One would have to forgive Coach Craig Thomas and the Phil Campbell Bobcats if they were tired of playing Franklin County teams. Fresh off a Franklin County Tournament championship in which the Bobcats had to play three games in four days against Red Bay, Belgreen and Tharptown, Phil Campbell came back into the regular season for games against Red Bay, Belgreen and Tharptown again.

“Yeah, that can be tough,” said Thomas. “We are all very, very familiar with each other at this point and tired. We have played in some tough physical games in the past two weeks, and it has taken a toll, but we’re ploughing through it.”

The Lady Bobcats got their toughest test of the week from the improving Tharptown Wildcats. The Bobcats led Tharptown 20-19 at the half then went on a 7-0 run to start the second half. They pulled away to a 43-33 third quarter lead.

Tharptown cut the Bobcat lead to six in the fourth quarter but wasn’t able to get any closer.

Katie Thomas led Phil Campbell with 17 points on three three-pointers. Caitlyn Mills added 13 points. Kallie Allen had nine points. Olivia Taylor, Kenner Scott, Madison Branch and Faith Cook scored two points each.

Gracie Montgomery led Tharptown with 14 points – 12 of which came in the second half, where she went six-for-six from the free-throw line.

Brooke Daily added 13 points, including seven points in the first quarter, and went four-for-four from the line.

Jaiden Gaston (9), Shaylee Wieting (4), Aly Vandiver (3) and Autumn Montgomery (2) also scored for Tharptown.

Phil Campbell 57, Belgreen 44

Mills had a career game for the Bobcats in a 57-44 win over Belgreen. Mills scored 26 points, going 11-for-12 from the free-throw line and draining three three-pointers.

Phil Campbell led Belgreen 19-14 at the end of the first quarter and extended that lead to 36-23 by halftime. Belgreen cut the Bobcat lead to 46-36 at the end of the third quarter, but Phil Campbell notched the win.

Thomas followed Mills with 12 points. Taylor added seven points, Cook five points, Kallie Allen

three points, Scott two points and Branch two points.

Emma Dempsey led Belgreen with 14 points. Gracie Dempsey and Ansley Tate scored 13 points each. Autumn Bragwell had three points and Katie Dempsey one point.

Phil Campbell 42, Red Bay 26

Phil Campbell got off to a sluggish start against the Red Bay Tigers but gradually pulled away for a 42-26 win.

Red Bay led Phil Campbell 9-6 at the end of the first quarter, but the Bobcats outscored the Tigers 36-17 the rest of the way.

Phil Campbell got balanced scoring, with nine points from Allen and seven each from Thomas and Taylor. Cook scored four points. Jade Roberson, Scott, Kaycee Harris and Trinity Vandiver had two points each.

Macy Faulkner led Red Bay with eight points. Destiny McCollister had five points, Emma McCollister three points and Madisyn Hester three points. Lila Blackburn, Audrey Ehler and Cassidy Kuykendall had two points each. Kaylie Lindsey added a point.

Phil Campbell 41, Fayette County 28

The Bobcats picked up an easy out-of-county game last week against the Fayette County Tigers 41-28.

Taylor led with 11 points. Branch had nine points, Allen eight points, Vandiver eight points, Cook three points and Scott two points.

BOYS

Luke Garrison had career night at Fayette County High School last week, draining 35 points in an 82-76 loss to the Tigers.

Garrison hit four three-pointers, and he scored 10 points in the second quarter and 12 points in the third quarter for the Bobcats.

The game was tied 15-15 at the end of the first quarter, but Fayette claimed a 39-35 lead at halftime. The Tigers extended their lead to 63-56 by the end of the third quarter.

Nate Orrick and Brett Saint scored eight points each for the Bobcats. Dylan Jeane added seven points, Blaine Goodson six points and Jonah Fisher five points. Ben Williams, Trenton McCulloch and Easton Cummings scored two points each. Hunter Saint chipped in a point.