CULLMAN, Ala. – The Cullman Bearcats and Lady Bearcats were back on their home court Tuesday night, hosting a pair of matchups against Austin and honoring a pair of seniors. The Lady Bearcats raced past the Lady Black Bears 72-53 and the Bearcats followed them with their own 64-38 win over Austin to improve to 21-3 on the season. Following their win in the girls’ game, Cullman seniors Stella Smith and Jaden Winfrey were honored for all their contributions and achievements within as part of the Lady Bearcats program over the last four years.
Cullman 72 – Austin 53 (Varsity Girls)
Maci Brown and Ally Sharpe each knocked down a three for Cullman as they jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead. Austin scored a pair of baskets in the paint to make it 6-4, but Stella Smith put in a short jumper to push the Lady Bearcat lead to 8-4. The three-point ball helped Cullman widen their lead even more as one each by Jaden Winfrey, Morgan Grimmett, and Ava McSwain helped make it a 17-6 game. Alli Grace Hembree put in a short jumper as Cullman took a 20-9 lead into the second period.
Sharpe scored in the paint and Ella Collum put in a pair of free throws as the Lady Bearcats pushed their lead to 24-11. Later on, A Winfrey layup and a Brown three made it 29-11. Baskets by McSwain and Smith increased their lead to 33-14 and a Carly Mills three would give the Lady Bearcats a 38-21 lead at the half.
Smith put in another basket in the paint to make it 40-23 early in the third period, then later on, Collum knocked down a long-range shot to push Cullman’s lead to 43-26. The Lady Black Bears cut it to 43-30 after a pair of baskets in the paint, but Winfrey and McSwain knocked down a combined three baskets in the paint to make it a 49-32. A pair of Winfrey treys swelled the Lady Bearcat lead to 55-37 going into the final period.
A McSwain three-point play and a Winfrey basket pushed Cullman’s lead to 60-38. A pair of McSwain baskets and a Sharpe three widened the Lady Bearcat lead to 67-42. Sharpe and Hembree each added a basket in the final period and Cullman would pull away in the end as they ended up winning the game, 72-53.
McSwain finished with 18 points for Cullman (21-8). Winfrey added 16 points. Sharpe ended up with 10 points, while Brown and Collum each added six. The Lady Bearcats will start preparing for their area tournament, which will start next week.
Cullman 64 – Austin 38 (Varsity Boys)
Nathan Zills scored in the paint to Cullman on the scoreboard first, then Max Gambrill added a basket down to put the Bearcats on top, 5-0, early in the first period. Austin scored five in a row to tie the game up at five, but Max Gambrill hit a free throw to give Cullman a 6-5 lead. Garrison Sharpe knocked down a three from the top of the key late in the first quarter and Tucker Gambrill put in a ridiculous shot down low as the Bearcats went into the second quarter with an 11-7 lead.
Tucker Gambrill drilled a three from the left corner to push Cullman’s lead to 14-7 early in the second quarter, but a Black Bear run made it a 14-12 game. Kase Nixon and Gambrill each knocked a three to increase the Bearcat lead to 20-12 and baskets by Tucker Cagle and Sharpe made it 24-17 at the half.
Tucker Gambrill scored five straight points to help Cullman push their lead to 29-17 to start out the third quarter. Austin quickly cut it to 29-21 with four straight points, but a basket each by Zills and Sharpe made it 33-21. After the Black Bears cut it to 33-26, one of their players was hit with a technical foul and Tucker Gambrill knocked down both free throws to make it 36-26. Colton Echols and Cagle scored the next eight points for Cullman to help push their lead to 44-29 and Max Gambrill later added a pair of baskets in the paint as the Bearcats took a 48-34 lead into the final period.
Zills and Cagle each hit a basket in the paint to make it 53-36. Tucker Gambrill, Cagle, Echols, and Sam Duskin each added some baskets in the final period as well and the Cullman Bearcats improve their record to 21-3 on the season as they defeat Austin, 64-38. Tucker Gambrill finished with 19 points for Cullman. Cagle added 10 points. Echols and Max Gambrill each ended up with eight points, while Sharpe finished with seven. The Bearcats will have their Senior Night Friday night when take on Gardendale.
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