VINEMONT, Ala. – This year’s Cullman County Middle School Basketball Tournament concluded with a pair of championship games at Vinemont High School Saturday afternoon and Fairview went home with a pair of county titles. The Lady Aggies downed Cold Springs 36-32 to win their championship and in the boys’ game, Fairview edged the West Point Warriors 34-31 to capture another county championship.
Fairview 36 – Cold Springs 32 (Girls Championship)
The Lady Eagles jumped out to a big lead to open the first game of the day, starting with a three-pointer from Hollyn Bruer to make it 3-0. Ava Thomas hit a pair of free throws on the other end to cut the lead to 3-2 but a basket by Bryleigh Basinger, followed by another three from Bruer put Cold Springs in front 8-2. Paizley Whitlow drilled a three-pointer of her own to stretch the lead to 11-2 but Davis Stidham responded with a three on the other end to make it an 11-5 game late in the first quarter. Bruer and Kailyn Redding traded three-pointers to keep the score at 14-8 and Addison Phillips laid one in for Fairview just before the buzzer to trim the lead to 14-10 going into the second quarter.
Cali Golden knocked down a three to start the second quarter and make it a 1-point game and the Lady Aggies took their first lead of the game after Phillips and Redding both scored to put them in front 17-14. Basinger scored inside to bring Cold Springs back to within a point of the lead, but Redding got another jumper to fall in the final seconds of the period to give Fairview a 19-16 advantage at halftime.
Stidham turned a steal into an easy layup and put the Lady Aggies on top 21-16 at the start of the third quarter and Golden knocked down a jumper to make it 23-16. Whitlow drained another three to cut the lead to four midway through the third but Redding and Thomas each answered with buckets on the other end and Fairview went back ahead 27-19. Macie Huffstutler buried a three-pointer to make it a 5-point game but after another basket from Redding, the Lady Eagles trailed 29-23 going into the fourth quarter.
A basket by Thomas added to Fairview’s lead early in the fourth and she added a pair of free throws to put the Lady Aggies in front 33-24 but Cold Springs wouldn’t allow Fairview to pull away. Three made free throws by Whitlow trimmed the lead to 34-27 with just under a minute remaining and Sadie Smith laid one in to make it a 34-29 game with 30 seconds on the clock. Redding netted a pair of free throws with 15 seconds on the clock to make it a 7-point game and after another three-pointer by Whitlow at the buzzer, the Lady Aggies held on to win it 36-32 and capture this year’s county tournament championship.
Redding led the way for Fairview with 12 points in the win, followed by Thomas with 10. Golden finished with five points, Phillips added four, Stidham posted three and Brooklynn Merriman scored two.
Whitlow led all scorers with 13 points in the loss. Bruer finished with nine, Basinger and Huffstutler each posted four and Smith added two.
2021 All-County Middle School Girls Team
Hollyn Bruer – Cold Springs
Paizley Whitlow – Cold Springs
Kailyn Redding – Fairview
Davi Stidham – Fairview
Ava Thomas – Fairview
Aaliyah Twitty – Hanceville
Baylee Perdue – Harmony
Madison Butts – Holly Pond
Maggie Nail – Holly Pond
Gabby Richter – Holly Pond
Lexi Marshall – Good Hope
Jordan Sanders – Good Hope
Arry Rossie – Vinemont
Vayda Yarborugh – Vinemont
Lacy Smith – West Point
Fairview 34 – West Point 31 (Boys Championship)
Colton Thrower drilled a three-pointer to give the Warriors an early, 3-0 lead but Avery Latham responded on the other end with a three of his own to tie things up at 3. Bryant Moon and Bailey Sutter each hit a free throw to put West Point in front 5-3 but a layup by Jace Stevenson tied the game once again. Jaxon Shelton knocked down a jumper to give the Warriors a 2-point lead, but Zayden Cruce banked one in just before the buzzer to tie things back up at 7 going into the second quarter.
Moon scored inside to give West Point a 9-7 lead early in the second, but Stevens drilled a three-pointer on the other end to put the Aggies on top 10-9. That’s when Ty Dunn got hot for Fairview, scoring on three straight possessions to give the Aggies a 16-9 lead and they went into the locker room leading the Warriors by 7 at the halftime break.
Thrower started the second half the same way he did the first, with another three-pointer and he cut the lead to 16-12 early in the third quarter. Shelton and Latham exchanged baskets to make it an 18-14 game and after another layup by Moon cut the lead to two, Stevens and Connor Scott each drove in and scored to stretch the lead to 22-16. Brier Taylor scored for West Point to make it a 4-point game but after splitting a pair of free throws, Cruce laid another one in just before the end of the period to put Fairview in front 25-18 going into the final frame.
A basket by Sutter and a free throw from Shelton cut the lead to four early in the fourth quarter and midway through the period Shelton buried a three to make it a 1-point game. Dunn and Moon exchanged baskets to make it 29-28 with around two minutes to play but after splitting a pair of shots from the line, Cruce banked another one in to give the Aggies a 33-28 lead with a minute remaining. Taylor scored another basket for the Warriors on the other end to cut the lead to three, but they couldn’t chip away any more than that and Fairview held on to win this year’s county title 34-31.
Dunn led the Aggies with 11 points in the win, followed by Cruce with nine. Stevens added seven points, Latham finished with five and Scott added two.
Shelton led West Point with 11 points in the loss. Moon finished with seven, Thrower added six, Taylor posted four and Sutter scored three.
2021 All-County Middle School Boys Team
Tycen Kilgo – Cold Springs
Ty Peppers – Cold Springs
Zayden Cruce – Fairview
Ty Dunn – Fairview
Kolt Redding – Fairview
Owen Armstrong – Good Hope
Tyler Byrd – Good Hope
Tucker Keef – Good Hope
Drake Bentley – Hanceville
Teagan Heaton – Harmony
Boston Gibbs – Holly Pond
Jackson Miller – Holly Pond
Konnor Dunkin – Parkside
Aden Cone – Vinemont
Cheston Wilhite – Vinemont
Jaxon Shelton – West Point
Brier Taylor – West Point
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