DOUBLE SPRINGS, Ala. — The Addison Bulldogs traveled to the county seat to take on their archrival foes, the Yellow Jackets of Double Springs. The girls lost another nail biter 55-52 while the boys pulled out a tough 47-42 victory.
Winston County 55 – Addison 52 (varsity girls)
The Addison Lady Bulldogs need to learn to start faster as it seems that at the end of the first period of every game, they find themselves down double digits. We all know it takes alot of energy to come from behind and this young team never gives up, but it would be nice to see what they could accomplish if they came out of the gate quicker. As usual Addison was sluggish to start and the Lady Yellow Jackets led 18-10 at the end of the first period. The hometown crowd was in rare form as they cheered on the Lady Jackets. Senior Makayla Lindsey led the jackets with five points in the period. Bracey “Tiny” Rodgers led Addison with four.
The second period also began what should be called foul gate as both teams combined for over 16 fouls in the period and this had to be the longest basketball period I have ever witnessed in person. Both teams were affected but it really stung the Lady Dawgs as Gracie “Bug” Manley and Anna Grace “The Glove” Luker picked up three fouls apiece and had to sit. The Lady Jackets took advantage by outscoring the Lady Dawgs 16-12 to take a 34-22 lead into the half. The Lady Jackets were led by Lindsey with 11 points in the half. Rodgers led the Lady Dawgs with 10 points of her own.
The second half opened with Addison pressing the Lady Jackets into numerous mistakes. “Magic” Molly Gilbreath led the Lady Dawgs with five points in the period but also had two steals and two boards to go along with her points. Hadley “Shooter” Butler was a star on defense as she had five steals. The Lady Dawgs took a slim 42-41 lead into the fourth period. Addison never quits and it showed in that third period.
The fourth started and it appeared that the young ladies of Addison ran out of gas as the fouls kept piling up and the Lady Jackets outscored them 14-10 to take the win, 55-52. The Lady Jackets settled down with junior Olivia Wright and Lindsey taking control down the stretch.
Addison was led by “Tiny” Rodgers with a game high 18 points and five rebounds. “Magic” Gilbreath had 13 points, four boards and five steals. “Bug” Manley had nine points, five boards, two assists and four steals. “The Glove” Luker had seven points, four boards and two steals. “Shooter” Butler only had one point but five boards and five steals. Addisyn Smothers had three points and five boards.
Double Springs was led by Lindsey with 17 points and eight boards. Izzy Cofer had 10 points and 10 boards. Brenna Wakefield had five points, seven boards and a block. Wright had four points, four boards, two assists and two steals.
Addison will not play again till next week when Addison hosts the Winston County Tournament.
Addison 47 – Winston County 42 (varsity boys)
The boys were looking to finish up undefeated in Winston County games and win the regular season County title. It promised to be an excellent game. Addison’s Logan “Baby Shaq” Wilkins came to play as he scored all twelve of the bulldogs points in the first period as Addison led 12-11 after one. Double Springs’ “Mr. Everything” Austin Owens came out fired up as well. Owens had four points in the period to go along with two assists and three boards.
The second period was another back and forth affair as it had each team going ahead and the other answering right back. The scoring cooled down as the defensive intensity heated up. Both teams could only muster seven points apiece as Addison took an ever so slim 19-18 lead into the half. Wilkins scored 16 of Addison’s 19 first half points. Owens led the Jackets with seven.
The third period was intense as both teams fought for rebounds, dove for loose balls and generally pounded on one another. The score after three was Addison 32 Double Springs 31. No team could muster more than a 4-point lead. Xavier “Mr. Smooth” Barley had four points, four boards and Eli “Baby Hornet” Howse had three with two assists and two steals in the third. The Jackets were led by Sophomore Sy Blanton with three points.
The fourth saw Addison pull slightly ahead but the Bulldogs could never pull away as there was no quit in the jackets on this night. Addison sealed the game at the free throw line with Christian “Ice Man” Roberts hitting two and the game ended with Addison 47 Double Springs 42.
The Jackets were led by Senior Brooks Bonds with 12 points. Freshman Braden Hudson had nine points, two rebounds and two steals. Senior Austin “Mr. Everything” Owens had eight points, five boards and three assists. Sophomore Sy Blanton had nine points and eight boards.
Addison was led by Wilkins with a game high 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals. “Baby Hornet” Howse had eight points, two boards, three assists and two steals. Roberts had four points and seven boards. “Smooth” Barley had six points and six boards. Cannon “TNT” Hiller had eight points.
The win earns Addison the regular season Winston County Championship and the first seed in the tournament after finishing 6-0 in county play. Addison improves to 13-10 on the year.
After the game, Head Coach Ben Mastin said, “I thought we played defensive great. Offense was up and down but Logan (Wilkins) carried us in the first half. I know Coach (Adam) Gray does a great job over here (at Double Springs) and I am glad to come out of here with a win. This is a tough building to win in. Coach Gray always has his team ready to play and the (Austin) Owens kid is a tough matchup for us. I know I keep harping on it, but we have to finish. We are using that Cold Springs loss to help us be a better team. We try to finish each possession to come away with the outcome that we desire. I can’t wait to the county tournament next week and hopefully we can come away as county champs.”
Addison hosts this year’s Winston County Tournament and will be the number one seed.
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