ADDISON, Ala. – The Addison boys’ basketball team hosted the Cullman Christian Lions at Stephenson Gym on Thursday night. The Bulldogs came away with a strong 68-36 victory behind a standout performance from junior Elijah Roberts and elevated their record to 2-1.
The Bulldogs opened the game on a 7-0 run and it would only get better from there. Addison’s defense was suffocating and the young Lions struggled to handle the pressure. Depth also proved to be a factor, with head coach Christopher Lane playing nearly his entire Bulldogs roster. The first period ended with the Bulldogs leading 24-7, where they were led by Joey Wilson who had five points and two steals. Additionally, Roberts chipped in four points and three rebounds of his own.
The second quarter had the Lions regaining their footing. Still, Addison won the period 14-11 to take a 38-18 lead into half. Scout Flynn led the Bulldogs with a four point and four rebound second quarter, but Roberts’ impact was felt yet again. The guard recorded 3 points, 6 rebounds and two more steals before the half. Cullman Christian’s 11 second quarter points were all scored by two players, with Cooper Williams scoring seven, and Andrew Green recording the other four.
Coming out of halftime, the Lions saw improvement once again. A nine-point period from Williams and a big three-pointer from Andrew Coffee further energized the team. The first quarter deficit still proved too large, however, and despite outscoring the Bulldogs 15-14 in the third they still found themselves down 19 points heading into the fourth.
Early in the fourth Lions star Cooper Williams suffered an injury that forced him to miss the remainder of the game. The uphill battle in score and Williams’ injury proved overwhelming for Cullman Christian, with Williams’ three points early in the period being the last they scored the rest of the game. The difference in the game was the Bulldogs domination on the glass, grabbing 51 total rebounds while the Lions only managed 24.
Addison was led in both scoring and rebounding by Roberts, whose stellar night saw him record 17 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals. Forward Scout Flynn nearly recorded a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds, and added two assists, three steals and a block. Joey Wilson also stuffed the stat sheet for the Bulldogs, producing 10 points, two rebounds, two assists and five steals.
Cullman Christian was led by Williams, who scored a game-high 24 points and recorded nine rebounds despite missing most of the fourth quarter. Green was also a factor for the lions, putting up nine points on the night. The Lions’ loss dropped their season record to 0-6-2.
Addison returns to action on Friday night with a trip to Danville.
