CULLMAN COUNTY TOURNAMENT: (2) West Point races past (6) Holly Pond 51-23 to advance to JV Boys title game

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West Point’s Ethan Gammon (2) scored 10 points in the Warriors’ 51-23 win over Holly Pond in the Tuesday’s semifinals. (Martha Needham for The Cullman Tribune)

HANCEVILLE, Ala. – This year’s JV Boys finals are now set. The Broncos toppled Fairview in the opening round and West Point rallied to pull away from Cold Springs in the fourth quarter Saturday night but in Tuesday night’s semifinal matchup, it was the Warriors that finished out in front, defeating Holly Pond 51-23 to advance to the finals with Good Hope.

Cade Simmons and Landon Perkins traded baskets to tie the game at 2 early in the first quarter but another Perkins bucket put the Broncos in front 6-4 with just under tow minutes to play in the period. Matt Hawley converted an and-one play at the line with 42 seconds in the quarter to give West Point a 1-point lead, but Holly Pond managed to tie the game at 7 by the end of the opening period.

Two quick baskets put the Warriors up by four at the start of the second and later a bucket from Isaac Hoffpauir made it a 16-7 game with just over four minutes to play in the half. Another Simmons score stretched the lead to 20-7 midway through the quarter. A pair of Hoffpauir free throws gave West Point a 22-7 lead and Ethan Gammon laid one in through a foul to make it 24-7 with just over three minutes remaining in the third. Joseph Justice banked one in off the glass, but Perkins scored on the other end to hold the lead at 26-9 late in the period. Gammon drilled a three from the left wing to extend the lead to 29-9 with a little over a minute to play in the half and a Kanen Trussell basket added to the lead. Gannon netted a pair of free throws with 22 seconds on the clock, but Gunnar McBee knocked down a three in the final seconds of the half to make it a 33-12 game at the break. After being tied at 7 early, the Warriors ended the half on a 26-5 scoring run.

Gunner Creel scored for Holly Pond to cut into the lead early by Trussell responded a basket for West Point on the other end. McBee turned a steal into a quick basket for the Broncos and trimmed the lead to 35-16 midway through the third but a three-pointer from Hawley extended the Warriors lead to 39-16 late in the period. Simmons drilled a three from the left corner to make it 45-16 with less than a minute to play in the third quarter and West Point went into the final frame leading by 29.

A basket from Brayden Marotz stretched the lead to 47-16 at the start of the fourth quarter but a Nathan Carter bucket made it 47-18 midway through the period. Aiden Dujoiud scored a strong basket inside for the Warriors to give them a 49-21 lead late in the fourth and with the clock running, West Point cruised to a 51-23 win, earning a spot in Saturday’s JV Boys championship game against the top-seeded Good Hope Raiders. The Warriors and Raiders will square off for this year’s JV Boys title Saturday at 4 p.m.

Gammon and Hoffpauir led the Warriors with 10 points in the win, followed by Simmons with eight, Trussell with seven and Hawley with six. McBee led the way for the Broncos with seven, followed by Perkins with six and Brody Bagwell with three.

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