HANCEVILLE, Ala. – After missing out on Regionals last season, the Cullman Bearcats made it their mission to make it back there this season. Their opponent in the NW Regionals on Thursday afternoon was the same team that eliminated the Bearcats in the Sub-Regional game last year: the Clay-Chalkville Cougars. It quickly turned into a defensive game in the first half, and was tied up at 18 at the break. Cullman went on a huge run in the third quarter to take a nine-point lead into the final period and that was the turning point in the game, as they would go on to knock off the Cougars 53-41 to make it back to the Elite Eight for the third time in five seasons.
From the jump this game was a defensive affair, with neither team hitting a basket for a little over three minutes. Brooks Loftin broke the scoreless tie with a basket down low to give Cullman a 2-0 lead. Even though the Bearcat defense held the Cougars without a field goal for almost three-and-a-half minutes, Clay-Chalkville still hit three free throws to take a 3-2 lead with 3:50 remaining in the opening period. Sam Dorough drove to the lane and scored through contact, and he ended up hitting the free throw to put the Bearcats ahead 5-3. Clay-Chalkville drained a three from the right wing for their first basket of the game with less than three minutes to go in the first. The Cougars later added a basket in the paint to take an 8-5 lead. Loftin found Jon Luke Richter for three from the right wing to tie it up at eight going into the second quarter.
The defensive intensity by both teams continued into the second period. An early basket by Clay-Chalkville gave them a 10-8 lead. Cullman struggled to score any points against a smothering Cougar defense, until Gray Hopper knocked down a pair of free throws to tie things up at 10 with 4:33 left to go in the first half. After a short jumper by Clay-Chalkville gave them a 12-10 lead, Hopper split his free throws and later drilled a trey from the left wing to put the Bearcats up 14-12 with a little over two minutes to go in the first half. Both teams traded free throws to keep Cullman ahead 16-14. A pair of late baskets by the Cougars gave them an 18-17 lead, but Loftin split his free throws to tie it up at 18 at the half.
Clay-Chalkville knocked down a shot down low to take the early lead, but Cullman quickly caught fire on both sides of the floor. Hopper dropped in a floater, then Dorough hit a pair of free throws to give the Bearcats a 22-20 lead. Dorough collected the steal and took it coast-to-coast for the layup, then he added another layup, and Colt Fletcher drained a trey from the top of the key to widen Cullman’s lead to 29-20 with 4:22 remaining in the third. A pair of baskets by the Cougars cut it to 29-24, but Hopper put in a basket down low, and Loftin threw down a thunderous two-handed slam dunk through contact and ended up hitting the free throw to complete the three-point play that gave the Bearcats their first double-digit lead of the game at 35-24. Clay-Chalkville hit a late basket to trim it to nine at 35-26 going into the final period.Â
Both teams traded free throws to keep it at a nine-point game at 37-28 early in the fourth. Fletcher buried a three from the right wing to put the Bearcats up 40-28 but was hit with a technical after the play. The Cougars hit both technical free throws and later added a shot in the paint off of a turnover to make it a 40-32 game. Dorough hit a reverse layup, and Loftin laid it in to stretch Cullman’s lead to 44-32 with 2:28 remaining in the contest. Clay-Chalkville drained a three to cut it to eight with less than two minutes to go in the game. Dorough knocked down a shot in the paint and split his free throws to give the Bearcats a 47-36 lead. Off of the miss on Dorough’s second free throw attempt, Hopper grabbed the offensive rebound and banked in a floater to make it 49-36. Another Cougar three made it a 49-39 game, but free throws by Dorough and Hopper helped seal Cullman’s 53-41 win over Clay-Chalkville, as they clinch a spot in the Elite Eight for the third time in five years.
Dorough led the Bearcats with 21 points, and 15 of those points came in the second half. Hopper put in 14 points and five rebounds, while Loftin collected nine points, eight rebounds, a steal, and four blocks.
Cullman head coach Stu Stuedeman didn’t expect anything different in their game against the Cougars and credits his team for doing the little things in the second half.
“Chris Richardson’s a great coach. Whenever Clay-Chalkville and Cullman get together, it’s always going to be a physical, hard-fought battle. I’m really proud of our guys for staying poised and figuring it out in the second half, locking in, and doing the little things that make you successful in playoff basketball,” Stuedeman said. “When they’re in your head, and you try to call plays and figure out what defenses they’re in, it’s not really a play-calling game. You just got to go make a play. We’re sitting there, backing it out at half court, trying to figure out, Hey, should I do this? Should I do that? Just keep it simple. Throw it to the high post. Let’s cut, let’s go to work, and then we’ll get into our flow game,” Stuedeman said.
Dorough and Hopper, had big performances, and the third quarter run by the Bearcats earned some breathing room going into the final period.
“Gray Hopper’s been with us for four years. He’s been on varsity for four years. He’s 5’10”, he rebounds, he does it all for us. He makes huge shots, handles it a little bit, and he plays the point on our press. He’s just an incredible person, and I’ve loved having him for the four years I’ve had them. Sam’s just an exceptional high school basketball player,” Stuedeman said. “In a game like that, when every possession feels like you go up four, you feel like you have a big lead. Anytime you can go on a run like that and stretch it to nine, that’s back-breaking for the other team, and I’m really proud of our run,” said Stuedeman.
Cullman will take on the winner of Muscle Shoals/Lee next Tuesday afternoon at 2:15 p.m.
