Will Bostick (24) makes a lay-up against Hatton Friday night. J.R. Tidwell/FCT

 
J.R. Tidwell
jr.tidwell@fct.wpengine.com

The Russellville boy’s varsity basketball team survived a late comeback attempt to defeat the Hatton Hornets 62-51 Friday night.
The Golden Tigers kept the lead for most of the contest, but the Hornets briefly held the advantage late in the third quarter.
“I thought we played especially well,” Russellville head coach Michael Smith said. “We really rallied in the third.
The Golden Tigers jumped on top early, taking a 19-12 lead into the second quarter. Hatton whittled that lead down to five midway through the second.
Russellville took a 31-29 lead into the intermission, but the Hornets would see that they would not stay on top throughout.
Hatton tied the game at 35 apiece at 5:30 remaining in the third, but Russellville battled back to regain the lead. The Hornets waited only a few minutes to tie the game again, this time at 41-41 with two minutes remaining in the quarter.
Will Bostick got into foul trouble deep into the third on a technical called against him after making a lay-up.
Despite Bostick missing some time, Russellville rallied and opened up its lead in the fourth.
“They proved they can play with Will not on the court,” Smith said.
The Golden Tigers were able to hold off the Hornets for the rest of the contest, giving them the victory.
“We had a lot of positives, but we need to make free throws and cut down on our turnovers,” Smith said.
Bostick led the Golden Tigers in scoring with 29 points. Jackson Smith and Terrance Graham had 8 apiece, while Jacob Seal had 7, John Watkins had 6 and Kaelan Bonds had 4.
Russellville Varsity Girls 48
Hatton 35

The Lady Golden Tigers varsity team beat the Lady Hornets in a game that stayed close for the entire first half.
Russellville went up early, but Hatton was always just a few points behind. The score was pretty even at 13-11 at the end of the first quarter.
“This was our second game and I thought we played really well,” Russellville head coach James Bostick said.
The second saw much of the same; the Lady Golden Tigers stayed on top with the Lady Hornets close behind. Russellville took a slim three-point lead into halftime.
After the intermission, things took a big swing in favor of the Lady Golden Tigers.
Russellville went on a 27-17 run in the remaining two quarters behind the excellent play of Ayanna McCullough and Amber Elliot.
“Ayanna and Amber did well for us in the lane, but it was a team win,” Bostick said. “Everybody played a solid defensive game.”
McCullough led the Lady Golden Tigers in scoring with 18, with Elliot totaling 16.

Russellville B-team Boys 42
Hatton 40

The Russellville B-team boys won a hard-fought victory against Hatton in a game that stayed close throughout.
The Golden Tigers stayed on top for the first quarter, ending the first eight minutes with a 10-9 advantage.
The Golden Tigers had only a five-point lead near the middle of the second quarter when the Hornets began to rally. Fouls and turnovers plagued Russellville, aiding Hatton to a 22-18 lead at the half, with two of those points coming on a shot at the buzzer for the Hornets.
Hatton widened the gap to seven points midway through the third, but Russellville mounted a comeback to retake the lead at 32-29 at the end of the quarter, despite a reluctance to take a shot at times.
The Hornets were still in the contest with one minute remaining in the game, down by only a single point.
Russellville managed to hold onto the ball and run out the clock for the close victory.
Lucas Witt led the Golden Tigers in scoring with 18, with Colton Hargett getting 8 points. Also scoring for Russellville was Aaron Jackson (4), Jalen Scott (4), Will Hester (3), Hunter Kiel (2) and Hayden Evans (1).