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  • Addison’s Stora Gilliland (14) shoots over the outstretched arm of Hanceville’s Taylor Chambers Friday night at the Tom Drake Coliseum. Gilliland finished the game with five points as Addison went on to win by a 46-23 result. Rob Ketcham

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February 3, 2012

PREP BASKETBALL: Bulldog battle

Addison girls win big, as do Hanceville boys

By Rob Ketcham The Cullman Times

HANCEVILLE —

As Lauren Lowery’s basketball coach since the seventh grade, Jeff Scott has learned what to expect out of the senior each and every night.

That’s why it was no surprise Lowery put up 13 points and played a large part in Addison’s 46-23 road victory over Hanceville Friday at the Tom Drake Coliseum.

“Lauren is just a steady, consistent player,” Scott said. “She’s going to give us about 16-17 points and 12-14 rebounds every night. The thing that makes her so special is that she plays the post, but she can handle the ball like a guard.”

Hanceville’s Taylor Hollingsworth tied the ballgame at 4-4 early with two baskets, but Katie Russell responded with two shots from the free-throw line, and Addison outscored the home team 12-0 in the second quarter to take over for good.

Addison’s record is now 16-8, which Scott is pleased with considering his expectations before the season began.

“Early on, I wasn’t so sure because we lost four good seniors and only had three starters coming back,” the coach  said. “But I feel good. We’ve been getting better all year long.”

Addison’s Lauren Cutcher drained two 3-pointers en route to an eight-point performance, Russell finished with seven and Callie Brewer scored six. Other contributors were Stora Gilliland, five; Heather Baldwin, three; Hunter Barnett, two; and Jessica Benton and Crystal Vandiver, one.

Hollingsworth was a bright spot for Hanceville, as she hit multiple shots from the field, drove to the basket for others and fought hard under the rim for rebounds. Becky Cobb said the eighth-grader, who had a team-high 10 points, was recently called up to the varsity squad.

“She’s going to help us a lot,” the Hanceville coach said. “We just need to work on her control and a few other things.”

Hanceville’s other scorers were Madison Norman and Taylor Chambers, four; Karrah Johnson, three; and Alexandria Flanigan, two.



Boys

Hanceville 52, Addison 30: During any given contest, it’s not a stretch to hear Daniel Wakefield yell, “Go, go, go,” the instant one of his players gain control of the ball.

Hanceville heard its coach loud and clear Friday night as they used their speed and a strong defensive effort to take down Addison for the second time this season.

“Tonight, we wanted to work more on defense,” Wakefield said. “We focused on getting out there, getting stops every possession and rebounding the ball. If we can defend and get rebounds, we’re pretty good. But when we stop defending and let a team get putbacks and garbage points, that’s when we usually lose ballgames.”

Addison took the opening lead with a Jesse Seales’ jump shot, but Hanceville’s Brontae Harris, Broc Malcom and Chris Smith combined on an 18-4 run to give the home team a huge lead by the end of the first quarter.

Harris and Malcom combined for 14 points in the third quarter, and Diamond Simmons pitched in three to give Hanceville a 41-12 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Blake Jones, Tony Brown and Jed Cross teamed up to give Addison a 7-0 run to end the ballgame.

Harris, a freshman, led the way for Hanceville with a 24-point effort, and Malcom finished with 14. Senior Lance Twitty tallied four points, Simmons and Smith scored three, and James Dingler and Dante Reese each had two.

For Addison, center Kaleb Estill had a team-high six points, while Cade Cooper and Cross pitched in five apiece. Kyle Ray and Seales both had four points, and Seth Robinson, Jones and Brown scored two.

With only two regular season games remaining, Wakefield currently has his Hanceville squad focused on one goal.

“You can win holiday tournaments, you can win county tournaments, but to me, none of that matters if you can’t compete in the area,” the coach said in reference to the upcoming area tournament. “It’s all about next Friday. Every area around the state knows that. If you don’t win next Friday, you go home. We just look at every practice and try to get prepared for that.”

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

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