HANCEVILLE, Ala. – Good Hope and Cold Springs fought it out for this year’s Cullman County Tournament Championship Saturday night, and it was another exciting battle between the Eagles and Raiders. The score was knotted at 25 after the first two quarters but Good Hope was able to outpace Cold Springs in the second half to pull ahead and went on to eventually win it 65-53. The win over the Eagles gives the Raiders their third County Tournament Championship in the last four seasons.
Tanner Malin and Cody Bales exchanged baskets to get things started and after Colton Lindsey split a pair of free throws to put Good Hope in front 3-2, Bales knocked down a pair from the line to give Cold Springs a 4-3 lead. John Mark Smith drilled a three to put the Eagles in front 7-3 and Brody Peppers sank a pair of free throws to extend the lead to 9-3. However, the Raiders were able to dominate the final four minutes of the period and thanks in large part to baskets from Noah Barnette and Tyler Cone, Good Hope finished the first quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 13-9 lead into the second.
Bales drained a three-pointer to make it a 13-12 game at the start of the second quarter and Tanner Kilgo later added a pair of baskets to retake a 16-15 lead for Cold Springs. Another basket by Peppers and another three from Smith kept the Eagles in front 21-16 but Malin laid one in, and Lindsey knocked down a three from the corner to tie things up at 21 with just over two minutes remaining in the half. Cone and Tucker Malin each scored to give the Raiders a 4-point lead but a pair of Seth Williams free throws and another basket by Peppers in the final seconds of the period tied the game at 25 going into the halftime break.
A quick basket from Cone and a three by Tanner Malin gave Good Hope a 30-26 lead early in the third quarter but a three-pointer from Bales on the other end cut the lead down to one. That’s when back to back treys from K’mal Bell and another Malin basket put the Raiders in front 38-29 midway through the period, their biggest lead of the game. A pair of Bales free throws and a basket from Kilgo trimmed the lead to five and Seth Williams drilled a three-pointer to make it a 38-36 game with three minutes to play in the third. Bales netted two more free throws to tie things up at 38 but Good Hope finished the quarter strong once again. A basket by Barnette and a three from Tucker Malin in the final moments of the period gave the Raiders a 43-38 lead at the start of the fourth.
Bales’ big night continued with an old fashioned three-point play at the start of the final frame that cut the lead to 43-41. Good Hope answered right away with a corner three form Lindsey that extended the lead to 46-41 and a pair of Barnette free throws made it a 7-point game. The Eagles wouldn’t allow the Raiders to create separation, and another three by Smith cut the lead to 48-44 before Kilgo laid one in to make it a 48-46 game with five minutes on the clock. Bell responded with a three-pointer on the other end to put Good Hope back in front 51-46 and Bell scored on the next two possessions to give the Raiders a 55-48 advantage with less than two minutes to play. Cold Springs continued to claw and fight to try and chip away at the lead, but Good Hope sank 12 consecutive free throws in the final two minutes to wrap up a 65-53 win and this year’s Cullman County Championship.
Bell led the Raiders with 16 points in the win, followed by Cone with 13 and Malin and Barnette with 12. Bales posted a game-high 23 points for Cold Springs in the loss. Smith added nine and Peppers and Kilgo each finished with eight.
2022 Varsity Boys All-County Tournament Team
Tanner Malin – Good Hope
Brayden Harris – Hanceville
Brody Peppers – Cold Springs
Tanner Kilgo – Cold Springs
Seth Williams – Cold Springs
Cody Bales – Cold Springs
Zach Campbell – Hanceville
Ethan Frazier – Fairview
Colton Lindsey – Good Hope
2022 All-County Boys Basketball Team
Parker Martin – Fairview
Landon Tweedie – Fairview
Kobe Payne – Fairview
K’mal Bell – Good Hope
Tanner Malin – Good Hope
Colton Lindsey – Good Hope
Brody Peppers – Cold Springs
Tanner Kilgo – Cold Springs
Zach Campbell – Hanceville
Brayden Harris – Hanceville
Kollin Brown – Holly Pond
Sam Wheeler – West Point
Kolten Perry – West Point
Colby Miller – Vinemont
Eli Thomas Memorial Scholarship Award Winner
Cody Bales – Cold Springs High School
Joe Shults Award Winner
Tanner Malin – Good Hope High School
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