HANCEVILLE, Ala. – This year’s county basketball tournament resumed at Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum Tuesday night, starting with a high-powered JV boys’ matchup between Cold Springs and Good Hope. The Raiders finished the first half strong to take an 11-point lead into the locker room at halftime, but the Eagles came from behind in the second half to collect a 52-49 win and punch their ticket to the JV Boys finals.
Lindan Hill and Parker Johnson traded early baskets to tie the game up at two. Ryker Hancock broke the tie with a free throw, then he collected a steal and laid it in to give Good Hope a 5-2 lead. Wyatt Barker scored through a foul and ended up hitting the free throw to tie the game up at five. Cayden Adamson scored off an Eagle turnover, then Ayden Young drained a three to give the Raiders a 10-5 lead with less than three minutes to go in the opening quarter. Cooper Johnson hit four straight from the line to trim it to a one-point game at 10-9 late in the first. Young and Hill traded baskets to keep it a one-point game at 12-11 going into the second.
Johnson buried a trey to extend Good Hope’s lead to 15-11 early in the second period. Baskets by Hill and Barker, plus a pair of free throws by Barker, gave Cold Springs their first lead of the game at 17-15 with 4:46 remaining in the first half. That’s when the three-ball started going down in bunches for the Raiders. Ian Moody put one in from the right corner, then Johnson knocked down a trey of his own to give them a 23-19 lead. A pair of threes by Young put the Raiders in front, 29-19. Hill stopped the bleeding with a basket on the other end, but Johnson laid it in and a steal and a layup by Christian Sims extended Good Hope’s lead to 33-22 at the break.
The Eagles started to cut into the Raider lead in the third quarter. Baskets by Hill, Johnson, and Barker made it a 33-28 game almost midway through the third. Cash Dickerson knocked down a trey from the right wing to cut it to a two-point game. Johnson scored down low to give the Raiders a 35-31 lead. McCain Smith dropped in a floater, then Hill added a free throw to make it a 35-34 contest going into the final period.
Hill put in a basket down low then added another free throw to give Cold Springs a 37-35 lead. Young nailed a short jumper to tie the game up at 37. Two more baskets by Hill gave the Eagles a 42-39 lead. Eli Drake nailed back-to-back treys to give Good Hope the lead right back at 45-44. Hancock added a basket in the paint to make it 47-44, but Dickerson scored through a foul and ended up tying the game up at 47 on the free throw with 1:57 left to go in the game. Dickerson added two more from the line, as Cold Springs retook the lead at 49-47 a minute later. Johnson and Hill hit a combined three free throws in the final minute of the game to put the finishing touches on a 52-49 win for the Eagles.
Hill led the way for Cold Springs with 25 points in the win. Dickerson and Barker each added nine. Young posted 15 points for Good Hope in the loss and Johnson finished with 14.
The Eagles will be back on the court to take on (1) West Point in the JV Boys championship game Saturday at 4 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
