Good Hope's Cole Maddox goes up strong for two points in the Raiders' 93-71 win over Holly Pond Tuesday night. (Nick Griffin for the Cullman Tribune)
HOLLY POND – Day two of the 62nd annual Holly Pond Thanksgiving Tournament is in the books and today’s action saw Lincoln County split its matchups with Fairview and Cullman and a short-handed Good Hope dominate the Holly Pond Broncos.
Lincoln County 60 – Fairview 52
This was the closest game of Tuesday’s slate as just a handful of plays was enough to make the difference between winning and losing. Both teams were locked at 28 when they headed into the locker room at the half and the third quarter featured more of the same.
The Aggies did a lot of their damage at the free-throw line in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough to break the tie. The Falcons knocked down a 3-pointer in the final seconds of the third to send us to the fourth quarter tied at 39.
The game stayed close for most of the final period, but Lincoln County was finally able to start pulling away with a three at the 2:30 mark that put the Falcons on top 55-51. The Falcons added another bucket to make it 57-51 before two consecutive offensive fouls against Fairview really started to put the game out of reach. Late free throws from Lincoln County put the game away, 60-52.
Dow Nichols led the Aggies in scoring, collecting 15 points, five rebounds and a steal in the loss. Luke Yarbrough added 12 points, all of which came in the first half, and Caleb White added six points, four rebounds and four steals.
The Aggies will look to get back in the win column when they take on Holly Pond Wednesday night at 7:30.
Good Hope 93 – Holly Pond 71
Despite a 29-point, nine-rebound performance from the Broncos’ Kyler Chaney, the Raiders controlled most of this game from the opening tip to the final buzzer. After going down 2-0 to start the game, Good Hope put together a 17-6 run that helped it carry a 27-20 lead into the second quarter. Chaney scored 16 of Holly Pond’s 20 first-quarter points.
The second quarter saw the Raiders extend their lead even more before the half. Good Hope ended the quarter on an 11-0 run and took a 45-31 lead into the locker room at the break.
The second half was more of the same for the Raiders. The shots continued to fall, and the lead continued to build as Good Hope kept its foot on the gas and led 66-45 at the end of the third quarter. The Raiders repeated their first-quarter performance by putting another 27 points on the board and running away from the Broncos, 93-71.
Good Hope hit 11 of its 3-point shots during the game and had five players in double figures. Michael Lowe and Noah Fendley were all over the floor for the Raiders tonight. Lowe led the team with 23 points while also posting eight rebounds and a block. Fendley was just behind him with 21 points and added three rebounds and two steals. Cole Maddox scored 15 of his own to go along with three rebounds, five steals and a block in the win.
The Raiders will take on Cullman Wednesday at 6 followed by the Broncos’ matchup with Fairview at 7:30.
Cullman 76 – Lincoln County 68
The final matchup of Tuesday night wasn’t the prettiest, but it was certainly the most physical. Cullman led 17-11 after a low-scoring first quarter, but the Falcons were able to fight back to take a lead into the half. Tucker Gambrill knocked down a shot from 3-point range in the final seconds of the half to cut Lincoln County’s lead to 32-30 before the break.
The second half was a game of runs. A quick basket from Cooper Beck and a 3-pointer from JD Parrish put the Bearcats on top 35-32 very early in the third quarter, but the Falcons had an answer. Lincoln County responded with a 9-0 run to re-take the lead, but Cullman fired right back with a 12-0 run of its own. Parrish knocked down another three as time expired in the third quarter to stretch the Bearcat lead to 57-48 heading into the final period.
The Falcons hit a couple of threes to cut into the Cullman lead but the ‘Cats were able to finish things off at the free-throw line in the final two minutes. Jimnie Chau Le hit 3-of-4 from the line, and both Jayden Sullins and Robert Goolsby added two free throws very late in the game that put the win out of reach for Lincoln County, and the ‘Cats held on to win 76-68.
Sullins led the Bearcats in scoring with 14 points to go with three steals and Parrish was right behind him with 12 points, a steal and a rebound. Goolsby finished with 11 points, five rebounds and a steal and JT White collected nine points, five rebounds, four steals and a block in the win.
The Bearcats will be back on the floor to face Good Hope at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Other Tuesday scores:
Marx Optical Thanksgiving Classic (varsity boys)
Priceville 61 – Vinemont 35
West Point 70 – West Limestone 53
Hanceville Thanksgiving Tournament (varsity boys)
Cold Springs 50 – Meek 43
Hanceville 83 – Tarrant 57
Bash at the Beach Thanksgiving Tournament (varsity girls)
West Point 62 – Fairhope 38
Hartselle Encore Thanksgiving Classic (varsity girls)
Hanceville 61 – Red Bay 60 (OT)
Cold Springs 73 – Mortimer Jordan 45
Fairview 57 – Colbert County 32
Fairview 46 – Danville 44
Cullman 66 – Russellville 32
Boaz Thanksgiving Classic (varsity girls)
Holly Pond 61 – D.A.R 52
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