HANCEVILLE – What a long six days it’s been. As the lights go out on the sixth day of the 2018 Cullman County Basketball Tournament in Tom Drake Coliseum, the court is set for five title matchups Saturday. But first, here’s a recap of tonight’s action.
JV Girls Game 4: Fairview (2) 44 – West Point (3) 34
The Lady Aggies held off the West Point Lady Warriors in Friday night’s first game and it was a tight contest for three and a half quarters before Fairview began to pull away. The Lady Aggies were able to out-rebound West Point for most of the night, leading to several extra possessions for Fairview.
Taylor Vincent led the game with 10 boards and her teammate Isabella McGukin was not far behind with nine boards to go along with a team-high 13 points. The Lady Aggies were also able to get some quick baskets thanks to their pressure on defense. Daisy Manasco led Fairview with three steals leading to half of her eight points. It was the two steals from Manasco that led to four points for Fairview in the final three minutes and gave the Lady Aggies a 37-29 lead with around two minutes to play to put the game away.
From that point forward, the Lady Aggies hit all but one of their free throws on their way to 10-point victory. Starting guard for the Lady Warriors, Sydney Smith, did a lot to keep her team close to the Lady Aggies, coming up with a game-high four steals and 11 points. West Point trailed by just three at halftime and the start of the fourth quarter but could not sustain its level of intensity against Fairview for the final period.
The Lady Aggies will be back tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. for the Junior Varsity Girls Championship Game against the top-seeded Cold Springs Lady Eagles.
Varsity Boys Game 4: Holly Pond (1) 78 – Fairview (3) 64
The Holly Pond Broncos ran past the Fairview Aggies Friday night thanks to an explosive first half on offense that the Aggies could never recover from. The Broncos scored 32 points in the first quarter and 48 in the first half. The Aggies played a fine half offensively but still trailed by 12 at the half due to the Broncos’ fast start.
There were plenty of points to go around for the Broncos, but it was Griffin Morris who led the way for Holly Pond offensively with 21 points and seven rebounds. Zach Shaw was not far behind Morris, putting up 17 points and six rebounds for Holly Pond, and McKinley Garrett finished one board shy of a double-double, finishing with 10 points and nine rebounds.
The Broncos started the second half with a 48-36 lead, and although Fairview was able to slow down Holly Pond’s explosive offense, they couldn’t make enough shots to cut into the lead. The Broncos extended their lead to 15 by the start of the fourth quarter and pulled away from the Aggies from the free-throw line late in the quarter to ice the game.
Bryson Fletcher was the go-to man for the Aggies on offense, leading all scorers with 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and a steal. The point guard for the Aggies, Luke Yarbrough, also contributed to the Fairview offense with 15 points of his own and five rebounds. The Aggies’ offense knocked down three shots from behind the line, but it was too little too late and the Broncos coasted to a 78-64 win and an appearance in Saturday’s championship game.
The Broncos will take on West Point at 7 p.m. tomorrow for the Varsity Boys Championship.
Varsity Boys Game 5: West Point (2) 67 – Good Hope (3) 54
The West Point Warriors downed the Raiders of Good Hope in Friday night’s last semi-final matchup. The Warriors controlled the game for most of the night, fending off several scoring runs from the Raiders.
West Point had things going early on offense with guards Coby Sullins and Kolton Sapp leading the way for the Warriors with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Sullins and Sapp combined to knock down six shots from the 3-point line, and Sapp generated three steals on the defensive end of the floor. The Warriors’ forward Dalton White was a key on offense as well, finishing with 15 points and pulling down five boards.
It was a tight first half and the Warriors started the third quarter with a 30-28 lead but took on a big third quarter from Good Hope that ended with a 7-0 run for the Raiders. Good Hope’s offense managed to keep the Raiders in the game for most of the night. Guard Cole Maddox stepped up for Good Hope in the second half, putting up 10 of his 17 points in the final two periods. Maddox also led the Raiders with three makes from beyond the arc. The Raiders hit 10 shots from 3-point range in the loss.
Sullins hit two deep shots in the fourth quarter to help put the Raiders away, helped along with several valuable points at the free-throw line from guard Rylan Jones and White.
The Warriors will try to end their tournament run on a positive note in the Varsity Boys Championship Game at 7 p.m. Saturday against the pre-tournament favorite, Holly Pond Broncos.
Schedule for Championship Saturday
- 1 p.m. – Ninth Grade Boys Championship Game: Fairview (1) vs. Vinemont (3)
- 2:30 p.m. – Junior Varsity Girls Championship Game: Cold Springs (1) vs. Fairview (2)
- 4 p.m. – Junior Varsity Boys Championship Game: Holly Pond (1) vs. West Point (2)
- 5:30 p.m. – Varsity Girls Championship Game: Fairview (1) vs. Cold Springs (3)
- 7 p.m. – Varsity Boys Championship Game: Holly Pond (1) vs. West Point (2)
Trophy presentations and all-tournament team honors will be given out at the conclusion of each championship game.
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