Kelly Pickett (23) led all scorers with 23 points in Hanceville's 49-40 win at Holly Pond Thursday night. (Nick Griffin for The Cullman Tribune)
HOLLY POND – Hanceville made the trip over to Holly Pond for a pair of county matchups Thursday night and both of the road teams went home with victories. The Lady Bulldogs outlasted the Lady Broncos 49-40 and the Bulldogs blew past Holly Pond 85-73 thanks to a big second half.
Hanceville 49 – Holly Pond 40 (varsity girls)
This matchup was played within two points for most of the night. Hanceville led the Lady Broncos 12-10 at the end of the first quarter and only managed to stretch that lead to 25-22 by halftime. Three-point shooting in the second quarter kept Holly Pond close and neither team was able to separate in the third.
The Lady Bulldogs held a 33-31 lead going into the fourth quarter and a few minutes into the final period, Hanceville was able to create some separation. Turnovers made it difficult for the Lady Broncos to keep it close and a steal from Kelly Pickett that turned into an easy layup put the Lady Bulldogs on top 39-33 midway through the fourth. Hanceville finished off Holly Pond at the free-throw line after that, pulling away to win it 49-40.
Pickett led all scorers with 23 points in the win. Maddi Ham led the Lady Broncos with 10 points, followed by Tess Duke and Kirsten Campbell who each finished with seven. Holly Pond will try to bounce back with a win on the road against Arab Friday night and the Lady Bulldogs will try to build some momentum when they host Corner.
Hanceville 85 – Holly Pond 73 (varsity boys)
Despite a stellar, 36-point performance from Kyler Chaney, Holly Pond couldn’t keep up with the Bulldogs for four quarters. The game was knotted at 17 after the opening quarter but a 9-0 run to start the second put the Broncos ahead. The Holly Pond lead would not hold for long as the Bulldogs tore off an 18-4 run to end the half and carried a 38-34 lead into the locker room at the break.
Hanceville set the tone for the second half as soon as the third quarter began. The Bulldogs opened the half on a 12-2 run and had a commanding 61-47 lead by the end of the third period. Hanceville was not done. The Bulldogs continued to fill it up in the fourth quarter and add to their lead. The Broncos were able to cut the lead to single digits late in the game, but it was too little too late for Holly Pond and Hanceville held on to win it 85-73.
Chaney led all scorers with 36 points, but four different players scored in double digits for the Bulldogs. R.J. Evans finished with a team-high 22 points, followed by Romain Pochon with 15 and Raiden Morgan and Fred Ellis who each finished with 12.
Both the Broncos and Bulldogs with be back in action Friday night. Holly Pond will look to get a win on the road against Arab and Hanceville will try to stay in the win column when it hosts Corner.
Other Thursday night scores:
Cullman 50 – Murphy 43 (varsity girls)
Cold Springs 78 – Good Hope 34 (varsity girls)
Good Hope 57 – Cold Springs 46 (varsity boys)
Arab 54 – Fairview 46 (varsity girls)
Arab 69 – Fairview 51 (varsity boys)
St. Bernard 27 – Athens Bible 21 (varsity girls)
Vinemont 54 – St. Bernard 41 (varsity boys)
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