By Brannon King for the FCT

Boys

Russellville 69, Brooks 54

The Golden Tigers opened Class 5A, Area 16 play with a road win over the Brooks Lions Dec. 6.

Russellville got out to an 18-7 first quarter lead with the help of scoring by five different players. The Golden Tigers got a strong second quarter from Devin Buckhalter to take a 17-point lead into the half.

Brooks battled back in the second half by outscoring RHS by two in the third period, and the two teams scored evenly in the fourth quarter with 19 points each. With the win, Russellville grabbed the early lead in the area race.

“When you have to come on the road for your first area game, you’re always a little concerned,” Russellville Head Coach Patrick Odom said. “Brooks is a team that’s always going to compete really hard, and Coach Wright does a good job. It’s good to get started that way.”

Russellville was led in scoring by Bailey Motes with 23 points. Buckhalter (18) and Austin Stidham (10) also scored in double digits for RHS. Judd Ward (7), Nate Franklin (4), Lucas McNutt (3), Taylor Vincent (2) and Caden Parker (2) also scored for Russellville.

Russellville 72, Wilson 71

The TimesDaily Classic got underway at RHS on Friday night, and the Golden Tigers were able to hold off a late rally by the Warriors to claim a first-round win in the tournament and remain undefeated on the season.

RHS took a 20-10 first quarter lead and grew the margin to 14 points at the half. Wilson took advantage of Russellville foul trouble and used sharp shooting to outscore RHS 24-15 in the third quarter to pull to within five. With 3:14 to go in the game, WHS had come all the back and took a 68-67 lead on a three-pointer by Brent Lancaster. However, that would be the next to last bucket of the game for the Warriors, as they were held scoreless until Hunter Rhodes hit a three at the buzzer to end the game.

Russellville was led in scoring by Bailey Motes with 31 points. Devin Buckhalter had 12, and Austin Stidham, who had a big rebound and basket down the stretch, pitched in with 11 points in the game. Vincent and Ward had six points apiece, while McNutt (3), Franklin (2) and Parker (1) also scored for RHS.

Sheffield 62, Russellville 60

The Golden Tigers suffered their first loss of the season Saturday in round two of the TimesDaily Classic.

The fast-paced and exciting game came down to the final seconds as Sheffield’s Donavon Goodwin had a bucket under the basket with 2.8 seconds remaining in the contest to break a 60-60 tie after the Bulldogs wisely chose to hold the ball and run the clock down in the game’s final minute. Russellville had one final chance after advancing the ball to midcourt after a throw-in and a quick timeout, but the inbounds pass was stolen by Goodwin of SHS.

Devin Buckhalter led RHS with 21 points in the game. He was followed by Stidham (13), Motes (13), Ward (6), Vincent (3), McNutt (2) and Parker (2) for Russellville.

Girls

Brooks 38, Russellville 35

The Lady Golden Tigers came up just short in a close, low-scoring game on their Class 5A, Area 16 opponents’ home floor.

RHS started the game well and grabbed a 12-7 lead after one quarter. It was the second period where the Lady Golden Tigers found it hard to get points. Russellville was held to only three points in the quarter on a basket and a free-throw. Brooks only had eight points of their own in the quarter, and the game was tied at 15-15 at the half.

The Lady Golden Tigers, who are made up of a large group of eighth and ninth graders, had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer after Courtney Hale of Brooks hit two late-game three-pointers, the first to tie the score and the second to give BHS the lead, but Russellville came up empty.

“I kept thinking we were going to find our rhythm,” Russellville Head Coach Corey Thomaston said. “It’s about as ugly of a game that you can see in high school basketball, but you’ve got to grind out ugly wins sometimes. Tonight, we just weren’t able to get the job done.”

Madison Murray (14) and Kallie Allen (10) led RHS in scoring. Treyvia Pruitt (7), Makayla Phifer (3) and Lexie Glass (1) also scored for RHS.

Lauderdale County 62, Russellville 26

The top-ranked Lauderdale County squad was too much for the Lady Golden Tigers in the first round of the TimesDaily Classic. LCHS hosted the game and jumped out to a big lead and never looked back. Seven Lady Golden Tigers scored in the game. Murray (6), Krista Sikes (5), KK Harvey (5), Glass (4), Allen (3), Phifer (2) and Pruitt (1) all scored for RHS.

Wilson 66, Russellville 41

The Lady Golden Tigers fell in a consolation game of the TimesDaily Classic to the Wilson Warriors on Saturday. RHS trailed by only four after one quarter, but Wilson pulled away by outscoring Russellville 22-6 in the second period.

KK Harvey led Russellville with 13 points. She was followed by Murray (10), Allen (9), Jamie Hill (4), Pruitt (3) and Phifer (2).