HOLLY POND, Ala.- If you desired to go out and see a pair of defensive games, then Holly Pond was the place for you. It was their Senior Night, and they faced off against the Hanceville Bulldogs in a pair of area games. The varsity girls’ game saw Holly Pond get out to an early lead and held it at the half. The Lady Broncos stretched the lead to double digits in the second half and would go on to defeat the Lady Bulldogs, 39-26. Holly Pond held a slim lead over Hanceville in the first quarter of the boys’ game, but the Bulldogs took the lead at the half. It was a tight battle for most of the second half, but a late run by Hanceville in the fourth quarter helped them get past the Broncos, 46-39.
Holly Pond 39 – Hanceville 26 (Varsity Girls)
Milly Huddleston knocked down a short jumper to put Holly Pond on the scoreboard first. Ava Thomas scored the final seven points of the first quarter, as their defense held Hanceville scoreless for the entire period and would take a 9-0 lead into the second period. Alex Twitty knocked down a short jumper to cut it to 9-2, but Maggie Nail collected five straight points, including a three from the top of the key, to give the Lady Broncos a 14-2 lead. Twitty added two more baskets down low to make it a 15-6 game late in the first half. Madison Butts, though, drained a three from the left wing to put Holly Pond up, 18-6. Twitty put in a driving layup, and Kaelyn Lamer added a free throw to cut the Hanceville deficit to nine at 18-9 at the half.
Sadie Nail knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Lady Broncos a 20-9 lead early in the third, but a three from Piper Butts made it a 20-12 game. Madison Butts drained a short jumper, then Thomas scored six straight points to widen Holly Pond’s lead to 28-16. Maggie Nail added a free throw to make it a 29-16 game going into the final period.
Twitty hit a pair of baskets down low to cut it to 32-20, then Kynzlee Farr buried a three to make it a nine-point contest. Holly Pond put the game away after that, as Maggie Nail collected a steal and a basket, and a rebound and putback by Sadie Nail put the Lady Broncos ahead, 37-23. Butts drained a pair of free throws to put the finishing touches on a 39-26 area win for Holly Pond.
Thomas led the way for the Lady Broncos with 13 points. Maggie Nail added 11 points, and Butts ended up with seven points. For Hanceville, Twitty finished with 14 points, and Farr posted six points.
Hanceville 46 – Holly Pond 39 (Varsity Boys)
Ty Dunn knocked down a hook shot after grabbing the offensive rebound and later drilled a three from the left wing to give Holly Pond an early 5-0 lead. Sam Abney buried a pair of threes on the other end to give Hanceville a 6-5 lead. Another rebound and putback by Dunn, and a trey by Fox Westall from the top of the key gave the Broncos the lead right back at 11-6. Abney later added a rebound and putback of his own to cut it to 11-8 later in the first, but Cade Allbright collected a basket down low to put Holly Pond ahead, 13-8, going into the second.
Shawn Pilman drove to the lane and laid it in to make it a 13-10 game early in the second. Later in the quarter, Abney got fouled while shooting a three but only hit one of his free throws to cut it to 15-11. Pilman knocked down a pair of baskets in the paint to tie things up at 15 almost midway through the second period. Asher Thrift broke the tie with a pair of free throws. Hanceville, though, got the lead before the half ended, as three straight points by Drake Bentley gave them an 18-17 advantage at the break.
Allbright dropped in a short floater to tie it up at 19 early in the third. Hanceville started to get things going offensively. Abney and A.J. Carnathan each drilled a three from the left wing to give them a 25-19 lead. Carnathan added a short jumper, and Bentley banked in a floater to stretch the Bulldog lead to 29-19 with 3:38 remaining in the third. The Broncos, though, answered right back with a run of their own. Thrift knocked down a three from the right wing to cut it to 29-22, then later in the quarter, Allbright got the offensive rebound and put it back up and in to trim it to six at 31-25. Dunn got fouled while shooting a three and drained two out of three from the charity stripe to make it a 31-27 game going into the final period.
The Broncos kept the momentum going into the fourth quarter. Thrift dropped in a floater and later knocked down a pair of free throws to cut it to 32-31. After a pair of free throws by Nick Davis gave Hanceville a three-point lead, but after missing the three-point attempt, Dunn saved the ball from going out of bounds, and it landed in the hands of Allbright, who put it in down low to make it a 34-33 contest. Thrift added two more free throws to give Holly Pond a 35-34 lead with less than five minutes to go in the game.
Both teams traded baskets to keep it at a one-point game, but it was all Hanceville after that, though. Bentley laid it in, Carnathan banked in a floater to give the Bulldogs a 40-37 lead. Carnathan added a free throw and a layup, then Pilman split from the free throw line, and Bentley added another basket down low to put Hanceville ahead, 46-37. The Bulldogs would go on to defeat the Broncos for the second time this season, 46-39.
Abney led the way for Hanceville with 16 points. Bentley added 11 points, and Carnathan posted 10 points. For Holly Pond, Thrift finished with 15 points. Allbright ended up with 12 points, and Dunn added nine points.
The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs will be the no. 7 seed in next week’s Cullman County Basketball Tournament. The boys will take on the no. 2 seed, West Point, next Tuesday night at 8 p.m., while the girls will take on the no. 2 seed, Vinemont, next Monday afternoon at 5 p.m. As for Holly Pond, the Lady Broncos will be the no. 6 seed and will take on the no. 3 seed, Good Hope, next Tuesday at 4 p.m., while the no. 4 seeded Broncos will take on the no. 5 seed, Good Hope, next Monday night at 6:30 p.m.
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