HANCEVILLE – Intensity will be at full force Wednesday afternoon when the Holly Pond Broncos and Cullman Bearcats clash during the finale of the 4th annual Mitch Smith Chevrolet Yule Tide Basketball Classic.
It’s just for fifth place in the varsity division, but for the Broncos and Bearcats, a chance to gain an edge on the other. The pair have split two games thus far and now come together at a neutral location, Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum.
That is part of a final day of the tournament with other games highly anticipated in both divisions.
Play begins at 9:30 a.m. with West Morgan and Brooks in the 7th place game of the girls bracket.
Two solid 3A teams, Winfield and West Morgan, hook up at 11:00 a.m. with both trying to avoid a 0-3 trip to the classic. Winfield was edged by Cullman 69-60 Tuesday while West Morgan took Holly Pond into overtime, but fell short 80-72.
Fairview Lady Aggies and the Priceville Lady Bulldogs have an interesting 5th place contest at 12:30 p.m.
The Lady Aggies rebounded from Monday’s overtime loss to Thompson, running past Brooks 50-31. Priceville settled the score on county rival West Morgan, claiming a 55-45 triumph.
Fairview’s 13th win of the season, the best in county girls basketball, featured 26 points by the bench while the starters managed just 24 and hit a rut in offensive performance.
The Holly Pond-Cullman game will come to attention at 2 p.m. The Broncos beat the Bearcats 93-79 in the opener November with Cullman getting the best of the Broncos 75-73 on November 27 in the finals of the 59th Holly Pond Thanksgiving Tournament.
Another upset was witnessed in the tournament. No. 8 Athens Lady Golden Eagles fell to Arab 62-55 in the semifinal round with the Lady Knights winning the fourth quarter by hitting 13 of 18 from the foul line. Arab prevented Athens from getting a chance to defend its tournament crown.
Arab has No. 3 Thompson from the 7A rankings for the championship hardware. Thompson topped Cullman 68-47 in the second semifinal, breaking the battle open with a 19-8 run in the third to move the margin to 55-35.
Thompson is a first-time entry into the varsity championship after the Warriors rallied to defeat Athens 49-40. The Warriors were down 12-7 going into the second and outscored the Golden Eagles 42-28 the rest of the way.
Wednesday Mitch Smith Yule Tide Classic Schedule
GIRLS
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West Morgan vs. Brooks 9:30 a.m. (7th place)
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Fairview vs. Priceville 12:30 p.m. (5th place)
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Cullman vs. Athens 3:30 p.m. (3rd place)
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Arab vs. Thompson 6:30 p.m. (Championship)
VARSITY
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West Morgan vs. Winfield 11 a.m. (7th place)
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Cullman vs. Holly Pond 2 p.m. (5th place)
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Athens vs. Newton/North Panola 5 p.m. (3rd place)
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Thompson vs. Newton/North Panola 8 p.m. (Championship)
