HANCEVILLE, Ala. – The first NW Regional Finals in the Class 2A varsity boys’ division featured a pair of top-ten teams, as sixth-ranked Cold Springs faced off against third-ranked Red Bay. It was tied at 16 after one, but Red Bay doubled up Cold Springs in the second quarter, outscoring them, 24-12, to take a double-digit lead into the half. The Eagles battled the Tigers hard in the second half, but Red Bay was a little too much for them at the end, as the Tigers would go on to defeat the Eagles, 64-52.
Cash Dickerson found Breydon Hallmon down low for two on Cold Springs’ opening possession, and Dickerson connected with Lindan Hill on a hook shot to give the Eagles an early 4-2 lead. Back-to-back driving layups by Ayden Black put Cold Springs ahead, 9-2, almost midway through the opening period. Hallmon drained a three from the top of the key to stretch the Eagle lead to 12-4. Five quick points by Red Bay made it a 12-9 game, but a hook shot by Wyatt Barker gave Cold Springs a 14-9 lead. The Tigers went on another 5-0 run to tie it up at 14. Both teams traded baskets to end the first quarter, and it remained a tie game at 16-16 going into the second.
Ethan Day laid it in with his left hand to tie it up at 18 early in the second quarter, but Red Bay went on a three-point barrage after that, though. They drained a pair of treys to take a 24-20 lead. Ayden Black knocked down a pair of free throws to cut it to 24-22, but the Tigers drilled four threes as part of a 16-0 run to stretch their lead to 40-22. Free throws by Hallmon and Black, plus a basket by Hallmon, trimmed it to 12 at 40-28 at the half.
Black knocked down a three from the left wing to cut it to 40-31 to start out the second half. A rebound and putback by Hallmon kept it at a nine-point game at 42-33, but a 5-0 run by the Tigers was punctuated by a thunderous one-handed dunk, as that gave Red Bay a 47-33 lead. Hallmon put in a basket down low, and Black knocked down another driving layup to trim the Eagle deficit to 12 at 49-37. A late basket by the Tigers gave them a 51-37 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Hill put in a shot down low, and Day laid it in to cut it to 53-41 early in the fourth. Hill added a pair of free throws, and Black drained a three from the right wing to make it a 58-46 game. Red Bay kept them at arm’s length the rest of the way, though, as they ended up knocking off Cold Springs, 64-52, to clinch a spot to Birmingham.
Black finished with 16 points, three rebounds, and a steal in his final game at Cold Springs. Hallmon wasn’t too far behind with 14 points, six rebounds, and a block. Hill put in eight points, three rebounds, and a steal for the Eagles.
First-year head coach Drew Adams still had plenty to be proud of, making it to the Elite Eight and having both Hallmon and Black named to the All-Tournament team.
“Going in, we knew there was a lot of talent coming up, a lot of young talent. Ayden Black was actually with me at Good Hope, and he moved to Cold Springs as a 10th grader, mostly for football. I never thought I would get a chance to coach him again, but my wife got the girls’ job, so I took the boys’ job over the spring, and I got to coach Ayden one more time. He and Tycen are our only two seniors, so we’re going to miss them a lot. We were really young. We started an eighth grader, a 10th grader, and a couple of juniors, so, the fact that we got to this point this year was really impressive. Getting to the Elite Eight is tough to do, so we can’t take it for granted,” Adams said.
