CULLMAN – As the season is winding down and teams get ready for area and regional tournaments around the county, St. Bernard and Whitesburg Christian locked horns Friday evening. Fast-paced play was the mantra of the first as both teams ran the floor with lightning quick speed. The shots were plentiful but only a handful of them fell with Whitesburg gaining the advantage 7-6 after the first.
The second quarter played out just like the first, with both teams matching each other shot for shot, only this time it was St. Bernard who got the better end of the quarter, taking a 14-13 lead to the half.
Christian Peterson rattled off five unanswered points for St. Bernard to start the third, giving the Saints a 19-13 advantage. Luke Tidmore of Whitesburg answered with five of his own to keep the game close. The rest of the quarter was nip and tuck, but the Warriors were able to snatch the lead back at the last second when Clark Dunn hit a put-back basket under the goal with less than five seconds left in the quarter, giving the Warriors a 26-24 lead heading to the final frame.
Matthew Richardson opened up the fourth with a pair of free throws for Whitesburg to make the lead four. Miguel Sanchez drilled a three on the other end for the Saints to pull St. Bernard to within one. A steal by Elijah Price and a transition three form Peterson gave the Saints a brief two-point lead before the Warriors hit a quick basket on their end to tie the score at 30. Whitesburg took the lead back on the next trip, but it was short-lived as Caleb Guthery drained a three at the top of the key, giving St, Bernard a one-point advantage. The Warriors took the lead back on an and one by Richardson to make the score 35-33 in favor of Whitesburg with 2:10 left to play. Peterson took a steal and went coast to coast to tie the game, but James Winland returned the favor and gave the two-point advantage back to the Warriors with 58.1 left on the clock. The Saints had a chance to tie the game as Luis Zatarain hit the front end of a one and one, but it was waived due to a lane violation, giving the ball back to Whitesburg. St. Bernard was forced to foul and Winland hit the first of a pair. The Saints could not connect with the three on the other end. Richardson hit the transition bucket on the other end to put the game out of reach. St. Bernard hit a three at the buzzer, but it was not enough as Whitesburg went on to win 40-38.
St. Bernard 46, Whitesburg 16 (Girls)
It was all Lady Saints in the early going when they took on the Whitesburg Lady Warriors. St. Bernard started the game with back-to-back threes from Claire Sanders and put-back buckets from Mckenna Kline and Avy Whaley to give the Lady Saints an early 10-0 lead. The Lady Warriors scored their one and only basket, a three from Melanie Ponce, to make the score 10-3 after one.
Both St. Bernard and Whitesburg traded buckets to open the second. The Lady Warriors then got some help from Ponce, the only Lady Warrior to score in the game midway through the first half, when she nailed a pair of free throws to pull Whitesburg to within six. The rest of the quarter belonged to St. Bernard as the lady Saints were able to push their lead to 10, 18-8, going to the half.
Three quick steals and three quick layups pushed the lady Saints’ lead to 16 just 1:10 into the second half, forcing a timeout from Whitesburg. The Lady Saints continued to pour on the pressure and splash in the points out of the break, amassing a 24-point lead after three quarters of play.
St. Bernard continued the offensive onslaught in the fourth, eventually hitting the magic number of 30 for a hot clock. Lady Saints win 46-16.
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