HANCEVILLE, Ala.- A spot in the championship game was on the line Wednesday night, as the top-seeded Cold Springs Eagles took on the no. 4 seed Holly Pond in the first varsity boys matchup of the night. It was a very physical game from start to finish, and a late three gave Cold Springs the lead after one with a late run stretching their lead at the half. A big third quarter stretched the Eagle lead out to double figures, and they ended up keeping it for the rest of the game. They ended up knocking off the Broncos, 48-38, to clinch a spot in Friday’s county championship game.
Holly Pond took a minute and a half off the clock on their opening possession, and it ended with Cade Allbright finding Asher Thrift in the left corner for three to give them the early lead. Allbright put in a short hook shot to give the Broncos a 5-2 lead, but a couple of slashes to the basket resulted in layups by Ayden Black, and that gave Cold Springs a 6-5 lead. A pair of rebounds and putbacks by both teams kept it at a one-point game at 8-7 late in the first. Cash Huddleston nailed a three from the right wing to put Holly Pond up, 10-8, but Breydon Hallmon knocked down a three before the buzzer to give the Eagles an 11-10 lead going into the second.
A pair of rebounds and putbacks by Allbright put the Broncos up, 15-13. Cold Springs, though, started to take control of the game on both sides of the ball. Day started things off with a pair of free throws, then a rebound and putback by Hallmon and a driving layup by Lindan Hill gave the Eagles a 19-15 lead. Wyatt Barker put in a basket down low, and Cash Dickerson banked in a floater to widen their lead to 24-16. Both teams traded free throws to end the first half, and Cold Springs would take a 25-18 lead into the locker room.
Day’s trey from the top of the key stretched the Eagle lead to 28-18 early in the third quarter. Allbright collected two more rebounds and putbacks to cut it to 32-22, but Black answered with a three on the other end to make it a 35-22 game. For the second time in the game, Cold Springs hit a three before the buzzer, as Dickerson’s trey put them up, 38-24, going into the final period.
Both teams traded baskets and points to start out the fourth quarter to keep it at a 14-point game at 42-28. Hill drained a trey from the right corner to give Cold Springs a 45-28 lead. Holly Pond made a late push to cut it to 10, but they wouldn’t get any closer after that, as the Eagles would go on to defeat the Broncos, 48-38, to move on to the championship game.
Black led the way for Cold Springs with 12 points. Hallmon added 11 points. Hill posted nine points, and Day ended up with seven points. Holly Pond was led by Allbright, who finished with a game-high 18 points, and Thrift put in 11 points.
The Eagles will take on the West Point/Vinemont winner in the championship game on Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Copyright 2025 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
