HANCEVILLE, Ala. – This year’s JV Boys Championship Game featured another heated battle between West Point and Good Hope. The Warriors led the Raiders by two at halftime, but Good Hope shot extremely well at the free throw line in the second half and that helped them pull away to collect a 53-41 win and a JV Boys County title.
Baskets by Hunter Hensley and JD Cochran gave West Point an early, 4-0 lead but Eli Clements scored and split a pair of free throws on the other end to trim the lead to 4-3. A Dakota Overton basket gave the Raiders a 5-4 lead midway through the first quarter, but Cochran responded with another score for the Warriors to put them back in front 6-5. Hensley dropped in a floater to stretch the lead to three, but Colten Whatley drilled a three just before the buzzer to tie the game at 8 going into the second.
Whatley drained a pair of free throws at the start of the second to give Good Hope a 10-8 lead but the Warriors were able to tie thing up at 11 later in the period. Ace Stricklin knocked down a three to put the Raiders in front 14-11 and Callahan Lindsey scored inside to extend the lead to five, but Pressley Burtis nailed a three-pointer for the Warriors in the final seconds of the half to cut the lead to 16-14 at the break.
Another three from Burtis tied the game at 17 early in the third quarter and Burtis laid one in on the next West Point possession to take a 19-17 lead. Overton responded with a three-pointer of his own to put Good Hope back in front 20-19 but the game was tied at 21 once again midway through the period. Burtis converted an and-one play at the line to give the Warriors a 24-22 lead with two minutes to play in the third and Hensley buried a three-pointer to stretch the lead to 27-22. However, the Raiders were able to chip away at the lead when Whatley drained another three and Clements sank a pair of free throws to tie things back up at 27. Burtis was able to draw a foul in the final second of the third quarter and knocked down two free throws just before the buzzer to give West Point a 29-27 lead at the start of the fourth quarter.
Good Hope got off to a fast start in the final frame, putting together a 7-0 run to move in front 34-29. TB Pendley banked home a three-pointer to trim the lead to 34-32 but the Raiders were able to pull ahead 37-32 with four minutes to play. Clements hit back to back threes from the left wing to extend the lead to 43-33 midway through the fourth but scores by Hensley and Cochran on the other end made it a 6-point game with just over two minutes remaining. Another Cochran basket cut the lead to 43-39 but Whatley and Clements each knocked down a pair of free throws to make it an 8-point game with a little over a minute on the clock. The Raiders continued to hit shots at the foul line as time ticked away, allowing them to pull away and defeat West Point 53-41, securing this year’s JV Boys County Championship.
Clements racked up a game-high 23 points for Good Hope in the win. Whatley finished with 15 and Overton added nine. Burtis led the way for the Warriors with 14 points in the loss, followed by Hensley with 11.
2022 JV Boys All-County Tournament Team
JD Cochran – West Point
Will Bailey – Fairview
Colten Whatley – Good Hope
Dakota Overton – Good Hope
Hunter Hensley – West Point
Pressley Burtis – West Point
Antonio Gaitor – Fairview
Eli Clements – Good Hope
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