CullmanTimes.com - Cullman, Alabama

Local Sports

Related Photos

  • Fairview’s Cheryl Mangum signals for a full timeout during Thursday’s area tournament game against Priceville. The Aggies had the lead in the fourth quarter but ultimately lost after the Bulldogs ended the game on an 11-1 run. Rob Ketcham

    Fairview-Priceville

  • Good Hope's Nina Mills gets fouled hard by an East Lawrence player while taking a shot in Thursday's game. Rob Ketcham

    Good Hope-East Lawrence

Discussion

February 9, 2012

PREP GIRLS BASKETBALL: Aggies eliminated after Bulldogs’ late run

No. 1 Good Hope easily advances

By Rob Ketcham The Cullman Times

GOOD HOPE —

After losing to Priceville by 27 and 19 points earlier this year, Fairview wasn’t going to let the Bulldogs push them around a third time — not with its season and a sub-region berth on the line.

The Aggies took an eight-point lead into the early stages of the fourth quarter and looked poised to pull off the upset, but Priceville used a late 11-1 run to close out a nail-biting 58-55 win Thursday night in Good Hope.

“They played as good as they have all year,” Fairview coach Cheryl Mangum said of her squad. “They wanted it, and they did everything they could. They played with as much heart as I’ve ever seen.

“Priceville is just a good team. They hit one more than we did.”

The win advances the Bulldogs to the Class 4A, Area 13 championship game, which will be played 7 p.m. Saturday in Good Hope.

Although they just barely came out on the wrong side of the scoreboard, the Aggies proved they weren’t going to go down without a fight.

In a game dominated by runs, Priceville jumped out to a 12-2 lead behind an offensive outburst by Molly Thompson and Katie Barker.

Fairview’s Anna Mangum responded with a 5-0 run of her own, though, and Julia Creel tacked on two points to pull the Aggies back within three.

Every time the Bulldogs started to pull away, Fairview’s Annie Holcomb had an answer. The senior was as cool as the other side of the pillow from behind the arc and frequently jump started the Purple and Gold by swishing treys with ease in crucial situations. Holcomb finished the night with a whopping six 3-pointers and a team-high 20 points.

“She had the game we needed her to have,” Mangum said.

Holcomb’s final trey put her squad up 49-46 at the end of the third quarter, and the Aggies extended their lead to seven early in the fourth on a basket by Shelby Hayes, as well as a three-point play by Creel after she was fouled in the post while banking in a layup.

Priceville took over from there, though, as Thompson hit a go-ahead free throw and had seven of her game-high 22 points in the final few minutes to help the Bulldogs squeak by with the win.

In addition to Holcomb’s total, Sabrina Russell contributed 10 points, Anna Mangum scored nine and Creel had seven.

Katie Barker added 14 points, and Peyton Parker and Jada Beverly each tallied seven for the Bulldogs.



Good Hope 66, East Lawrence 35: One down, seven to go.

That’s how many more wins the No. 1 Raiders need if they plan on hoisting the state title by the time the postseason concludes in March.

They had to get by the Eagles first, but that didn’t turn out to be too hard of a task — not with Kayla Tillman once again shooting lights out from 3-point land, and Nina Mills slashing, passing and scoring to perfection.

“It’s a relief,” coach Michael Oldacre said in reference to his team advancing to Saturday’s area championship game. “It’s great to get that nervousness out of the way. We knew it was do or die tonight.”

Tillman hit nothing but net on her first four attempts from behind the arc and added one more trey in the fourth to give her a game-high 23 points.

Mills had two 3-pointers of her own but mostly used her ability to penetrate the basket and finish plays to help her walk away with 18 points.

As she has all year long, Cierra Jenkins provided the Raiders with all the intangibles, providing pesky defense, pulling down key offensive and defensive rebounds and making shots in the paint. Jenkins wound up with eight points.

“Nina did a great job of setting people up for shots,” Oldacre said. “Then Cierra, Tillman and the others knocked them down. It was a great start.”

Angel Bolden was East Lawrence’s high scorer with 10 points.

Rob Ketcham can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 257 or at robk@cullmantimes.com.

Text Only
Local Sports