COLD SPRINGS – Like the night before with Hanceville, Holly Pond got a good challenge in the first quarter by Cold Springs on Friday evening.
Like the night before, the Broncos took control of the game in the second quarter and went on to defeat the Eagles 71-54, in front of a packed crowd at Jesse George Gymnasium.
Following a 15-14 lead in the first, the Broncos moved ahead to stay after swapping the lead on the scoreboard with the Eagles four times to start the second period.
A Bailey Smith field goal made it 19-18 Holly Pond with 5:30 to go until halftime. More than a minute later, Smith had hit his fourth straight shot and the Broncos were up by the score of 27-20.
The half ended when Matt Cahoon scored before time ran out and the Broncos left for the locker room in front 34-24.
Good defense was the storyline for Mitch Morris' Broncos once again. Back-to-back steals from Andrew Shaw and Dawson Foust led to field goals, and the Broncos went up 42-31 near the 4:00 mark of the third period.
A strong run to close out the quarter enabled the Broncos to take a 55-39 advantage into the fourth.
The largest lead for the Broncos came with 2:37 to play in the game as Cahoon converted a 3-point play and the visitors had the contest in control at 71-52.
Holly Pond is currently averaging 70 points a game and hit 71 in back-to-back county wins at Hanceville and now, at Cold Springs. The Broncos are 8-0 and 4-0 in the county standings, looking to take the No. 1 seed when the pairings are drawn Jan. 11.
Holly Pond has to play Good Hope who is 1-0 in the county later this month and have a game vs. Vinemont as well.
Drew Jones led the Broncos with 17, Smith hit for 14, Cahoon 10, Jacob Harris nine, Andrew Shaw five, Cody Jones and Mathis Garrett four, Michael Lambert, Zac Shaw and Foust two each.
Cold Springs lost for the first time at home in three games and is 2-4 overall. Eli Hamby and Jesse Lee guided a balanced attack for coach Tim Willoughby with 11, Fisher Willoughby and Blake Wood 10 each, Hunter McClendon eight and Mason Harris four.
Holly Pond opens 3A, Area 11 play Tuesday at Susan Moore while Cold Springs journeys to Jim Boyd Gymnasium to face county rival West Point.
Cold Springs 59, Holly Pond 43 (Girls)
Emme Willoughby is a player who can not only score, but also get her teammates in on the scoring action.
The UAH commit did just that Friday night to keep her team undefeated at 7-0 and turn away a determined upset bid by the Lady Broncos.
Willoughby got 29 points on this evening, scoring 10 in the first, six in the second, seven in the third and six in the fourth quarter.
With her team ahead 12-8 after the first, Willoughby leaned on scoring from Neely Ellison, who knocked down two treys in the second, and five points by Sadie Terry as the Lady Eagles built a 29-11 lead with less than 3:00 remaining in the half.
Holly Pond was able to fight back, trimming the 18-point deficit in half, closing to 29-20 at the break. The Lady Broncos succeeded despite a box and one defense on sharpshooter Ruth Horton, taking away her looks for 3-point scoring.
At the start of the fourth, Horton got a short-range jumper to go and the Lady Broncos were behind 39-36.
The Lady Eagles then took control as Willoughby tossed in a shot inside the paint to push the lead to 49-39 with 3:52 and give Tammy West's squad breathing room.
Camryn Crider scored on five of six from the line in the final 1:49 with the Lady Eagles spoiling the return of former player Paige Parker-Adams, who is in her first season coaching the Holly Pond varsity girls.
Following the 29 points by Willoughby for Cold Springs was Crider with 11, Ellison six, Elizabeth Hill and Terry five and Kinley Campbell three.
Holly Pond lost its sixth straight and fell to 2-7. Kolby Holcomb's five 3-pointers were good for 15 points with Molly Gambrill scoring nine, Horton only six points, Taylor Tankersley and Haley Higginbotham five and Tess Duke three.
Cold Springs takes its undefeated record to West Point Tuesday. The Lady Eagles hope the Lady Warriors come in unbeaten as well. They are 8-0 after a win Friday at Curry, but play host to Lawrence County Monday before the highly anticipated visit from Cold Springs the following night.
Holly Pond is at Susan Moore, a solid opponent, to open play in the 3A, Area 11 situation on Tuesday.
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