One year removed from winning just two games, Red Bay’s boys are headed to Hanceville.
The Tigers rode a hot-shooting first quarter to a 60-37 rout of Class 2A, Area 11 champion Tarrant on Tuesday night, clinching their first regional berth since 1995 and writing the latest chapter in a remarkable turnaround story.
Red Bay (18-12) got a pair of early threes from junior guard Colton Corum and nine first-quarter points from 6’3 junior Gath Weatherford, jumping out to a 23-9 lead at the end of one. Freshman Braden Ray chipped in with six points in the big first quarter.
Weatherford scored seven more points in the second quarter, reaching his season average of 16 per game by halftime and helping the Tigers take a 34-23 lead into the locker room.
Weatherford and sophomore guard Clay Allison each had five points in the third quarter, and Corum knocked down another three to help the Tigers out-score Tarrant 15-6 and open up a 20-point cushion at 49-29. They cruised from there, earning a date with Area 16 runner-up Mars Hill in Thursday's Northwest Regional semifinals at 4:30 p.m. in Hanceville.
Weatherford hit two threes on Tuesday and went 3-for-3 from the line, finishing with 23 points and topping the 20-point mark for the 10th time this season. Corum hit four threes and scored 15 points. Ray added eight, and Allison finished with five. Peyton Green scored four points, Hunter Bays had three, and Tanner Hamilton added two.
Red Bay hit six threes as a team and shot 8-for-10 from the foul line.
