HOLLY POND — Kollin Brown balled out for a game-high 41 points, Holly Pond’s defense picked it up in the second half, and the Broncos defeated Fairview 80-63 in their season opener on Thursday night.

For coach Cory Glasscock, the win came down to two attributes.

“Toughness and doing the little things the right way,” he said. “I told the guys if we dictate the pace that I liked our chances, and if they dictate the pace I liked their chances. The way the game was officiated definitely benefited our style, but this was a tough and gritty win with our guys making some tough plays down the stretch.”

Both teams battled hard during a fast-paced and lengthy first half — there were a combined 38 free-throw attempts in the first 16 minutes alone — with Holly Pond seizing a 39-36 advantage heading into intermission.

The Broncos, though, took control in the third quarter behind their defense, holding the Aggies to just 12 points in the period to build a comfortable 61-48 lead, which they stretched to as many as 20 points in the final stanza.

“We made a couple of adjustments (at halftime) where we weren’t as worried about getting the rebound as we were about getting back,” Glasscock said. “We felt if we could make them play half-court offense we had a better shot. We were playing catch-up on defense in the first half, so that was the adjustment. We’re pretty good defensively in the half-court.”

Christian Couch (14) and Blake Rickard (12) joined Brown in double figures, while Gunner McBee (four), Levi Farr (four), Carson Ryan (three) and Sawyer Olinger (two) also contributed.

Cylas Yarbrough, meanwhile, paced Fairview with 15 points. Kobe Payne (14) and Antonio Gambrill (10) were next in line.

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Varsity Girls

Fairview 67, Holly Pond 43

Jayla Gorham dominated en route to a game-high 31 points, and the Lady Aggies opened their season with a strong victory over the Lady Broncos on Thursday night.

Holly Pond held a 13-11 lead after a quarter, but Fairview used a 22-8 second period to take control.

Darby Nichols (10), Reagan Dunkin (seven), Jaycee Aleman (six), Lexi Golden (six), Somer Harris (five) and Bug Davis (two) spearheaded a balanced offensive attack behind Gorham for the Lady Aggies.

Holly Pond, meanwhile, was led in scoring by Alana Phillips, who netted 10 points.

Emma Earl added nine, while Maddi Ham (five), Maycie Black (four), Samantha Giles (four), Madison Butts (three), Kamryn Tankersley (three), Ellie Burks (three) and Bai Widner (two) produced buckets as well.

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Thursday — November 10 

VARSITY GIRLS

Hanceville 33, Cullman Christian 25

▶ Aaliyah Twitty (H): 18 points

▶ Kaylee Johnson (CC): 12 points

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Tuesday — November 8 

VARSITY BOYS

Hanceville 75, Asbury 30

▶ Brayden Harris: 19 points

▶ Will Calvert: 12 points

▶ Noah Jones: 11 points

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VARSITY GIRLS

Holly Pond 50, Etowah 43

▶ Madison Butts: 14 points

▶ Maddi Ham: 14 points

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Asbury 40, Hanceville 30