ALBERTVILLE – It was a contrast in styles Monday afternoon when Cold Springs laced up their sneakers to take on the number one ranked team in Class 4A, the Westminster Wildcats. The fast paced offense of Cold Springs faced off against the grinding defense of Westminster.
The Wildcats controlled the paint for the entirety of the first quarter thanks to the strong inside play of 6'5" TySean Whitehead and putting Cold Springs big man Josh Freeman in foul trouble early. This led to a 16-11 Wildcat advantage after one.
Westminster came out on fire in the second quarter, heading to the basket every time they touched the rock. A 12-0 run and a third foul on Cullman County's all-time leading scorer, Tristian Chambers, put the Eagles' back to the wall.
However, Cold Springs scraped and clawed their way back to cut into the Wildcat lead but still found themselves down 15 points at the half.
Cold Springs started to find their range in the third with Tyler Rice and Freeman both nailing shots from downtown.
Chambers got going in the third with a give and go cut that led to a thunderous, one-handed dunk that ignited the Cold Springs faithful who made the hour long trip.
A last possession three ball from Cayde Elliott deep in the corner pulled Cold Springs to within 12 and gave them a shot at the win heading to the final quarter.
Unfortunately, though, the Eagles' could not get closer than 12 as Westminster closed out the game in the fourth, winning with a score of 62-45.
Cold Springs drops to the loser's bracket and plays Muscle Shoals in the Albertville Christmas Tournament Tuesday at 12 p.m.
