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Andalusia gave a valiant effort and battled until the very end but fell to Enterprise, 65-61, in the championship of Richard Robertson’s 57th Annual Andalusia Christmas Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 16.

AHS Head Coach Marcus Mickles was proud of his team against a tough 7A team.

“Even when the odds weren’t against us, we came out, battled, and showed resiliency tonight. This tournament is big for this area. We had some good teams and great players who had a good opportunity to get exposure. My biggest thing was seeing college coaches in here and getting our kids that exposure they deserve. I’m proud of the way things turned out, and people came out to show their support,” Mickles said.

Eric Winters gave the visitors a 2-0 lead only to see Tyler Sigers tie the score at 2-2 with a jumper. Jordan Stallworth swished back-to-back threes as Jaquez McMeans added a layup and lifted the Bulldogs to a 10-4 lead. The Wildcats responded with 13 straight points capped by a three from Brady Wadsworth and two free throws by Jordan Knight. Cadariyus Love had a three-point play with 33.4 seconds left and sliced the deficit to 17-13 after one.

Tevin Sigers began the second period with a three and went one-of-two at the line for a 17-17 tie. Winters, Keondre Matthews, and Malachi Reed each had a bucket and stretched the opposition’s lead to 23-17. Tyler Sigers trimmed the deficit back to two with four straight points. Hudson Kelley finished off a seven-point swing with a three-point play as Andalusia took a 24-23 margin with 1:57 remaining in the first half. Stallworth had a nice drive to the hoop for a 26-25 lead, but Reed hit a three with 30 seconds left and gave Enterprise a 28-26 halftime lead.

Matthews opened the second half with a long three, and Tyler Sigers scored the next three points on a free throw and jumper. Tucker Wadsworth took the lead to 36-29 with a three at the 4:26 point. The Bulldogs chipped away and got within one at 36-35 after McMeans and Stallworth made baskets, and Tyler Sigers added a free throw. The Wildcats regained some breathing room with the next five points. Kelley then converted a layup, and Tyler Sigers made two free throws with 27.9 seconds left in the third. Neither team scored again as the score stayed 41-39 with eight minutes remaining.

After Reed led off the fourth period with a three-point play, Tyler Sigers sliced the deficit to 44-41 with 6:35 to go in the game. The two sides traded the next four baskets until Andrew Purcell scored four of six and made the score 53-46. Tevin Sigers drained a three with 3:49 left before the teams went back and forth again on their possessions. Tyler Sigers sank two foul shots and pulled Andalusia back to 60-57 as 1:17 remained. Enterprise increased its lead to eight points and held on down the stretch despite two baskets from McMeans and Tyler Sigers.

Tyler Sigers led the Bulldogs (6-2) with 24 points. Stallworth also notched a double-digit performance at 13 and was followed by Tevin Sigers at nine. McMeans and Kelley contributed six and five points, respectively, as Love rounded out the scoring with three.

Tucker Wadsworth paced the Wildcats (9-1) with 16 points. Winters was next with 14 followed by Reed at 10. Purcell had eight points, and Matthews earned five in the win.

The All-Tournament Team is as follows:

• Eric Winters – Tournament MVP (Enterprise)
• Tucker Wadsworth (Enterprise)
• Malachi Reed (Enterprise)
• Jordan Stallworth (Andalusia)
• Tyler Sigers (Andalusia)
• Tevin Sigers (Andalusia)
• Nasir Cheatham (Georgiana)
• Trey Simpson (Hillcrest-Evergreen)

Other tournament scores from the final two days of competition are as follows:

• Red Level 62, Opp 44
• Monroe County 63, McKenzie 53
• Enterprise 63, Georgiana 44
• Andalusia 53, Straughn 50
• Hillcrest 69, Park Crossing 53
• Georgiana 66, Monroe County 58
  

  Andalusia’s Tevin Sigers defends an offensive play by Enterprise’s Malachi Reed.

Andalusia ends the first half of the regular season with a road matchup against Hillcrest-Evergreen on Thursday, Dec. 21, and a boys-only game against Southside-Selma in the Wilcox Central Holiday Classic on Friday, Dec. 22.