ALBANY — Several area basketball teams competed in the annual U-Save It Classic basketball tournament Friday night, with athletes using the holiday break to focus on improvement ahead of the new year.

Tornadoes dominate in opening game

Cason Harden and the Packers made the short trip to Albany for the tournament’s opening game. Alexis Barge scored on a putback to help build an 8-point lead at halftime.

The game quickly became dominated by Tornado’s Brayden Burns, who put on a clinic throughout the contest. Tristan Terry hit his second triple of the night to stretch the lead to 13 points.

Burns continued his strong play, scoring on an and-one opportunity down low and burning past defenders to help build a 43-23 lead late in the third quarter.

Burns scored 25 points for the senior guard, putting the team on his back similar to last Friday’s win over Lee County. Tornado extended their winning streak to six games.

Westover defeats North Clayton

Westover faced North Clayton in another tournament matchup. Albany State commit Jalen Holmes opened the scoring for the Patriots, which led to 17 unanswered points.

Jaxon Reese finished with his left hand, and Jordan Boone hit a three-pointer as part of a dominant first quarter that saw Westover take a 24-2 lead after eight minutes.

North Clayton made the game more competitive in the second half, but it wasn’t enough. Three Patriots finished in double digits: Reese with 10 points, Holmes with 15 and Gregory Williams leading the way with 16.

Westover survived 63-58 and improved to 7-1 on the season.

Lee County falls to undefeated Carver Columbus

Lee County looked to get back in the win column against undefeated Carver Columbus. The Tigers came out strong, building a 20-point lead with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Josiah Franklin led the Trojans’ late effort. The junior guard was dominant throughout the night, showing his post game after displaying his mid-range ability last week. Franklin led all scorers with 28 points.

Despite Franklin’s performance, the Trojans couldn’t complete the comeback. With the loss, Lee County dropped below .500 on the season.

Dougherty falls to Therrell

In the final game of the night, Dougherty faced the Therrell Panthers. The Panthers wasted no time taking control, with Papa Mbaye scoring off the glass.

Dougherty trailed by four when Will Dublina scored down low to make it a one-score game. The Trojans pushed the pace, with Armeen Walker finding Jherel Gibson for two points.

Dublina led Dougherty’s first-half efforts with 10 points. After pulling within five late in the second quarter, the Panthers extended their lead to 39-22 at halftime.

The Trojans went on to fall 75-45.

The Classic will continue Saturday with another four game slate.

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