HANCEVILLE, Ala. – After icy weather delayed the start of this year’s event, the Cullman County Basketball Tournament finally got underway at Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum Monday night. We tipped things off with a JV Boys matchup between Vinemont and Cold Springs. After a very close opening half, the Eagles in red outscored Cold Springs 33-13 in the second half to pull away with a 50-31 win and earn a spot in Friday’s semifinals.
The opening period was a tight one between the Eagle squads. E.J. Sharpe and Breydon Hallmon exchanged baskets to start the game and after a Hallmon free throw put Cold Springs in front 3-2, Hayden Robinson sank a free throw to tie things up at 3. Bailey Gann split a pair of free throws on the other end to give Cold Springs a 4-3 lead. Robinson laid one in to put Vinemont back ahead 5-4 but Gann scored inside to retake a 6-5 lead for the Eagles in blue. Robinson answered on the other end, scoring with just 30 seconds on the clock to give Vinemont a 7-6 advantage going into the second quarter.
Vinemont got off to a fast start in the second, pulling ahead 16-6 with a 9-0 run, fueled largely by Sharpe with five points. Hallmon laid one in to stop the run and make it a 16-8 game with four minutes remaining in the first half. Another basket and two more free throws from Hallmon helped trim the lead to 16-13 with just over two minutes to play in the second quarter and on the next Cold Springs possession, McCain Smith knocked down a three to tie the game at 16. Gann hit a pair of free throws with 45 seconds on the clock to put Cold Springs in front 18-16 and Sharpe added a free throw on the other end in the final seconds of the half to make it an 18-17 game at the break.
Robinson scored the first five points of the third to give Vinemont a 22-18 lead and after a bucket by Bennett Phillips on the other end, Sharpe hit a pair of free throws and Robinson drilled a three to build Vinemont’s lead up to 27-20. Gann laid one in to cut the lead to 27-22 midway through the third, but another Sharpe basket made it 29-22 with just over a minute remaining in the period. Gavin Parr split a pair of free throws to make it 30-22 and Solomon Penn scored inside just before the end of the third to stretch Vinemont’s lead to 32-22 going into the fourth.
Baskets by Will Conquest and Roman Romero extended the lead to 36-22 early in the fourth quarter and Vinemont continued to pull away. A basket by Roman Romero and a pair of Gerardo Flores free throws made it a 20-point game with just over two minutes to play and Vinemont cruised to win it 50-31 and advance to the JV Boys semifinals.
Robinson led the way for Vinemont with 20 points in the win, followed by Sharpe with 13. Hallmon posted 10 points in the loss for Cold Springs and Gann finished just behind him with eight.
Vinemont will be back on the court Friday to take on top-seeded Fairview in the JV Boys semifinals.
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