took its first lead of the night with 2:35 remaining before halftime when Cason Cook sank a free throw for the 24-23 advantage.

Tuscaloosa stymied the Longhorns in the third quarter, holding MA to a paltry eight points in the eight-minute frame to open up an eight-point lead.

Marengo would pull itself to within five with 42.9 seconds left in the contest when Hayden Huckabee drained a three-point shot. However, the Longhorns’ inability to convert an opportunity into points on the ensuing possession allowed TA to put the contest away.

Harrison Standeffer fueled Tuscaloosa Academy’s early onslaught, scoring 14 of his 15 points in the game’s opening half. Standeffer’s strong performance included four three-pointers as well as five rebounds, six steals and four assists.

Torrence Brown added 12 points and four rebounds for the Knights while Sam Brown had eight points, five steals and three assists.

Hayden Huckabee paced Marengo Academy with 13 points. Carson Huckabee added 12 points and five rebounds. Cook finished with seven points and a game high 16 rebounds.

The Longhorns finish the regular season at 11-11 and are scheduled to play again Thursday in the AISA 1A Region 2 Tournament on the campus of the University of West Alabama. Marengo will enter as the No. 2 seed and face No. 3 seed Jackson at 6:30 p.m.

The winner of that contest will clench a spot in next week’s state tournament at Huntingdon College and will move on to a Friday date with Sparta.