HANCEVILLE, Ala.- In the final game of day four of the Cullman County Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, no. 2 West Point and no. 6 Vinemont met with a trip to the varsity boys championship on the line. The Warriors came out determined, playing feisty defense, working the boards and building an early lead that they’d maintain on the way to a 58-38 semifinal win over the Eagles. They’ll move on to face no. 1 Cold Springs, who defeated no. 4 Holly Pond earlier today, in the championship game on Friday.
One of West Point’s greatest team strengths is their fluid ball movement, ignited by 5-9 point guard Kade Vincent. While he’s their most notable passer, every single player in their starting lineup can pass better than the average point guard. They bring the ball down, pass left or right, drive while the wings rotate and repeat until they have an open look or a mismatch. Coupled with their size, with three starters taller than 6-2, it makes them one of the most difficult team in the county to defend.
It was on full display early, as the first bucket of the game came on a dime from Vincent to Nolan Franklin, who hit a clean jumper from the elbow. On defense for the Warriors, their main concerns of the night would be containing the Eagles’ sharpshooter Sam Marsh and their crafty guard in the open court, Bryson Bush. Marsh capitalized on an open look for a three early, but wouldn’t score again until the third. The rest of the first quarter, save for a Gavin Parr layup for Vinemont, was West Point’s size and activity on defense prevailing. The Warriors recorded four steals in the first, creating fast break opportunities for their athletic 6-4 forward Maddox Chapman, who scored five points and had a steal in the opening quarter. West Point’s energy and composure were overwhelming, and led to a 16-5 lead at the end of the first.
Before the game could get out of hand, Vinemont fought hard in the opening minutes of the second quarter, responding to every blow dealt by West Point. A Colton Gillis lay followed by a Parr coast-to-coast layup off a steal kept the deficit at single digits momentarily, but Jaxon Shelton would respond with a jumper on the other end followed by a fadeaway from Chapman to make it 21-9, Warriors. The teams’ front-courts would exchange buckets, with Shelton and Franklin hitting for West Point and Will Conquest and Colton Gillis sinking shots for the Eagles until halftime, where the Warriors led 28-15.
In the third, West Point opened with a Vincent three, which Marsh responded to with one of his own on the other end. After an empty Warrior possession, Conquest hit a put-back layup to shrink the deficit to 13 with seemingly new energy. West Point would shut the door on a potentially competitive second half, however, with an 11-0 run where five different players scored, building the lead to over 20. Chapman would score again, missing from the charity stripe on the and-one attempt, and Cheston Wilhite would score on two straight possessions to close out the third for Vinemont down 44-26.
With the game in hand, the Warriors out-rebounded Vinemont 6-2 in the fourth, and played a slow and methodical offensive quarter to drain time off the clock. The fourth was played nearly even in terms of scoring, with West Point only slightly out-scoring the Eagles 14-12 in the period. Wilhite and Parr fought until the last second, with Chapman on the other end adding on three more baskets. Bush, the Eagles’ spark plug, struggled to get shots to fall, getting his only score in the fourth. He didn’t get the fast break opportunities he thrives in due to West Point’s ball movement, negating his downhill playing style. After running away before the half, West Point held on for a 58-38 game that sets up a no. 1 vs no. 2 clash on Friday at 6:30 against Cold Springs with the county championship on the line.
Leading the game in scoring was Chapman, who notched 21 points and recorded 11 rebounds, contributing over a third of the Warriors’ 30-17 rebound advantage. Shelton nearly had a double-double of his own, scoring 14 and grabbing nine boards. Stuffing the stat sheet was Franklin, who only scored seven but recorded four rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block. Vincent, along with scoring five, grabbing a pair of rebounds and recording a steal, led the game with six assists.
Vinemont was led by Parr with eight points, with the Warriors’ defense holding all Eagle players under 10. Wilhite’s night saw him score six and grab four rebounds, assist on three scores and steal two passes. Marsh scored six on two deep-balls and had five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
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