CULLMAN, Ala.- The Cullman Bearcats got back in the win column on Monday night, defeating Thompson 63-48 behind a strong performance from their frontcourt. Senior forward Sam Dorough led Cullman with a game-high 22 points, hitting two three-pointers. The Bearcats improved to 11-1 with the win.
After a sloppy start that saw the Bearcats finish the first quarter down 16-11 to the Warriors, Cullman went on a 12-2 run to close out the half with a 28-24 lead. The stretch was fueled by the 6-5 Dorough, whose shooting, length and ability to push his way into the paint proved a tall task for Thompson’s defense.
“I think we just settled into the game, stopped throwing it to them. Defensively we played great the whole night in my opinion, and we just settled into the game and figured out their speed. We hadn’t seen that speed since we played Ramsay. We figured out their speed, got good shots and wore them down,” Cullman head coach Stu Stuedeman said about the team getting back on track before the half.
In the second half, Dorough’s frontcourt partner, 6-7 sophomore Brooks Loftin began heating up. He’d score six of his 13 total points in the third quarter, two of which came from a pair of technical free throws. In the midst of a strong overall team matchup, Loftin and Thompson forward Cameron Pritchett, a four-star defensive end committed to Oregon in football, battled under the basket all night. Loftin’s height and Pritchett’s willing physicality made for an entertaining and sometimes chippy matchup, as Pritchett scored ten points of his own.
“Yeah (Pritchett)’s a tough athletic dude and he’s got game out here, too. He can dribble it, shoot it and Brooks Loftin is every bit as tough. You know, he’s a warrior, and when he’s locked in and serious about his business he’s one of the best basketball players in the state of Alabama and he’s only a sophomore. I was really proud of that. It got physical, it got chippy and we did a great job of not responding to that but also not backing down on physicality,” Stuedeman said on the matchup.
Cullman guard Gray Hopper had a strong second half, scoring 11 of his total 15 points with a trio of threes to help the Bearcats pull away from Thompson late. Thompson’s night was not for naught, however, as in the third quarter, forward Riley Bryant threw done one of the more powerful one-hand poster dunks you’ll see in high school basketball.
It was an important bounce-back win for Cullman after the shocking 57-50 loss to 6-4 Hartselle on Friday. On preparing for tonight after the loss, Stuedeman said the team held a two-and-a-half hour film session, spending twice as much time watching their mistakes from the last game than they did practicing on the court.
The Cullman Bearcats return to action on Thursday with a trip to Pike Road, who is currently 7-2 overall.
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