VINEMONT, Ala. — Vinemont tipped off its season at home against Madison County Monday night and split a pair of varsity matchups against the Tigers. Four quarters weren’t enough to decide the outcome of the girls’ game, and Vinemont was able to come away with the 52-51 overtime win. In the boys’ game, a big second half from the Tigers allowed them to pull away from the Eagles 77-54.
Vinemont 52 – Madison County 51 (Varsity Girls (OT)
A steal and a layup by Reagan Robinson got Vinemont on the scoreboard first, then a floater by Caroline Miller and a short jumper by Morgan Flanagan gave the Lady Eagles an early 7-2 lead. Madison County quickly tied the game up at seven, but Robinson broke the tie with four straight points, including a three from the left corner, to give Vinemont an 11-7 lead. The Lady Eagles took an 11-8 lead into the second period.
The Lady Tigers tied the game up at 11 to start out the second quarter, but a rebound and putback by Robinson made it 13-11. A pair of Miller free throws gave the Lady Eagles a 15-12 lead. After Madison County tied it up at 15, Flanagan drilled a trey, and Addison Holcomb put in a basket down low to make it 20-15, but the Lady Tigers drilled a pair of late threes to give them a 21-20 lead at the half.
Vinemont got off to a quick start to the third quarter, as baskets by Carley Stephens, Vayda Yarbrough, and Miller gave them a 26-21 lead. The Lady Tigers scored five straight points to tie the game up at 26, but the Lady Eagles finished the quarter out strong. A three from the right wing by Miller, plus a pair of late treys by Flanagan saw them take a 36-29 lead into the fourth quarter.
Madison County scored the first five points of the quarter to cut it to 36-34. A pair of Holcomb free throws kept Vinemont’s lead at four at 38-34, then things would get crazy after that. The Lady Tigers went on an 8-0 run, which included scoring five points in just a few seconds, to take a 42-38 lead with less than a minute to go in the game. Vinemont picked the perfect time to get their first basket of the quarter, as Stephens banked in a big three from the right wing to trim it to just a one-point game.
Madison County split their free throws on its next possession, and the Lady Eagles capitalized on that opportunity in a big way, as Holcomb hit the game-tying basket to tie things up at 43. The game ended up going into overtime. The Lady Tigers got out to a 46-43 lead to start out the extra period, but Flanagan drilled a pair of big threes to give Vinemont a 49-46 lead. Madison County tied it up on a trey of their own. Flanagan hit the biggest shot of the game from the right corner to give the Lady Eagles a 52-49 lead. A pair of Lady Tiger free throws cut it to 52-51, but Vinemont was able to hold on to get the win in its season opener 52-51.
Flanagan finished with a game-high 20 points for Vinemont, and 15 of those points came in the second half and overtime. Miller finished with nine points. Robinson added eight points. Stephens collected seven points, and Holcomb posted six points.
Madison County 77 – Vinemont 54 (Varsity Boys)
Bryson Bush scored the first five points of the game for Vinemont as they got out to a 5-4 lead. Back-to-back steals and layup by Gee Flores and Colton Gillis gave the Eagles a 9-6 lead. Madison County scored the next five points to take an 11-9 lead. A late three by E.J. Sharpe and a basket by Cheston Wilhite saw them get the lead right back at 15-11, and Vinemont would take a 15-13 lead into the second period.
Sam Marsh drilled a wide-open three from the left corner to stretch the Eagle lead to 18-13 to start out the quarter. A trey by the Tigers on the other end cut it to 19-17, but Gavin Parr scored the next seven points for Vinemont, as that gave them a 26-22 lead. A steal and a layup by Flores made it a 28-25 game late in the first half, but a pair of late baskets by Madison County saw them take a 29-28 lead into the locker room.
The Tigers carried that momentum over into the second half, as they scored the first seven points of the third quarter, to push their lead to 36-28. Gillis stopped the bleeding with a trey from the left corner. Later on, Sharpe and Flores each added a three of their own to cut it to 41-37. A basket by Gillis made it a 42-39 game, but five straight points by Madison County gave them a 47-39 lead. Wilhite put in a basket in the paint to trim it to a six-point game at 47-41, but a 7-0 run by the Tigers pushed their lead to double digits at 54-41. A Gillis three cut it to 54-44, but the Tigers would quickly stretch their lead to 61-45 going into the fourth quarter.
A three-point play by Preston Lee made it a 63-48 game, but Madison County scored the next 10 points to push their lead to 73-48. Vinemont got baskets from Will Conquest and Banks Borwick, but the deficit was too much for the Eagles to overcome, as they ended up falling to the Tigers, 77-54.
Gillis led the way for Vinemont with 10 points. Flores, Parr, and Bush each added seven, and Sharpe chipped in with six points.
Vinemont will travel to play St. Bernard Friday.
Copyright 2024 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
