Once the fourth quarter started, Walker found its groove and ended Curry’s chances.
Walker’s offense got going over the final eight minutes, putting 24 points on the scoreboard in a 64-41 victory over the Yellow Jackets at Songer Gym.
“That was kind of the plan,” Walker coach Scotty Ware said. “We wanted to keep putting pressure on them and get to them in the fourth quarter.”
Curry cut Walker’s 14-point halftime lead in half at 38-31 late in the third quarter after an Alex Odom 3-pointer.
Walker (7-12 overall, 4-2 in 5A, Area 11) took control of the game early in the fourth, forcing turnovers and getting easy transition baskets. The Vikings were led by Dashuan Kendrick, Drekas Key and Brandon Thursby in the final period. The trio combined for 14 points in the quarter.
“We started playing the way we are supposed to,” Ware added. “We battled for every loose ball. We were diving all over the court. We got a little dirty tonight.”
Walker jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the opening quarter, but Curry cut the gap to 14-12 going into the second quarter.
The Vikings closed the first half with an 11-1 run. Thursby knocked down a 3-pointer to start the spurt with 3:41 left in the half. Ryan Dill converted a steal into a layup and added a free throw while a Shane Donaldson putback gave Walker a 30-16 halftime lead.
The Vikings led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter after a Jonathan McCants 3-pointer, but Curry got a pair of putbacks from Wesley Key and a 3-pointer by Alex Odom to cut the lead to 38-31 with 35 seconds left in the third quarter. Walker led 40-31 going into the fourth quarter.
For the Vikings, Donaldson had 11 points and 12 rebounds, Ryan Dill added 11 points and six steals, Austin Stephens had 10 points, McCants had eight and Thursby put in seven, Key and Kendrick each had six.
For Curry, Odom and Spencer Fikes each had 12 points, Key added six and both Bradley Loggins and Jacob O’Rear put in four.
Ware has been pleased with Walker’s effort in its last two home games — area wins over Hayden and Curry.
“Since this coaching staff has been together, we’ve been hard to beat at home. Over the last two years we’ve kind of lost that. It’s been tougher for us to defend our home court. We talked about taking that back. I thought we did that against Hayden and tonight. We were out there taking charges and attacking rebounds.
“We’ve got a few more home games. We’ll see if we can finish strong at home.”
Walker will hit the road for its next two games. The Vikings play a makeup game at Lawrence County on Tuesday and play at Fayette County on Friday.
Curry opens play in the Walker County Tournament at Parrish on Monday. The Yellow Jackets take on Cordova at 4:30 p.m.
VARSITY GIRLS
Walker 52, Curry 28
Walker’s Sidney Cooper and Jazmine Lake combined for 27 points as the Walker Lady Vikings earned a 52-28 home win over Curry Friday night.
The game was close through the first quarter, but Walker held Curry to just six points in the second quarter as the Lady Vikings pulled away for a 28-15 halftime lead.
Walker pushed its lead to 37-18 going into the fourth quarter.
Cooper paced the Lady Vikings with 14 points, Lake had 13, Chloe Sudberry added nine, Shania Reed had eight and Miranda Bruce put in five.
For Curry, Mary Beth Scott led the way with nine points while Taylor Black added six and both Jessica Woodley and Makenzie Hicks had five.
JV BOYS
Walker 37, Curry 27
Walker took a slim three-point lead into the final quarter, but pulled away from there, beating Curry 37-27.
The teams were tied 9-9 after the first quarter and Walker took a 17-16 lead into the half. The Vikings led 25-22 after three quarters and outscored Curry 12-5 in the final period to get the 10-point win.
For Walker, Denzell Daley and Trevon Chatman led a balanced attack with eight points each.
Curry’s Hargrove had 13 points while Santos added 11.
NINTH-GRADE BOYS
Walker 58, Curry 13
John Michael Reed had 27 points and five steals to lead the Walker ninth-grade boys team to a 58-13 win over Curry.
The Vikings (10-4) blanked Curry in the first quarter and led 16-0 going into the second quarter. Walker opened up a 34-3 halftime lead and took a 37-6 advantage into the fourth quarter.
For Walker, Isreal Johnson had nine points and seven rebounds while Chris Evans, Jarrod Ollie and Marlon Oliver each had seven points.
Walker’s ninth-grade boys host Corner on Monday with the JV girls playing at 6 p.m. and the ninth-grade boys following at 7:15 p.m.
Read more: Daily Mountain Eagle – Walker takes down Curry
