By BY BRUCE HIXON – sports editor
They were beaten from the field. They were beaten from the perimeter. They were beaten from the free throw line.
To put it in more simple terms, the Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks were beaten in every phase of the game Monday when they were blasted 99-55 on their own home floor by the Chattahoochee Valley Pirates. The contest was the Alabama Community College Conference opener for both teams.
Chattahoochee Valley (6-5) went on a decisive 19-0 run in the first half that broke open what had been a close game for the first seven minutes.
JDCC was down just 15-12 after Jake Nelson's three-point play seven minutes into the game when the bottom dropped out. Herman Mains was pretty much a one-man wrecking crew for the Pirates during their big run. Mains scored 13 of Chattahoochee Valley's 19 points during that stretch, which included the first 10 on a three-point play, a three-pointer, an offensive rebound and a baseline jumper.
Mains scored just two other points the remainder of the game, but the Pirates had plenty of other weapons. One of those was Brandon Sims, who scored all 10 of his first half points over the last five minutes when Chattahoochee Valley completed a 39-13 run that gave the Pirates and overwhelming 54-25 halftime cushion.
It only went from bad to worse in the second half for the Warhawks (2-9), who lost for the fifth straight game.
Chattahoochee Valley's lead topped 30 points in the first 30 seconds of the second half when Stepan Pope's dunk made it 56-25. It topped 40 points with 7:15 left when Pope's third dunk of the second half made it 84-43. The Pirates took their biggest lead of the game with 4:50 left when an offensive rebound bucket by Sam Smith opened up a 48-point bulge of 91-43.
About the only thing the Pirates did not do was reach the century mark, which seemed like a formality when they topped 90 points with nearly five minutes left.
It took a late surge by the Warhawks to avoid their lowest output of the season, which came in a 95-52 loss to Wallace State-Hanceville. A four-point play by Quintereal Kelley and a three-pointer by Tim Rodgers in the final three minutes kept JDCC from that dubious distinction.
JDCC begins a three-game, conference road swing Thursday when it heads to Southern Union for a 7 p.m. game.
At JDCC
Chatt. Valley 54 45 - 99
JDCC 25 30 - 55
CHATTAHOOCHEE VALLEY (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Pope 8-0-0-16; Mains 3-3-0-15; Wimby 2-2-3-13; Sims 4-0-4-12; McLaunn 3-0-3-9; Tolbert 3-0-2-8; D. Smith 2-0-4-8; Bates 3-0-1-7; S. Smith 2-0-3-7; Jones 1-0-0-2; Bagnon 1-0-0-2 (Totals: 32-5-20-99)
JDCC (2FG-3FG-FT-TP) Nelson 4-1-5-16; Rodgers 4-1-0-11; Kelley 0-2-2-8; Johnson 3-0-1-7; Griffin 1-0-2-4; McKinney 0-0-2-2; Smith 1-0-0-2; Butler 1-0-0-2; Martin 1-0-0-2; Tunberg 0-0-1-1 (Totals: 15-4-13-55)