By Staff
Mike Self, FCT Sports Editor
PHIL CAMPBELL – Cody Reynolds scored a game-high 24 points on Thursday as Red Bay's B-Junior boys advanced to the championship game of the Franklin County Junior High Tournament with a 40-26 win over Tharptown.
The Tigers will face Saturday's winner between East Franklin and Phil Campbell in Tuesday's finals.
Red Bay led just 17-12 at halftime, but a pair of baskets by Marco Bostick keyed an 8-0 run to start the second half that pushed the lead into double figures.
Red Bay led 29-16 at the end of the third quarter, and Reynolds scored eight quick points early in the fourth quarter as the margin swelled to 17 at 37-20.
Matt Montgomery finished with five points for the Tigers, and Bostick added four.
Drennon Hovater led Tharptown with 10 points, and Brian Prince had eight. Cristian Chavez and Michael Blackburn each added four.
In other action on Thursday:
Girls
East Franklin 34 Vina 10
Kayla Herring led the way with 15 points as the Lady Rebels advanced to face Red Bay in Saturday's semifinals.
Herring made three straight baskets in the second quarter as East Franklin out-scored Vina 14-1 to open up a 17-4 halftime lead.
Tisha Baker added six points for the Lady Rebels, and Ciara Harville had five.
Claudia Townsend led Vina with six points.
A-Junior boys
Tharptown 59 East Franklin 42
Jacob Parker had 23 points as the Wildcats advanced to face Vina in Saturday's semifinals.
Tharptown finished the night 22-for-29 from the foul line, including 13-for-16 by Parker.
Chance Vandiver added 13 points for the Wildcats, who led 15-9 after one quarter and 27-21 at the half. The lead was still just seven late in the third quarter before a three-point play by Vandiver sparked a 7-0 run that made it 40-26.
The margin grew to as many as 17 on a three-pointer by Wade Berryman early in the fourth quarter. Matt Waid scored six straight points midway through the fourth as East Franklin trimmed the lead to 49-40, but Tharptown held on.
Devin Lawson and Wesley Borden each had six points for the Wildcats, and Matt Austin added five.
Landon Hutcheson led the Rebels with 14 points. Waid added nine, and Trent Jones had eight.