No. 2-ranked Calhoun County wins thriller over Monroe, 63-60

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Calhoun County’s Darnell Enocher shoots against Monroe’s Lamond Seadrow during Friday night’s game in Edison. Enocher put in 14 points for the Cougars while Seadrow scored 12 for the Tornadoes. By Joe Whitfield Sports Editor

EDISON — The No. 2-ranked Calhoun County Cougars (8-0) remained undefeated Friday night with a hard-fought 63-60 victory over Monroe in front of a packed home crowd in Edison. With the loss, the Golden Tornadoes fall to 1-6 on the season. In the girls’ game, the Monroe Lady Nadas dominated, cruising to a 57-27 win.

The boys’ game came down to the wire, with the score tied 58-58 and just 1:27 remaining. Calhoun County senior point guard Darnell Enocher took control, driving to the basket on consecutive possessions to give the Cougars a 62-58 lead and ultimately secure the win.

Both teams played an up-tempo, physical game, anchored by tenacious defense. Calhoun County had the edge from the perimeter, which kept the Cougars slightly ahead for much of the game.

Monroe grabbed its first lead of the night midway through the third quarter, going up 27-26. However, Calhoun County responded with a three-pointer from Jadan Welch, followed by baskets from Enocher and Zechariah Canidate, to build their largest lead of the night at 37-29.

Monroe Head Coach Michael Hoffpauir called timeout, and the Golden Tornadoes stormed back. Late in the third quarter, James Adams sank a shot to give Monroe a 42-41 lead. But Calhoun’s Amajion Figgins answered with a hook shot at the buzzer, putting the Cougars back on top 43-42 heading into the final period.

The Golden Tornadoes struggled from beyond the arc all night, but Lamond Seadrow came through late in the fourth with a clutch three-pointer, giving Monroe a 56-53 lead with less than two minutes to play. Welch quickly answered with a three-pointer of his own to tie the game at 56-56, setting the stage for Enocher’s late heroics.

“I knew coming into this season that it was going to take a while to get up to our standard of play,” said Hoffpauir. “Our guys played hard. They are practicing hard, and it will come. We have to improve on our three-point shooting, and tonight we missed too many defensive assignments.”

Calhoun County Head Coach Marcus Shaw praised his team’s resilience.

“I’m proud of our guys’ efforts tonight,” Shaw said. “We showed toughness and perseverance throughout the game when things were not going our way. We still have things to work on, and we just want to improve and get better each game.”

Welch led the Cougars with 19 points, including five three-pointers. Enocher added 14 points, Figgins contributed 11, and Canidate scored 10.

For Monroe, Braylen Burns led with 16 points, Lorenzo Still added 15, Seadrow finished with 12, and Nehemiah Tinch chipped in eight.

In the girls’ game, Monroe took control early, racing out to a 29-12 halftime lead. The Lady Nadas dominated the third quarter, outscoring Calhoun County 20-5 to put the game out of reach.

Kie’Aundria Acree poured in 27 points to lead Monroe, while Taylor McKinzy added 14.

Emore Jackson led the Lady Cougars with nine points.

Calhoun County will host Terrell County on Tuesday night in Edison, while Monroe is set to face North Miami Beach on Friday in the U-Save-It Classic.