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PAGE 4B April/May 2025
Auburn Basketball Falls in Final Four
In the first all-SEC Final Four matchup in history, All-Americans Johni Broome and Walter Clayton Jr. willed their teams for 40 minutes before Florida took control late to defeat Auburn 79-73 in the national semifinals on Saturday, March 5, 2025. “I'm really proud of my team, how these guys made history, the best basketball team in the history of Auburn basketball,” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said. “They gave us a ride that won't ever be forgotten. They did so many great things both on and off the court that I'm extremely proud of.” Clayton scored 20 of his 34 points in the second half to help Florida (35- 4) outscore Auburn 41-27 and outrebound the Tigers by 10 after intermission, capitalizing on 12 second- half Auburn turnovers. “Second half, Florida's effort and energy, the fact that we're not as deep as what we normally are, was a factor,” Pearl said. “I thought fatigue was a factor. As a result, we weren't able to maintain control of the game. If we had taken care of the basketball a little bit, not turned it over, not given them easy ones, we could have been in position to win the basketball game.” Chad Baker-Mazara led Auburn with 18 points while Broome scored 15 and grabbed seven rebounds. Denver Jones added 10 points. Dylan Cardwell contributed nine points and eight rebounds, Miles Kelly added eight points and four rebounds, Chaney Johnson
chipped in six points and five rebounds, and Tahaad Pettiford led Auburn with four assists. Leading by eight at the half, Auburn missed a chance to take a double- digit lead by missing a shot after a Florida turnover, then the Gators responded with an 11-0 run to take a 51-49 lead before Broome tied the score at 51-51. Johnson posted up Clayton and scored in the lane to give Auburn a 55- 51 lead, but the Gators’ star answered with a contested 3-pointer to trim the Tigers’ lead to one. “Clayton was the difference,” Pearl said. “We couldn't contain him down at that end.” Jones drove and dished to Cardwell for his third dunk of the game, giving Auburn a 57-54 lead with 11:25 remaining. A rash of Auburn turnovers and Florida free throws helped the Gators take a two-point lead before Baker-Mazara put the Tigers back on top with a 3-pointer at the 7:31 mark. “A lot of careless turnovers that in the first half we didn't really have,” Jones said. “I feel like that's what gave them the spark to take the lead.” Back and forth they went. Broome lobbed to Cardwell for a dunk that put the Tigers up by one, only to see Florida’s Thomas Haugh drive for a layup that gave Florida a 64-63 lead with 6:31 to play. Clayton’s 3-pointer gave Florida a four-point lead but Jones answered for Auburn to pull the Tigers of Talladega, the Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega Bottling Works, RK Allen Oil, First Bank of Alabama, the Talladega Lincoln Munford Chamber of Commerce and TOP Trails. “The Walk of Fame Induction Ceremony at Davey Allison Memorial Park honors outstanding drivers and attracts race fans from near and far,” said Talladega City Manager Derrick Swanson. “We are thankful to Talladega Superspeedway and other community partners who are committed to helping the City of Talladega preserve this cherished tradition. We are also appreciative of the thousands of tourists and race car fans who have visited Davey Allison Memorial Park since 1994 to view plaques dedicated to their favorite drivers. We encourage fans to explore the city, dine, and shop while they are in Talladega for race weekend.” Logano has three career Cup Series wins at Talladega Superspeedway (2015, 2016, 2018) and has multiple top 10 finishes at the biggest and baddest track on the NASCAR
within one at the 4:01 mark. Clayton then scored five consecutive points during a 7-0 run that gave Florida a 76-68 lead while Auburn went three and a half minutes without scoring before Baker- Mazara’s 3-pointer with 32 seconds to play. “I feel like we got the looks that we wanted to get,” said Broome, who scored 12 of his 15 points in the first half. “I wasn't able to capitalize and finish them.” Broome and Baker- Mazara got Auburn off to a fast start, combining for 14 points before the first media timeout. Kelly and Jones helped Auburn take a 29-25 lead at the under-8 timeout, with Jones finishing through contact on a drive before Kelly scored on transition after Broome’s blocked shot. Kelly then made Auburn’s third 3-pointer of the half for a four-point Tiger lead. After Pettiford made three free throws with 3:30 to play, Broome followed with a jumper in the paint to put the Tigers up by nine, a lead Auburn maintained down the stretch thanks to two more Broome paint buckets and Miles Kelly’s 3-pointer. Clayton, who led the Gators with 14 first-half points, made a layup with 31 seconds remaining, Jones drew a foul after an offensive rebound and made one free throw to put Auburn up 46-38 at halftime. “Played beautiful basketball in the first circuit. Logano’s Team Penske teammate Ryan Blaney was inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame during the 2023 ceremonies. It’s no secret that Logano hopes to follow up the induction ceremony by securing his fourth career win at Talladega during the upcoming Jack Link’s 500 race weekend. Previous inductees include the likes of NASCAR Hall of Famers such as Dale Earnhardt, Richard Petty, Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, Red Farmer, Cale Yarborough and more. For a full list of inductees, please visit Walk of Fame | City of Talladega. The spring race weekend action at Talladega kicks off on Saturday, April 26, with a doubleheader. The ARCA Menards Series will hit the track at 12:30 p.m. ET for the General Tire 200 followed by the NASCAR Xfinity Series Ag-Pro 300 at 4:00 p.m. ET. On Sunday, April 27, the NASCAR Cup Series stars will duke it out during the Jack Link’s 500 to close out the weekend at 3:00 p.m. ET.
Photo By David Gray, Auburn Tigers
Auburn's Denver Jones attempts a basket during the NCAA Tournament Final Four match-up against the Florida Gators at the Alamodome in San Antonio, TX on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Florida defeated Auburn 79-73 in the Semifinals and the Gators defeated Houston 65-63 in the title game to win the Men's National Championship. Florida Wins National Championship
Four appearance.
memory we made. That's my prayer all year: Lord, prolong our season. We have so many great memories on and off the court. This is the funniest team I've ever been on, but also the most loving, caring and thoughtful team I've ever been on. I'll forever remember this team and hope we can stay in touch for the rest of our lives.”
half,” Pearl said. “We were prepared. We had a great game plan. They executed it really well. We only turned the ball over twice.” Auburn (32-6) concludes a historic season that included an SEC regular season championship, eight weeks atop the Associated Press poll, a program record for victories and the program’s second Final
“Being at Auburn has been the best five years of my life,” Cardwell said. “I couldn't have chosen a greater university to have loved me back, to watch me grow from 18 to 23. I am the man I am because God let me come to Auburn. “I love these guys. I cherish every single moment, every single
Joey Logano to be Inducted into Talladega Walk of Fame
Crossville Consignment Auction Saturday, May 3, 2025 at 9 A.M. (CDT)
NASCAR's Talladega
Superspeedway
has
Auction Site: On location at 485 Union Grove Road South Crossville, Alabama 35962
announced Cup Series driver Joey Logano will be inducted into the Talladega Walk of Fame at Davey Allison Memorial Park. The three-time Cup Series winner at the famed superspeedway is set to join a prestigious list of NASCAR legends on Friday, April 25 at 5:30pm. “Joey is no stranger that to visiting victory lane at Talladega and his continued success has earned him a well-deserved spot among NASCAR’s greatest in the Talladega Walk of Fame,” said Brian Crichton, Talladega Superspeedway President. “Joey is a remarkable talent for our sport and his passion and dedication to racing will continue to be on full display for years to come.” Former Talladega City Council President James E. Spratlin will also be honored for assisting in the establishment of the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame and Davey Allison Memorial Park. Festivities will include the induction ceremony, food trucks, vendors and live music. Sponsors include the City
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