PREP BASKETBALL: Rickard’s game-winner lifts Fairview over Good Hope 72-69, Maddox sets county scoring record in 75-32 win

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1954
Fairview’s Blake Rickard knocked down a go-ahead three with four seconds remaining to help the Aggies secure a 72-69 win over Good Hope Friday night. (Martha Needham/The Cullman Tribune)

FAIRVIEW, Ala. – Good Hope traveled to Fairview for a pair of varsity matchups with the Aggies Friday night and it was a special night of basketball. In the girls’ game, Good Hope’s Ivey Maddox eclipsed the Cullman County girls all-time scoring record and led the way for the Lady Raiders in a 75-32 win. In the boys’ contest, Fairview came from behind in the fourth quarter and took the lead on a Blake Rickard three-pointer with four seconds on the clock to lead the Aggies to a 72-69 win over the Raiders.

Good Hope 75 – Fairview 32 (Varsity Girls)

Heather Tetro and Davis Stidham each traded threes to start out the game. Bailey Tetro quickly broke the early tie with seven straight points to give Good Hope a 10-3 lead with a little over four minutes to go in the opening period. Fairview, though, countered with a run of their own, as Darby Nichols got it started with a jumper to make it an 11-5 game. Jayla Gorham drilled a three from the left corner, then a basket each by Lexi Collins and Nichols gave the Lady Aggies a 12-11 lead. Each team traded the lead late in the quarter, but Maddox found Jolee McHan underneath for a basket, as Good Hope took a 15-14 lead into the second quarter.

Nichols drilled a three to give Fairview a 17-15 lead early in the second, then Maddox scored five straight points, including an and-one, to give the Lady Raiders the lead right back at 20-15. A rebound and putback by Charly Johnson and a trey by Bailey Tetro pushed Good Hope’s lead to 25-15. A layup by Gorham cut it to 27-18, but baskets by Heather Tetro, Maddox, and Ava McSwain quickly made it a 36-22 game at the half.

Good Hope continued to add to their lead to start out the third quarter. Maddox drilled a three from the right corner, then layups by McSwain and Johnson gave the Lady Raiders a 43-22 lead. Nichols scored on the other end to make it a 43-24 game, but a pair of threes by Heather Tetro increased Good Hope’s lead to 49-24. Maddox launched another deep three and became the all-time scoring leader for girls’ basketball in Cullman County when the ball went through the net. That made it 54-24, and the Lady Raiders would take a 63-30 lead into the final period. The fourth quarter was run under a hot clock, and Good Hope would go on to defeat Fairview 75-32.

Maddox led the way for Good Hope with 22 points in the win. McSwain added 16 points. Bailey Tetro put up 15 points, and Heather Tetro ended up with 11 points. Nichols finished with 11 points for Fairview and Gorham added seven points.

Fairview 72 – Good Hope 69 (Varsity Boys)

A rebound and putback by Weston Hancock put Good Hope on the scoreboard first, but Blake Rickard drilled a three on the other end to give Fairview the early 3-2 lead. A Cade Yeager layup gave the Aggies a 5-4 lead, but a jumper by K’mal Bell and a driving layup by Jacob Haynes gave the Raiders the lead right back at 8-5. Later on, five straight points by Tyler Cone pushed Good Hope’s lead to 13-7, but another Rickard trey cut it to 13-11 with a little over three minutes to go in the opening period. A pair of layups by Haynes gave Good Hope a 17-11 lead, and the Raiders would take a 17-12 lead into the second period.

Tucker Malin knocked down a jumper, and Haynes added another basket in the paint to increase Good Hope’s lead to 21-14 early in the second, but the Aggies countered with a huge run of their own. A pair of baskets by Jac Dunn, layups by Rickard and Carson Jones, and a three from the left corner by Kobe Payne gave Fairview a 25-23 lead with 4:21 left to go in the first half. Bell and Rickard each traded threes to keep it at a one-point game late in the first half, but another rebound and putback by Hancock and a three from the left corner by Cone gave Good Hope a 31-29 lead at the half.

Five quick points by Malin made it a 36-29 game early in the third, but another trey by Rickard cut it to 36-32. Baskets by Malin and Cone made it a 40-32 game, then both teams traded baskets for the next few possessions. Four straight points by Bell gave Good Hope a 48-38 lead, but a Yeager trey cut it to 48-41 with 2:35 left to go in the third period. Baskets by Cone, Haynes, and Hancock made it a 54-41 game, but five straight points by Landun Smith, including an and-one, made it a 57-46 game. A late basket by Bell gave the Raiders a 59-46 lead going into what would be an exciting final period.

Three free throws by Hancock made it a 62-46 game early in the fourth, but the Aggies began to claw their way back into the game. A basket by Smith, five straight points by Yeager, and three straight points by Rickard, cut it to 62-56. Bell stopped the bleeding with a basket on the other end to make it a 64-56 game. The Aggies weren’t done, though, as a layup by Jones, a made shot by Payne, and a three by Rickard cut it to 66-65. Then, a steal and a layup by Jones gave Fairview their first lead since early in the game at 67-66 with 2:39 left to go in the contest.

Haynes split his free throws to tie the game up at 67, then a free throw each by Payne and Rickard gave the Aggies a 69-67 lead. Dakota Overton drilled both of his shots from the line to tie the game up at 69 with 27 seconds left to go in the game, then Rickard drilled the biggest shot of the game from the right corner to give Fairview a 72-69 lead with four seconds left. The Raiders’ last shot to tie the game up fell just short, and the Aggies hung on to knock off Good Hope in a 72-69 thriller.

Rickard finished the game with 25 points, including the game-winning three, for Fairview. Payne added 13 points. Yeager put up 10 points. Jones added nine points, and Smith finished with eight points. For Good Hope, Malin, Bell and Haynes all finished with 13 points. Cone added 12 points and Hancock put up 11 points.

Fairview’s varsity boys will travel to Randolph to take part in the Raider Holiday Classic on Dec. 27. The Lady Aggies will travel to Lauderdale County to take on Florence and Lauderdale County on Dec. 28 and both varsity squads will return home Jan. 4 to host Holly Pond. Good Hope will take part in the Beach Bash Dec. 27-29. The Raiders and Lady Raiders will take on J.B. Pennington and Vestavia Hills at Wallace State’s Tom Drake Coliseum on Jan 2.