HANCEVILLE, Ala. – The Hanceville Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs returned to Lane Horton Gymnasium Tuesday night to host Cold Springs but unfortunately for the home crowd, the Eagles and Lady Eagles were able to leave with a pair of wins. The Lady Eagles downed the Lady Bulldogs 54-22 and the Eagles held off a strong comeback effort from Hanceville to escape with a 47-44 victory.
Cold Springs 54 – Hanceville 22 (Varsity Girls)
The first points for Cold Springs came on a long jumper by Ella Bruer, then Ella Dickerson drilled a three from the top of the key to give the Lady Eagles a 5-0 lead. A short jumper by Hanceville’s Victoria Stanley got the Lady Bulldogs on the scoreboard with 4:57 remaining in the first period. The Lady Eagles made it 8-2 on a three by Ciara Calvert, but Hanceville’s defense kept them scoreless for the rest of the quarter as a basket by Kate Sterling, followed by a Stanley trey, cut the Hanceville deficit to 8-7 after one.
Cold Springs started to create some distance from the Lady Bulldogs to start out the second period as a Calvert three, followed by four straight free throws from Dickerson increased the Lady Eagle lead to 15-7 with 4:43 remaining in the first half. A Jolee McHan layup made it a six-point game, but the Lady Eagles went on a 9-0 run to push their lead to 24-9. Hanceville did finish the first half strong, though, as Jessica Marshall scored the final four points of the half, including a three that she banked off the backboard, to make it a 26-15 game at the half.
During the halftime break, the Hanceville Lady Bulldogs’ 2001 State Championship team was recognized at half court.
The second half would be all Cold Springs as their pressure defense bothered Hanceville all night; Ella Bruer had a huge second half as she drilled five shots from deep and Dickerson, along with Taylor, had some strong games as well. The Lady Eagles outscored the Lady Bulldogs, 28-7, in the second half, en route to a 54-22 win as they improve to 2-0 on the young season.
Dickerson finished with 20 points and a pair of steals for Cold Springs. Bruer added 17 points and four steals. Taylor ended up with eight points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks. Calvert added six points, five rebounds and a steal, while Erin Bailey chipped in with two points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block. For Hanceville (2-2), Stanley finished with seven points. Sterling added six points. Marshall and McHan (seven rebounds, three blocks and a pair of steals) each ended up with four points, while Katelyn Boyd chipped in with a point and four rebounds.
Cold Springs 47 – Hanceville 44 (Varsity Boys)
Hanceville’s Brayden Harris got the Bulldogs off to a quick start as he scored the first five points of the game to give them a 5-0 lead. Cold Springs got on the board on a Seth Williams layup; that started a 12-0 Eagle run and a Coleton Bales trey gave them an 12-5 lead. A layup by Hanceville’s Drew Campbell put a stop to Cold Springs’ run for now, but that didn’t stop the Eagles from finishing the quarter strong as baskets by Cody Bales and Tanner Kilgo pushed their lead to 16-7 lead after one.
Hanceville cut the deficit to 18-12 to start out the second quarter on a basket by Will Calvert and a trey by Harris. Later on, though, the trio of Cody Bales, Brody Peppers, and Kilgo scored all Cold Springs’ 11 points as part of an 11-2 run to help stretch the lead to 29-14 and the Eagles held a 29-16 lead at the half.
Both teams traded baskets and points for most of the third period. After a Harris basket made it a 36-22 game, a layup by Kilgo and two free throws by Peppers pushed the lead up to 18. Noah Jones drilled a three and Carson Garrett added a free throw for Hanceville as they found themselves down, 40-26, going into the final period.
Harris made it a 41-28 game to start out the fourth quarter. After three Cold Springs free throws made it 44-28, the Bulldogs started a furious rally to get back in the game and it was led by none other than Harris. He scored the next six points, including a huge three from the left wing, to make it a ten-point game with 3:43 remaining in the game. 31 seconds later, Jones got fouled while shooting a three and he hit all three free throws to make it a seven-point game. Later on, a Zach Campbell layup, followed by a huge three from Braxton Broad, made it a 45-42 game with 1:12 remaining in the contest. Kilgo and Peppers split their attempts at the free throw line to make it a five-point game, but a pair of Harris free throws cut the deficit to three with 19 seconds remaining in the contest. The Bulldogs forced a turnover, and they had a great opportunity to tie the game, but Zach Campbell’s three-point shot got blocked, and Cold Springs held off a feisty Hanceville squad at the end, 47-44.
Peppers led the way for Cold Springs (2-0) with 21 points and two steals. Kilgo added 11 points, eight rebounds, and a block. Cody Bales ended up with nine points and seven rebounds. Seth Williams and Coleton Bales each chipped in with three points. For Hanceville (3-1), Harris ended up with a game-high 24 points and five steals. Jones added six points. Zach Campbell ended up with four points, seven rebounds and three steals. Broad added three points and a steal. Drew Campbell, Calvert (four rebounds), and Tristan Herrera (three rebounds) each ended up with two points, while Garrett chipped in with a point, four rebounds, a steal and a block.
Cold Springs will travel to take on Holly Pond Friday, while Hanceville will host West Point Thursday.
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