Stampede cut Jags season short in Elite 8, 66-56

After dropping two regular season games to the Paul W. Bryant Stampede, the Northridge Jaguars claimed the Class 6A Area 6 tournament title. With one game in between, the two teams faced off again in the Class 6A Elite 8, for the opportunity to advance to the Class 6A Final Four. The Jaguar Nation was hoping that the Jags would even the slate with the Stampede by getting the win at the Acadome at Alabama State University. Unfortunately, that was not the case as Bryant captured a lead in the second quarter and held onto that lead to take a 66-56 victory and move on to the Final Four in Birmingham.

The Stampede scored the first four points of the game, but the Jags went on an 8-0 run to claim the lead and moved on to a 14-11 lead after one quarter of play. Northridge’s shooting cooled off a bit in the second quarter and Bryant went on a 5-0 run that resulted in a one point lead for the Stampede. The lead seesawed on the next four shots, with Bryant eventually taking a 20-19 lead. By the time the quarter was done, the Jags were on the short end of a 15-5 run by the Stampede, who held a 26-22 advantage going into halftime.

The Jags made up some ground in the third quarter, cutting the Bryant lead to two, but still trailed 40-38 after three quarters. The Stampede stretched their lead back to seven early in the fourth quarter. Northridge made several valiant attempts to close in on the Stampede, but Bryant always had an answer to keep the Jags at bay. The final outcome was a 66-56 win for the Stampede, sending them to the Class 6A Final Four at the BJCC in Birmingham.

Anderson Wilkin led Northridge with 25 points. Jordan Suiter was the only other Jag in double figures, with 12. Jalen Green added eight points. Ryan Halperin contributed four and Alex Warren added three. Kyle Nunnally and Miles Phifer added two points each.