Frequent double teams from Elba didn’t stop McIntosh star Chauncey Dixon, who had 23 points and 20 rebounds in a 56-45 win in the Class 1A South Regional finals on Monday at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery. (Helen Joyce/Call News)
McIntosh coach Shaynae Barnes-Dixon speaks with her players during a timeout in Monday’s regional finals. (Helen Joyce/Call News)
McIntosh’s Zoie Miller appears to fly as she races down the court during Monday’s regional finals against Elba. Miller scored 12 points in the Demons’ win. (Helen Joyce/Call News)
By JIMMY WIGFIELD
MONTGOMERY — McIntosh girls coach Shaynae Barnes-Dixon turned out to be an accurate soothsayer and if she keeps it up, the Demons might win their first state championship since 2012.
Barnes-Dixon was Leroy’s coach last year when her daughter, Chauncey Dixon, was injured in the Class 1A South Regional final at Garrett Coliseum.
When the 6-foot-2 center crumpled to the court with a torn ACL — her cries of anguish echoing hauntingly through the chilly, nearly vacant arena — the Bears lost their lead and faded to a 56-35 defeat to Elba.
Afterward, Barnes-Dixon was full of certainties about the future.
“We’re going to be back next year just as strong,” she said. “We lost to Elba by one in the Sweet 16 last year. We came back for revenge. We’ll see them again.”
The mother-daughter duet moved to McIntosh in the offseason and on Monday met the No. 6-ranked Tigers again in the regional final. This time, Dixon had 23 points and 20 rebounds in a satisfying 56-45 victory that ended Elba’s season and 12-game winning streak and sent the No. 9-ranked Demons (24-7) to the state tournament in Birmingham next week.
“It was a much better outcome,” Barnes-Dixon said. “We won. No injuries. I was confident that we were going to come back and we were going to be victorious. We were the better team.”
As long as Dixon touches the ball enough, can anybody beat McIntosh?
“Nobody can stop Chauncey Dixon, nobody,” Barnes-Dixon said. “They double teamed her and tripled teamed her today and we still came out victorious. She came back stronger and recovered.”
If nobody can stop Dixon, the Demons could win their fourth Blue Map to go with three won by Hall of Fame coach Renard Davis in 2006, 2007 and 2012.
“That was also a motivation,” Barnes-Dixon said. “They are used to winning and so I had to bring back that tradition back with my players.”
Dixon — the regional MVP whose brace on her left knee is a reminder of the injury and nine-month rehabilitation — also believes she can continue to carry the torch for her team for two more games.
“No sir, nobody can beat me as long as I am 100 percent,” she said. “It was a big motivator for me because they beat us the last two years and I wanted my getback. We want that ring.”
On Monday, Dixon made 9 of 10 field goals to go with 5 assists and 3 steals as McIntosh took the lead for good at 24-22 after seven lead changes on Zoie Miller’s fast-break layup in the second period and closed the game with a 12-2 run over the final 5:06.
The Demons built a 30-23 halftime lead after the Tigers (18-3) turned the ball over five times during a 10-0 McIntosh run in the second period. By intermission, Dixon had 13 points and the rest of her teammates 17 combined.
The Demons led by 10 late in the third period before Elba made a final push, cutting the lead to 44-43 with 5:11 left when Anastasia Caldwell made a short jumper in the lane off an offensive rebound.
After Barnes-Dixon called a timeout, Dixon’s reverse lay-in after breaking a double team made it 46-43 and McIntosh pulled away as Dixon beat another trap and found Miller for a layup, Dixon posted up for a basket and went baseline to baseline for a layup.
Only five 3-pointers from the Tigers and 8-of-24 free-throw shooting from McIntosh made the game as close as it was.
Jayla Brown, who along with Dixon was named to the all-regional team, added 15 points and Miller 12 for the Demons, who play Brilliant (23-10) Monday at 9 a.m. in the state tournament semifinals at Legacy Arena in Birmingham.
Dixon — who is averaging 18 points and 14 rebounds per game — was 18 of 27 from the floor (67%) and had 48 points and 31 rebounds in the two regional games.
