U-SAVE-IT CLASSIC: Albany High tops Manchester

ALBANY — In their first game of their home tournament, the Albany High Indians hoped to set the tone.

Behind a raucous home crowd, the Indians did just that, topping Manchester 79-63 in the second day of the U-Save-It Classic Saturday night.

The Indians got off to a strong start and built a seven-point lead in the second quarter. They’d end the first half with a 35-27 lead.

“We did good job of handling their press,” Albany head coach Archie Chatmon said. “And making sure we get the shot we want on the inside. With our height advantage, we wanted to make sure we took care of the inside. We attacked the basket pretty good.”

The Blue Devils came out focused in the third and kept the lead under 10 for the first half of the quarter. But Albany buckled down and went on a run to push the lead to double digits. They ended the third quarter up 62-43.

“That’s when we stopped executing,” he said about the run by Manchester. “We were patient, we swung the ball, reversed the ball and tried to get the ball inside and taking care of the basketball. During their run, we had about three or four turnovers and that helped them get back into the game.”

A scary moment for the Indians happened in the fourth quarter. Joe Stone had the ball knocked away as he went up for a lay-up and his right knee buckled. He was helped off the court and did not return. Chatmon said he’s going to get evaluated in the next two days.

The Indians finish the tournament with Statesboro on Monday at 2:30 p.m. Chatmon said the key to finishing the weekend strong is to do a lot of the things they did against Manchester.

“We’re gonna have to take care of the basketball and we’re gonna have to play smarter basketball and tighten up on defense a little more,” he said.

Jordan Young led the team with 17 points, and DeAndre Hamilton and Malik Dungee chipped in 14 points apiece.