CULLMAN COUNTY BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT: Youth takes the stage in Day 1 of annual classic
Published 10:29 pm Saturday, January 20, 2018
- Cold Springs' Brodi Williams holds the ball on Saturday.
HANCEVILLE — The Cullman County Basketball Tournament is officially underway at Wallace State.
And the young talent inside Tom Drake Coliseum didn’t disappoint on Saturday.
Good Hope (ninth-grade boys), Hanceville (junior varsity boys), Good Hope (junior varsity girls), Fairview (junior varsity boys), West Point (junior varsity girls) and West Point (junior varsity boys) each kept their seasons alive with fine victories and advanced forward in their brackets at the annual hoops showdown.
Varsity action is scheduled to begin on Monday.
See below for full capsules involving Saturday’s games.
Ninth-Grade Boys
% Good Hope 38, Holly Pond 33: Michael Owens scored a game-high 18 points, and the Raiders held off the Broncos in a fast-paced second half to pick up a victory and advance in the Cullman County Basketball Tournament on Saturday.
Eli Pugh (eight) and Lane Speegle (seven) were also good contributors for fifth-seeded Good Hope, which will take on No. 1 Fairview this Wednesday at 4 p.m.
Fourth-seeded Holly Pond, which trailed 25-10 at halftime, nabbed strong efforts from Ethan Burnham (13) and Casey Brown (nine) in the loss.
% Coach Speak: “We’ve had trouble finishing games all year. We’ve been competitive with everyone in the county, though. I stressed at halftime — we played probably our best first half of the year — that we needed to come out and finish. We struggled with that, but we did eventually finish the game. Thank goodness for that. I couldn’t be more happy right now.” — Good Hope coach Jody Maddox
Junior Varsity Boys
% Hanceville 44, Vinemont 33: The No. 4 Bulldogs eliminated the fifth-seeded Eagles to advance in the Cullman County Basketball Tournament on Saturday.
Hanceville, which will play No. 1 Holly Pond this Monday at 5 p.m., netted a game-high 17 points from JR Isbell. Tristan Vincent (eight) and Cainon Moore (seven) also claimed key buckets throughout the contest.
Jordan Hall (nine), Dakota McGraw (eight) and Bryce Perkins (seven) led Vinemont in scoring.
% Coach Speak: “Vinemont played us extremely tough at their place, so we knew this game would be a battle. Getting a lead, though, helped us stay comfortable throughout the game, and we were able to get the win.” — Hanceville coach Stephen Chandler
Junior Varsity Girls
% Good Hope 22, Hanceville 18: The No. 5 Lady Raiders outpaced the fourth-seeded Lady Bulldogs 14-5 during the second half to garner the triumph and advance in the Cullman County Basketball Tournament on Saturday.
Savanna Burney was the top scorer for Good Hope with nine points. Emily Speegle and Morgan Hammock each corralled four as well.
The Lady Raiders will play No. 1 Cold Springs on Thursday at 5 p.m.
Hanceville was paced by Malorie Morgan and Jessica Thompson, both of whom recorded six points apiece.
% Coach Speak: “I think the girls got in here (Wallace State) and eventually found their feel for the game. We calmed down in the second half and ran our offense well. We had super looks, stayed patient and did exactly what we needed to do to get this win.” — Good Hope’s Natasha Holcombe
Junior Varsity Boys
% Fairview 49, Good Hope 27: The No. 3 Aggies scored early and often in a dominant victory versus the sixth-seeded Raiders to advance in the Cullman County Basketball Tournament on Saturday.
Fairview was paced on offense by Christopher Nicholas with 15 points. Austin Jackson (11), Devin Gibson (eight) and Isaac Gandy (six) also had nice games.
The Aggies will meet No. 2 West Point, which bested seventh-seeded Cold Springs, on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Dawson Turner led Good Hope with 10 points. Eli Phares added five.
% Coach Speak: “My guys always battle. We’ve had our ups and downs all year long, but they never give up. I’m proud of that. We played well.” — Fairview’s Terance Maze
Junior Varsity Girls
% West Point 45, Holly Pond 20: The third-seeded Lady Warriors played an outstanding defensive game, eliminating the No. 6 Lady Broncos to advance in the Cullman County Basketball Tournament on Saturday.
West Point will play second-seeded Fairview on Friday at 5 p.m. for a chance to move into the title contest.
The Lady Warriors netted stout efforts from Ryleigh Jones (13), Sidney Smith (11), Sheridan Bowers (nine) and Braelee Quinn (eight) in the cozy triumph.
Holly Pond was led by Sarah Finley, who procured nine points.
% Coach Speak: “The third quarter was key. We knew we had to press, get steals and go to the hole. Our 3-point game hasn’t been working. I just told them we had to capitalize on our defense in the second half.” — West Point’s Brittany Sams
Junior Varsity Boys
% West Point 52, Cold Springs 25: The No. 2 Warriors had zero trouble easing past the seventh-seeded Eagles to advance in the Cullman County Basketball Tournament on Saturday.
West Point, which will play No. 3 Fairview on Tuesday at 5 p.m., snagged contributions from Kobe Bowers (18), Tyler White (13), Will Brown (eight) and Will Cochran (six).
Brodi Williams and Hunter Freeman tallied six apiece for Cold Springs, while Ayden Alexander earned five.
% Coach Speak: “Good team win. Really proud of the guys’ effort tonight.” — West Point’s Scott Brown.
