CULLMAN – A five-game home losing streak was broken by the Cullman Bearcats Tuesday night when they defeated the West Point Warriors 59-46.
The Bearcats utilized a strong three-point attack with 10 treys scored on the evening. Freshman Noah Bussman ripped for four with Drew Morton getting three and Trey Tucker a pair to lead the assault.
The three-point shooting accounted for 63 percent of their offense in the first half. Cullman scored four times from long distance in the second quarter to break a 15-15 deadlock after the opening period and lead 33-23 at the break.
Morton had two of his go in during the stanza with one from Bussman and one by Jake McAffee.
They were able to carry the shooting touch into the third period on three more and had a 48-35 lead with a quarter to go.
Cullman kept the lead at double digits by going to an offense of attacking the West Point defense with short range jumpers and layups. The Bearcats scored five times in the fourth to clinch their first win in 2017 and eighth on the season.
Bussman's 12 was the high for the Bearcats with Morton scoring 11, Dylan Finch 10 on five field goals, Tucker with eight, Zane Manley and Jayden Sullins four each, Nick Williams and McAffee three each and two apiece by Reese Harbison and William Kress.
West Point had no one in double digits. The Warriors were guided by Brandon Farley and Kolby Sullins with eight each, Austin Dubberly seven, Rylan Jones and Kolton Sapp six each, Toby Cunningham five and Alex Hernandez four.
Cullman 57, West Point 48 (Girls):
It was an upset earlier in the evening as Cullman overcame adversity, losing starter Anna Evans for the rest of the season due to torn ligaments in her knee. Evans, the second leading scorer and rebounder on the team, suffered the injury last Thursday in a 62-51 home win against Albertville.
Coach Josh Hembree put Kennedy Wren into Evans’ starting position, and she responded with eight points.
Cullman had the defense going, not letting West Point get a field goal in the first period. The Lady 'Cats led 12-3 behind balanced scoring and took a 27-17 advantage to the locker room at halftime.
Anna Bowden delivered three field goals in the third, two from three-point territory, and the advantage grew to 45-26.
But West Point showed life in the final quarter with a 22-12 edge to cut the margin to nine when the game ended.
Bowden and eighth-grader Hannah Hoffman both scored 13 in the 12th win of the season for Cullman. Hoffman was effective from the foul line with 7-of-8.
Wren netted eight, Victoria Barker and Sierra Easterwood scored six each, Anna Murphy five, A.K. Eastman and Chloe Ray three each. Barker blocked nine shots in the game and had better than a dozen rebounds.
West Point lost for the first time on the road and fell to 15-3. Freshman Brooke Brownfield was hot for John Welborn's Lady Warriors with 14, scoring four from long range.
Lexi Shadix and Lillie Burdette scored seven each, Olivia Ball six, Miriam Oldacre five, Mackenzie Carter four and Bailee Yearwood one.
Postponed games have been rescheduled:
West Point will play Fairview in a make-up game on Jan. 20 at Fairview's Joe Shults Gymnasium. West Point took the game with Curry that was originally scheduled for the 20th and moved it to Thursday night. They will play at Jim Boyd Gymnasium in 5A, Area 12 play.
West Point girls’ coach John Welborn told the Tribune that Cold Springs, with his sister Tammy West as the coach, moved their game with Winston County to Thursday night at Cold Springs, due to it being a 2A, Area 13 game and being postponed from last Friday because of the winter storm.
Cold Springs will now play Madison Academy at Jesse George Gym on Jan. 23. They were to meet the No. 3 team from Class 4A on Thursday and swapped it in order to get the area game with Winston County rescheduled as quickly as possible at the request of the Alabama High School Athletic Association.
Copyright 2017 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved
