County basketballers hit the court over winter break
Photo by Bart Moss
Belgreen powered past Brilliant to open the Tharptown Invitational Tournament, beating the Tigers 48 to 34.
Girls
Tharptown Invitational Tournament
Belgreen 47, Tharptown 36
County and area rivals Belgreen and Tharptown, have yet to meet in a regular season contest, but the teams faced off in the consolation game of the Tharptown Invitational Tournament, with the Bulldogs coming out on top 47-38 to finish in third place.
When rivals face off, games can get kind of aggressive, and this one was no different. There were 72 free throw shots, but both teams struggled to make them count. Belgreen was 15-of-40 from the line, and Tharptown was 16-of-32.
Belgreen led Tharptown 7-5 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs outscored the Wildcats 15-11 in the second quarter to take a 22-16 halftime lead. Tharptown outscored Belgreen 14-8 in the third quarter to tie the game 30-30. The Bulldogs owned the fourth quarter, though, outscoring the Wildcats 17-6 to get the win.
Emma Dempsey led Belgreen with 11 points. Gabriel Moore and Jasmine Martin scored eight points each. Katie Dempsey added seven points, and Autumn Bragwell had five points. Brianna Wood and Emma Willingham had three points each. Shellie Barber and Ansley Tate had one point each.
Jessica Wilson led Tharptown with nine points. Klaudia Harris finished with eight points; Aly Vandiver had six points; Catie Dawson had five points; and Brooke Daily had four points. Sierra Robinson and Ameliah Dawson had two points each.
Belgreen 48, Brilliant 34
The Belgreen Bulldogs opened the Tharptown Invitational tournament with a methodical but easy win over the Brilliant Tigers.
Belgreen led 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs outscored the Tigers in the second quarter 14-4 to take a 24-11 halftime lead. Belgreen outpaced Brilliant 10-6 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 34-17 en route to the easy win.
Kaycee Wilson and Gabbie Moore led Belgreen with eight points each. Emma Dempsey finished the game with six points; Katie Dempsey (5), Jasmine Martin (4), Gracie Dempsey (3), Autumn Bragwell (3) and Megan Smith (1) all scored for Belgreen, as well as Brianna Wood, Emma Willingham, Shellie Barber and Camie Terrell, two points each.
Tharptown 51, Shoals Christian 34
The Tharptown Wildcats put together a balanced performance to upend the Shoals Christian Flame last week in the Tharptown Invitational Tournament 51-34.
Tharptown trailed Shoals Christian 10-9 at the end of the first quarter, but the Wildcats would go on to outscored Shoals Christian in each of the final three periods of play. Tharptown outscored Shoals Christian 11-6 in the second quarter to take a 20-16 first half lead. The Wildcats extended their lead to 36-23 by the end of the third quarter and held on for the win.
Jessica Wilson led Tharptown with 12 points. Brooke Dailey followed with ten points. Linda Bahena and Ameliah Dawson scored seven points each. Sierra Robinson (6), Klaudia Harris (4), Catie Dawson (2), Kaylee Bain (2) and Aly Vandiver (1) all had points for Tharptown.
Carbon Hill 51, Tharptown 44
The Tharptown Wildcats didn’t have enough firepower to pull out the win over the Carbon Hill Bulldogs, losing 51-44.
Tharptown and Carbon were deadlocked at 11-11 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs outscored the Wildcats 13-7 in the second quarter to take a 24-18 first half lead. Tharptown clawed their way back to within three points in the third quarter, outscoring Carbon Hill 12-9 to cut the lead to 33-30. The Bulldogs would pull away with the win in the fourth quarter.
Brooke Daily led Tharptown with nine points. Jessica Wilson and Ameliah Dawson scored seven points each. Klaudia Harris added six points, Linda Bahena five points and Sierra Robinson one point. Catie Dawson, Anslee Bottoms and Adrianna Borden had three points each.
Mars Hill 58, Belgreen 29
A dominating first half performance by the Mars Hill Panthers led them to a 58-29 win over the Belgreen Bulldogs last week in the Tharptown Invitational Tournament. Mars Hill outscored Belgreen 15-1 in the first quarter and 22-9 in the second quarter to take a 37-10 first half lead and never looked back.
Katie Dempsey led Belgreen with eight points. Gracie Dempsey had seven points, Megan Smith had six points, Ansley Tate finished with four points and Brianna Wood and Kaycee Wilson had two points.
Keith Davis Memorial Tournament at Lauderdale County High School
Red Bay 52, Lexington 31
Darby Madden and Allie Kennedy combined to score 48 of the Red Bay Tigers’ 52 points to defeat the Lexington Golden Bears 52-31 and finish in fifth place in the prestigious Keith Davis Memorial Tournament at Lauderdale County High School.
Red Bay led Lexington 13-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers extended their lead to 27-16 by halftime. Red Bay outpaced the Golden Bears 15-9 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 42-25. Red Bay outscored Lexington 10-6 in the fourth quarter.
The only other Tiger to get in the scoring column was Carlie Lindley with four points.
Lauderdale County 65, Phil Campbell 34
Perennial 3A powerhouse Lauderdale County was too much for Phil Campbell, as the Bobcats fell 65-34 at the Keith Davis Memorial Tournament at LCHS.
Lauderdale County led 17-11 at the end of the first quarter and 42-21 at the end of the first half. By the end of the third quarter, the Tigers had extended their lead to 57-28 en route to the win.
Abby Davis and Darby Elliott led Phil Campbell with 13 and 12 points respectively. Chloe Roberson added seven points, and Carley Nix had two points.
Phil Campbell 62, Haleyville 36
The Phil Campbell Bobcats had no problem defeating the Haleyville Lions on a neutral floor at the Keith Davis Memorial Tournament at Lauderdale County High School. Phil Campbell led by only one point, 12-11, at the end of the first quarter. A big second quarter lifted the Bobcats past the Lions. Phil Campbell outscored Haleyville 26-5 in the second period to take a 38-16 halftime lead. The Bobcats extended their lead to 52-28 in the third quarter.
Abby Davis and Chloe Roberson scored 15 points each to lead the Bobcats. Darby Elliott was not far behind with 14 points. Dakota Elliott added eight points, Bethany Harris had seven points and Megan Bullock had three points.
Red Bay 58, Montevallo 45
The Red Bay Tigers jumped out to a big first quarter lead over Montevallo and hung on for 58-45 win in the Keith Davis Memorial Tournament.
Red Bay opened up the game with a 21-6 first quarter lead. Montevallo trimmed the Tigers’ lead by outscoring Red Bay 18-12 in the second quarter to make the halftime score 33-24 in favor of Red Bay. The Tigers extended their lead to 46-33 at the end of the third quarter and hung on for the win.
Darby Madden led Red Bay with 24 points. Allie Kennedy followed with 19 points. Carlee Humphres had seven points. Reagan Kuykendall and Carlie Lindley scored four points each.
Red Bay 50, Phillips 32
The Red Bay Tigers had no problem with the Phillips Bears in the memorial tourney, winning 50-32.
Red Bay jumped out to a 14-3 first quarter lead and extended that lead to 26-7 by halftime. The Bears made a comeback in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers 17-10 to cut Red Bay’s lead to 36-24. Red Bay outscored Phillips 14-8 in the final period of play to get the win.
Allie Kennedy and Carlie Lindley led Red Bay with 12 points each. Darby Madden followed with 11 points. Morgan Pierce scored six points, Reagan Kuykendall had five points and Savannah Shaw and Jordynn McKinney had two points each.
Lexington 70, Phil Campbell 53
Phil Campbell led Lexington at the end of the first quarter, but the Golden Bears would go on to outpace the Bobcats in each of the next three quarters to get the 70-53 win in the Keith Davis Memorial Tournament.
Phil Campbell led Lexington 14-12 at the end of the first quarter. The Golden Bears outscored the Bobcats 23-15 in the second quarter to take a 35-29 lead, a lead they would never relinquish. Lexington led 53-39 at the end of the third quarter to cruise to the win.
Darby Elliott led Phil Campbell with 18 points. Abby Davis and Chloe Roberson scored 13 points each. Dakota Elliott scored five points. Carley Nix and Bethany Harris had two points each.
Red Bay 49, Muscle Shoals 41
After trailing much of the game, the Red Bay Tigers used a strong fourth quarter to topple the 6A Muscle Shoals Trojans 49-41 in the memorial tourney.
Muscle Shoals jumped out to a 17-13 first quarter lead over Red Bay. The Trojans extended their lead to 26-21 by halftime. The Tigers started their comeback in the third quarter, outpacing the Trojans 11-9 to cut Muscle Shoals lead to 35-32. Red Bay outscored Muscle Shoals 17-6 in the fourth quarter to get the win.
Allie Kennedy led Red Bay with 22 points. Darby Madden followed with 12 points. Morgan Pierce scored seven points. Reagan Kuykendall, Jordynn McKinney and Carlie Lindley scored two points each. Carley Humphress added one point.
Waterloo Tournament
The 8th-ranked Vina Lady Red Devils won the Waterloo tournament last week.
The Lady Red Devils dominated the Waterloo Cougars’ game from the start, leading 14-5 after the first period. Junior Abby Hester had eight points in the first and third quarters and finished with 24 points. Vina led 19-9 at halftime but pulled away in the third quarter, scoring 17 points to take a 36-20 lead after three quarters.
The Lady Red Devils scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to make the final score 51-27. Kaitlyn King and Gracie Raper scored six points each; Mary Clingan had an outstanding defensive performance and four points, and Sarah Scott also chipped in four points. Abbie Petree and Rayleigh Guin had three points and two points respectively. Sarah Johnson also had a great defensive performance and finished out Vina scoring with two points.
In the second game facing the Covenant Christian Eagles, Vina played an aggressive full court pressure defense that forced over 20 Covenant Christian turnovers. The Lady Red Devils led 8-4 after the first quarter. Raper scored five of her 11 points in the first quarter. Vina took a 22-14 lead at halftime. Hester scored eight points in the second quarter and fourth quarter as Vina won the game 41-27.
Hester finished with 17 points. King chipped in eight points; Johnson had four points; and Sarah Scott added a free throw to help the Red Devils to victory.
In the championship game against the Cherokee Indians, Vina took a 12-8 lead. Raper scored five of her 11 points in the first quarter. The Lady Red Devils took a 25-20 lead at halftime. King and Rayleigh Guin would scored three points each in the second period.
Cherokee cut the lead to 29-28 after three quarters. Vina would outscore the Lady Indians 13-11 in the final stanza.
Abby Hester scored six of her 15 points in the fourth quarter. King and Guin would both finish with five points. Clingan, Scott and Johnson all chipped in two points each for Vina.
The 8th-ranked Lady Red Devils improved to 17-2.
“I am really proud of the way our girls have played in the first half of the season,” said Vina Coach Richie Hester. “All of our goals lay ahead of us, and we can achieve them if we keep working hard. Winning this tournament is a reward for all the hard work we’ve put into this season. Our girls are confident and playing well together.”
Vina opens 2017 with three straight area games, traveling to Hackleburg (Jan. 6) and hosting Belgreen (Jan. 10) and Tharptown (Jan. 13) before facing Belgreen to open the Franklin County tournament in mid-January.
“We have some really big games coming up as we start the new year,” said Hester. “We have to be prepared and start the new year the way we ended the old one.”
Boys
Brindlee Mountain Invitational
Phil Campbell 59, Falkville 29
The Phil Campbell Bobcats got a big start against Falkville and went on to an easy 59-29 win. Phil Campbell jumped out to a big 25-8 first quarter lead over Falkville. The Bobcat extended their lead to 37-19 by halftime. Phil Campbell outscored Falkville 13-6 in the third quarter to extend their lead to 50-25 going into the final period of play.
Peyton Thomas led the Bobcats with 17 points. He was followed by Thomas Baker with 13 points. Gage Roberson (8), Joe Hardy (7), Jacob Anthony (5), Brody Nix (5) and Daniel Smith (2) also scored.
Phil Campbell 65, Brindlee Mountain 37
Phil Campbell had a big second half to easily dispatch their hosts Brindlee Mountain 65-37. The Bobcats outscored Brindlee Mountain 13-7 in the first quarter. Brindlee Mountain trimmed the Bobcats’ lead to 27-22 at halftime, but Phil Campbell blew past Brindlee Mountain in the third quarter 19-6 to extend their lead to 46-28. The Bobcats continued to pile on the points in the fourth quarter, outscoring Brindlee Mountain 19-9.
Peyton Thomas led Phil Campbell with 13 points. Gage Roberson added nine points, Joe Hardy had eight points, Hayden Copeland seven points and Thomas Baker finished with six points. Nate Owens, Daniel Smith and Brody Smith had five points each. Jacob Anthony finished with four points, and Skylar King had three points.
Cleveland 68, Phil Campbell 56
Cleveland used a strong first half to gain the advantage over the Phil Campbell Bobcats, winning 68-56.
Cleveland jumped out to a 17-8 first quarter lead and extended their lead to 37-28 by halftime. Phil Campbell clawed their way back to within seven points at the end of the third quarter, cutting the score to 48-41, but the Bobcats couldn’t pull out a win.
Peyton Thomas led the Bobcats with 21 points. Thomas Baker added ten points. Gage Roberson finished with nine points, and Joe Hardy and Hayden Copeland added eight points each.
Bracey Invitational at Deshler High School
Lauderdale County 61, Belgreen 58
The Belgreen Bulldogs led the Lauderdale County Tigers at halftime but couldn’t hold on, falling 61-58.
Belgreen led Lauderdale County 19-17 at the end of the first quarter and extended their lead to 38-35 at halftime. Lauderdale County outscored Belgreen 14-10 in the third quarter to take the lead 49-48 and held on to the lead in the fourth quarter.
Mason Bragwell led Belgreen with 17 points. Brant Bragwell followed with 11 points. Jacob Mayberry had nine points, Logan Seay had five points, Grayson Moore four points and Adam Green and Joseph Welch had three points each. Payton Scott, Eli Hiser and Seth Taylor had two points each.
Baldwin (Miss.) 58, Belgreen 46
Baldwin, Miss., outscored the Belgreen Bulldogs in each of the first three quarters to get a 58-46 win in the Bracey Invitational at Deshler High School. Baldwin led Belgreen 26-18 at halftime and extended their lead to 47-30 by the end of the third quarter en route to the win.
Brant Bragwell led Belgreen with 11 points. Jacob Mayberry (10), Mason Bragwell (10), Adam Green (3), Seth Taylor (3), Payton Scott (3), Logan Seay (2), Eli Hiser (2) and Joseph Welch also added points for Belgreen.
Waterloo Invitational
Cherokee 66, Vina 52
The Cherokee Indians used a strong third quarter to pull away from the Vina Red Devils in the Waterloo Invitational tournament last week, 66-52.
Cherokee led Vina 13-12 at the end of the third quarter. The Indians outscored the Red Devils 17-12 in the second quarter to extend the lead to 30-24 at halftime. Cherokee stormed out of the locker room and outscored Vina 23-12 in the third quarter to extend their lead even further to 53-36. Vina outscored Cherokee 16-13 in the fourth quarter.
Allison led the Red Devils with 23 points. Hardin had nine points, Harper finished with eight points, Sexton five points, Corbin Triplett and Kennedy had three points each, and Upton finished with one point.
Waterloo 67, Vina 47
The Waterloo Cougars outscored the Vina Red Devils in all four quarters en route to a win as the host school of the Waterloo Invitational tournament. Waterloo jumped out to a 15-11 first quarter lead over Vina. The Cougars extended their lead to 40-29. Waterloo led Vina 55-40 at the end of the fourth quarter. The Cougars outscored the Red Devils 12-7 in the final period of play, cruising to the win.
Allison led the Red Devils with 19 points. He was followed by Barners with 10 points. Kennedy finished with seven points, Upton with five points, Harper and Sexton with four points each and Triplett with three points.
