HANCEVILLE – The Hanceville Bulldogs hosted the Eagles of Cold Springs Thursday night for a regular season basketball matchup and all four games were physical and low-scoring.
The junior varsity girls of Cold Springs took the first matchup of the night 46-32. The Lady Eagles' defense was able to hold the Lady Bulldogs at bay while their offense pulled away in the second half.
The junior varsity boys were up next and this time it was the Bulldogs' defense that stepped up, holding the Eagles to less than 30 points in a 38-26 win.
The varsity girls took the floor next and the Lady Eagles' offense was able to put away the Lady Bulldogs 56-44. Forward Elizabeth Hill led the way for the Eagles offensively with a game-high 21 points along with seven rebounds and a block. Her partner in the paint Aubrey Negron also had a big night, putting up 12 points and pulling down seven rebounds of her own.
The Lady Bulldogs got off to a slow start on offense and trailed most of the game but thanks to a run in the third quarter, Hanceville trailed by just six at the start of the fourth. Junior Guard Malia Howell scored all seven of her points in the third quarter as part of the Lady Bulldogs' run. Hanceville couldn't keep pace in the fourth as the Lady Eagles started knocking down free throws and collecting rebounds.
The Lady Bulldogs got a great performance on both ends of the floor from sophomore Guard Kelly Pickett. Pickett finished with a team-high 16 points and a game-high five steals. Pickett was followed closely by senior forward Karmen Johnson who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in the loss. The Lady Bulldogs will try to bounce back Friday night on the road against Carbon Hill and Cold Springs will try to build on its momentum the same night at home against Winston County.
The final game of the night was a matchup between the varsity boys’ squads. Hanceville led most of the night against the Eagles and fended off a late run to put the game away 46-37. Cold Springs fought through the first half to get the game tied at 27 entering the fourth quarter. The Eagles were able to slow down the game and limit Hanceville's possessions for much of the night but couldn't contain the Bulldogs for four quarters.
Senior point guard for the Bulldogs, Brendan Flanigan, carried a lot of the load for his team tonight. He scored a game-high 17 points including five free throws in the last three minutes of the game. Flanigan led his team with seven rebounds to go along with a couple of steals. The Bulldogs also got a good two-way performance from senior forward Josh Stanley. Stanley scored seven points on offense while also coming up with five rebounds and three steals.
Cold Springs got some gutsy performances that kept the Eagles in the game from both veterans and newcomers. Eagles freshman forward Adam Hill led the team with 15 points and also brought in six rebounds. Senior forward Hunter McClendon led the game with eight rebounds while also scoring six and recording a block.
The Bulldogs will look to build off this win at Carbon Hill Friday night while the Eagles will try to regroup Friday against Winston County back home.
Copyright 2018 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
