HANCEVILLE — It’s hard to say there was a loser Friday night inside Lane Horton Gymnasium for a showdown featuring two of the county’s finest basketball players.

There could only be one winner, though, and Cold Springs was more than happy to take the title.

Literally.

Triston Chambers posted 35 points to pass his second local scoring milestone of the week, and the Eagles staved off Xavier Malcom and the hosts with a furious fourth quarter start to secure a 66-53 triumph and the 33rd annual Hanceville Thanksgiving Tournament title.

Malcom gave the Bulldogs a 49-47 lead and all the momentum entering the final eight minutes. Chambers and Cold Springs wasted no time grabbing it right back, though, using a quick 11-2 run and ultimate 19-4 advantage for the entire quarter to put the championship on ice.

“Tim Willoughby gave the usual advice as his Eagles huddled around facing a two-point deficit after three. Get good shots. Defend. Take it one possession at a time. Don’t think about the future. Stay in the here and now.

Those words might’ve helped, but Willoughby was convinced they weren’t the deciding factor.

So what was?

“Experience. You can’t buy it,” he said. “You’ve either got guys who’ve been through the war or you haven’t. That’s all it is.

“We’ve been a good fourth quarter team this year, and I told the players I don’t want to think that’s a coincidence. I want to believe it’s maybe seniors and leaders and guys who step up and play calm and under control in the fourth quarter.”

Chambers embodied each of Willoughby’s descriptors to a T on both sides of the ball. The Samford signee had 11 points in the fourth quarter and limited Malcom, who’d gone off for 13 points in the third quarter, to just two over the same stretch.

“Xavier Malcom’s a difference-maker. He was getting it done,” Willoughby said. “I think Triston, oddly enough, his defense on Malcom in the fourth quarter was the difference. I’m proud of him for it.”

Chambers was especially spectacular in the second quarter — and with multiple defenders on him, no less. Hanceville actually had three in the air and in his face on one shot in the corner, but he swished it anyway. The highlight complemented a couple of spiffy long-range stepbacks and a 14-point second quarter display bolstered by a four of his eight total 3’s.

Only three days removed from taking over as the all-time boys scorer for Cullman County Schools, Chambers surpassed Brontae Harris’ previous career high for a varsity boys player inside Cullman County lines. Harris scattered 2,324 points over three seasons in the county at Hanceville and one in the city at Cullman High.

Chambers now sits at 2,331.

That leaves only one local scoring plateau left for the guard to crack. Former Cold Springs Georgia Myrex still has the school and all-time county records with 2,379 points.

Chambers is likely to exceed that number next week, but that was far down his list of priorities Friday night. At the top was celebrating a tourney championship with his basketball brothers.

“There at the end, I felt like we really buckled down, started playing our game,” said Chambers while cradling the first-place trophy. “I felt like as a team we grew. I didn’t think we played the best game, but Dora was a tiring game for us. Mortimer Jordan was, too. I’m really proud of my team.”

Josh Freeman aided the victory with a double-double (13 points and 11 rebounds), while Jesse Lee joined the party with eight points, including six on a pair of timely 3’s. Blake Wood collected 10 rebounds, and Cayde Elliott added two — but they were a big two.

Both were offensive and cashed in for points, one with a putback and the other with a trey by Chambers.

“Triston gets the points, but my goodness,” Willoughby said of the latter board. “Cayde, he’s been through it. He’s so much better than he was last year. He’s kind of a clutch guy.”

The third quarter battle between Chambers and Malcom was something to behold. Malcom almost doubled up his Cold Springs counterpart in the scoring column during the stretch but knew exactly what slowed him up in the fourth.

Those easy trips through the lane suddenly weren’t so easy.

“They started playing better defense,” said Malcom, who had 24 points. “I feel like we did good, but we can do better than that. We’ve just to keep playing, getting better.”

Watching Malcom and Chambers trade shot for shot wasn’t just a treat for the fans. The Hanceville senior got a kick out of it as well.

“It’s fun,” he said. “I look forward to playing him and good players like that.”

Jordan Peoples put in 10 points for the Dawgs, and Isaac Weissend was good for six.

Cold Springs will take a 7-0 record into its area debut Monday at home against Addison. Hanceville (4-3) will head to one-loss Holly Pond on Tuesday.

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Good Hope 46, Curry 17

Matt Cofer showed no mercy with two more points than the Yellow Jackets had combined, and the Raiders capped off their three days at the holiday tourney with a convincing win.

Mason Moniz rained in a trio of 3’s for nine points, and Noah Tillman tacked on seven points for Good Hope.