VINEMONT, Ala. – The Vinemont Eagles hosted the Susan Moore Bulldogs in this year’s Class 3A, Area 13 championship game Tuesday night and four quarters weren’t enough to decide this one. However, overtime was dominated by Susan Moore and the Bulldogs toppled the Eagles 56-51 to win the area title.
A basket by Isaiah Jones, a free throw by Dawson Wilhite, and a trey from the left wing by Kaden Graham gave Vinemont an early 6-0 lead. An 8-0 run by Susan Moore gave them an 8-6 lead, but five straight points by Jaxon Holcomb gave the Eagles the lead right back at 11-8 lead. The Bulldogs scored the final seven points of the quarter to take a 15-11 lead going into the second.
Holcomb put in a floater, and Jeremy Harbison hit a reverse layup to tie the game up at 15 early in the second. A 9-2 run by Susan Moore gave them a 24-17 lead, but the Eagles finished the first half strong. A pair of baskets by Jones cut it to 25-22, then a layup by Graham and another jumper by Jones gave them a 26-25 lead going into the half.
After the half ended, one of Susan Moore’s players got hit with a technical foul. Harbison drilled both shots from the line, and later added a shot in the paint to make it a 30-25 game. The Bulldogs countered with an 11-5 run to get the lead right back at 36-35 with 3:35 remaining in the third. Later in the period, a made shot by Holcomb tied the game up at 37. Susan Moore drilled both free throws as they took a 39-38 lead going into the final period.
A big run by the Bulldogs to start the fourth helped stretch their lead to 45-38, but a pair of big threes by Harbison cut it to 47-44 with less than four minutes to go in the game. A made shot by Susan Moore made it a 49-44 game, but the Eagles made another late run to make things interesting. Harbison split his free throws, then a steal and a layup by Holcomb trimmed it to just two at 49-47. A huge rebound and putback by Bryson Bush tied the game up at 49. Neither team was able to break the tie after that, so the game would be decided in overtime.
Neither team was able to score for almost four minutes in overtime, before Joned drained a pair of free throws with 1:26 left to give Vinemont a 51-49 lead. The Bulldogs dominated the rest of the overtime period, scoring the final seven points of the game to pull away and defeat the Eagles 56-51.
Harbison led the way for Vinemont with 19 points. Holcomb added 14 points, and Jones finished with 13 points.
Vinemont will travel to play a Sub-Regional game against Piedmont Saturday.
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