Bealim leads Livingston Cougars to 4A win

By By Jeff Byrd/sports editor
March 1, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Control the lane and you control the game.
The Livingston Cougars did just that Friday night in the Class 4A Boys' Championship Game at the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center.
Led by Final Four MVP Mack Bealim's 23 points, the Cougars whipped Beauregard 80-65 to win their second state championship in school history.
Livingston (27-6) shot 60 percent for the game.
Bealim went 10-of-13 from the floor, and David McIntosh was 8-of-13 in the game. The pair combined to go 80 percent form the floor.
Livingston went up 18-14 after the first quarter.
They only trailed twice in the entire game, both times in the opening three minutes of the contest.
The Cougars took the lead for good on two free throws by McIntosh, with 1:46 left in the opening quarter.
Corey Speight made a driving layup on the last play of the quarter for the four-point lead after the opening eight minutes.
Livingston went up nine late in the second quarter, only to see a three-pointer by Trez Billingsley cut its lead to 35-29 at the half.
The Cougars made their first three shots of the third quarter, while holding Beauregard scoreless for a 12-point lead two minutes into the second half.
A three-pointer by Derek Crumpton, with six seconds left in the third, gave the Cougars a 56-42 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The lead hit 20 twice, the last coming on a dunk by Crumpton giving the Cougars a 56-46 advantage, with 5:42 left in the game.
Beauregard came no closer than 13 points of the lead the rest of the game.
Livingston was 33-of-55 from the field, and the squad outrebounded Beauregard 38-24 in the game.
McIntsoh scored 20 points for Livingston, and Crumpton tallied 19 in the win. Speight added eight points for the Cougars.
Beauregard (25-8) was led by Ladarius Webb with 21 points, and Billingsley had 18.