PREP ROUNDUP: Hollingsworth, Hanceville fall short to Susan Moore in 2OT thriller; both Broncos roll
Published 10:24 pm Wednesday, February 10, 2016
- Hanceville's Taylor Hollingsworth celebrates after sending Wednesday's area tournament game against Susan Moore to a second overtime.
HOLLY POND — Taylor Hollingsworth simply didn’t want her prep career to end.
The Hanceville senior let those in attendance at Felton Easterwood Gymnasium know just how much after hitting a clutch layup to send Thursday’s Class 3A, Area 10 Tournament game against Susan Moore into overtime.
She further cemented the point by driving coast-to-coast in less than six seconds and drilling a fallaway jumper at the buzzer to extend the bout into yet another extra period.
Unfortunately for Hollingsworth and the Bulldogs, they merely ran out of gas after that.
Susan Moore held off a relentless charge from the Cullman County squad by sinking a late bucket and dribbling key seconds off the clock. Despite a missed free throw by the winners with only seconds remaining, coach Christina Watson’s team didn’t even have time for a desperation heave.
“Boxing out just really killed us,” Hollingsworth said. “They got up to four shot chances sometimes. It hurt us.”
Although her playing days at Hanceville are now over, the Bulldog phenom went out in style with a final tally of 34 points to go along with a handful of rebounds, assists and blocks. Teammates Karmen Johnson and Cassidy Campbell pitched in with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
“It felt really good to make those plays for my team,” Hollingsworth said. “Before the first one, coach said, ‘It’s all in your hands, no pressure.’ In my mind, though, I think, ‘The season’s on the line, of course there’s pressure.’ But I did it for my girls. We’ve shared a lot of blood, sweat and tears together. I just hope they’ll push forward.”
Hanceville ended its season 11-11.
Holly Pond 56, Vinemont 26
The Broncos dominated from start to finish to easily advance past the Eagles.
Ruth Horton scored a game-high 17 points for 3A No. 9 Holly Pond, which improved to 19-11.
Other top contributors were Melissa Clingman (nine points); Kolby Holcombe (eight); and Haley Higginbotham, Molly Gambrill and Taylor Tankersley, six apiece.
For Vinemont, Zoe Thomas and Laura Smithson each netted seven points.
The Broncos will go for their eighth straight area tournament title on Thursday, when they host Susan Moore at 6 p.m.
Varsity Boys
Hanceville 69, Vinemont 46
The Bulldogs improved to 19-10 and clinched a sub-regional appearance following a blowout win over the Eagles.
Xavier Malcom turned in a 30-point, six-steal performance, while nine of his teammates collected at least two points.
Despite the lopsided affair, Purple and Gold coach Daniel Wakefield wanted to see more.
“They came out playing like it was a playoff game, but we came out playing like it was summer league,” he said. “I have all the respect in the world for Vinemont. We knew they would play us hard all game. We’re glad to get a win, though.”
Vinemont’s Zac Thomas spearheaded his team with 10 points. Garrett Boland and Jaythan Blanton added seven.
Holly Pond 86, Susan Moore 52
The 3A No. 9 Broncos picked up their 21st win of the season with a shellacking of the Bulldogs.
Drew Jones (16 points), Matt Cahoon (15), Griffin Morris (12) and Michael Lambert (11) paced Holly Pond in the victory.
Everyone in green and white scored.
The Broncos will play Hanceville Thursday at 7:30 p.m. for the area tournament title. They’ve defeated the Bulldogs in both meetings this season.
