Phil Campbell defeats Shoals Christian

J.R. Tidwell/FCT Phil Campbell senior Ben Stancil (12) looks to make a pass against Shoals Christian Tuesday night.

The Phil Campbell Bobcats boy’s varsity basketball team ended a three-game losing streak Tuesday night by beating the Shoals Christian Flame 67-56 at Northwest Shoals on senior night.

The teams swapped leads early on, but Phil Campbell came on strong late to get the win.

“It feels good that we won,” Phil Campbell head coach Will Copeland said. “I’ll worry about how we played tomorrow.”

The Bobcats trailed 8-6 three minutes into the first quarter. Ben Stancil put Phil Campbell on top by draining a 3-pointer with 4:52 remaining in the quarter.

The teams were knotted up at 11-11 at the 2:53 mark, and a field goal by Jeremy Reed tied the score again at 13-13 a minute or so later.

Shoals Christian went on a seven-point run to finish out the first with a 20-13 lead.

The Flame maintained this lead throughout the second quarter, but a 3 by Skeeter Benford helped bring the Bobcats within three points of the lead at the half, which saw Shoals Christian take a 32-29 lead into the break.

Another 3-pointer by Stancil put Phil Campbell ahead 34-32 with just over a minute gone from the third quarter.

The Bobcats would not give up the lead again in the contest.

The Flame did tie the match up again at 41-41 with 2:39 remaining in the third, but Phil Campbell went on a 26-15 run from that point on.

Shoals Christian was in striking distance again at the end of the third quarter, trailing only by one point at 46-45.

The Bobcats heated up late, securing the 11-point win in the fourth.

“Beating a good team helps to build confidence,” Copeland said. “We are trying to get better, with an emphasis on feeding the post.”

Colton Vickery had a monster of a game in the post for the Bobcats, scoring a career-high 30 points in the game.

Benford had 15 points, and Stancil picked up 12. Also scoring for Phil Campbell were Reed (8), Cameron Harris (1) and Jamie Dorroh (1).