Labaron Philon had classic reaction to drawing Tennessee big before key shot
By David Wasson
Published:
It took the Alabama Crimson Tide precisely 39 minutes and 37 seconds to take their first lead on the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday night. But Tide guard Labaron Philon Jr. knew it was coming at least a couple moments earlier.
Philon, who came off the bench to score 23 points against the Vols, put Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella in a blender before canning a jumper with 22.8 seconds remaining to lift No. 17 Alabama past No. 22 Tennessee 71-69 in Knoxville.
Philon, who did not start for the Tide on Saturday, entered the game early in the first half and made his presence immediately felt โ canning a 3 over Estrella for Alabamaโs first points of the game.
But the closing sequence was much more memorable, as the 6-foot-11 Estrella switched off a ball screen to guard the 6-4 Philon โ a mismatch Philon immediately recognized with a slight-yet-dismissive shake of the head before putting Estrella through all the paces.
Philon went 9-of-14 from the field to finish with 23 points, two behind teammate Latrell Wrightsellโs 25 points en route to snapping Tennesseeโs five-game winning streak. Tennesseeโs JaโKobi Gillespie led all scorers with 26 points.
Tennessee (20-9 overall, 10-6 SEC) led 40-28 at halftime and missed three shots within five feet of the basket in the final seconds. Alabama (22-7, 12-4) won its eighth straight game and is two games behind SEC-leading Florida heading into the final week of the regular season.
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An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
