CULLMAN, Ala. – The ninth-ranked Cullman Bearcats returned home to host Carver Birmingham at Cullman High School Tuesday night and the ‘Cats built a 19-point lead at halftime before eventually pulling away to top the Rams 65-42 and improve to 8-0.
Tucker Cagle scored the first basket of the night for Cullman to make it a 2-2 game early in the opening period and five points from Garrison Sharpe on back to back possessions kept the score tied at 7 as the quarter went on. Cagle drained a three-pointer to give Cullman a 10-9 lead with five minutes to play in the first and Tucker Gambrill followed with a three of his own to make it 13-9. Buckets by Nate Zills and Colton Echols kept the Bearcats in front 17-14 with two minutes to play in the period and Gambrill drilled another three to stretch the lead to six. Gambrill turned a steal into an easy layup just before the buzzer and Cullman went into the second quarter leading 22-14.
A pair of free throws from Gambrill and another basket from Sharpe made it a 26-16 game early in the second and Tucker Apel netted a pair from the free throw line to extend the lead to 29-16 later in the quarter. Back to back buckets by Sam Duskin put the Bearcats ahead 33-16 and Gambrill knocked down a pair of three-pointers late in the second to make it 39-21 with just over a minute remaining in the half. After two more free throws by Sharpe and a basket from Zills, the ‘Cats went into the locker room leading the Rams 44-23 at halftime.
Cagle split a pair of shots from the free throw line to start the third quarter and Jamar Kay followed with a three-pointer to make it a 49-25 game early in the period. Gambrill drained his fifth three-pointer of the night to stretch the lead to 52-27 and baskets by Sharpe and Kase Nixon made it a 20-point game with just under a minute to play in the third. Duskin buried a three in the final seconds of the quarter and Cullman went in the final frame with a 60-32 lead.
Nixon was fouled on a three-point attempt and knocked down all three free throws to put the Bearcats up 63-32 and with the clock running, Cullman went on to collect a 65-42 win over Carver Birmingham and remain undefeated.
Gambrill led the way for the Bearcats with 19 points in the win, followed by Sharpe with 14. Duskin and Cagle each posted seven points and Zills finished with six. Cullman will be back on the court Wednesday when it travels to Hayden for a matchup with the Wildcats.
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