HANCEVILLE — The Tom Drake Coliseum is usually home to Wallace State, but early Saturday evening, it began to look a bit more like West Point's personal playpen, as the Warriors wrapped up its second Cullman County Championship of the day in the junior varsity boys game.
Levi Laney rode a third-quarter hot streak till the final buzzer and Will Wrenn brought his A-game from behind the arc in West Point's 51-37 upset of top-seeded Vinemont, leaving the Warriors' JV boys to savor a three-peat.
“It means a lot,” said Laney, who landed on the All-Tournament Team for the second year in a row. “Everybody on the team helped out, from Clay (Kent) being a leader in the locker room getting us up, to the coaches practicing hard. We just came together as a team and won it.”
The No. 1 Eagles entered the final contest of the 2012-13 campaign with a 12-1 record and a win over West Point earlier in the season. Neither of those facts seemed to matter on Saturday, though, as the Warriors used their run-'n'-gun style offense and lockdown defense to take over from the get-go.
West Point held comfortable 16-7, 21-15 and 37-27 cushions at the quarter breaks.
“We got to play the two teams (Vinemont and Fairview) that beat us in the regular season in this tournament, so it just kind of gave us motivation to come out here and take it back,” said Wrenn, who also garnered All-Tournament honors.
After a sluggish two-point first half, Laney really turned on the jets in the third quarter. He smoothly knocked down two jumpers early and then nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to seal a 10-point outburst in the frame. Laney picked up seven more points in the fourth to improve his final total to 19.
“The team picked me up in the first half, so I had to do something to help the team win it,” Laney said. “And we did it. It was the team.”
West Point's Wrenn missed his fair share of early shots but never thought twice about taking open attempts whenever he was presented with them. That turned out to be a positive for the Warriors, who received two treys and 10 points from the sophomore.
Bryant Farley used his speed to drive the lane for eight points. Trent Campbell contributed six points off the bench, Riley Voce score five points and Zack Tilley had three.
Vinemont's Austan Hedgecock scattered a team-high 13 points throughout the title tilt. Trey Waldrep and Tyler Tucker each tallied six points, while Trey Tucker was good for five.
Austin Mosley and Hunter Rollins, who were both named to the All-Tournament finished with three points apiece.
Bo Wright sank a free throw for the Eagles.
Holly Pond's Matt Cahoon and Nathan Duke, as well as Chance Hill and Dylan Smith, also earned spots on the tournament's top team.
Laney was obviously pleased to see West Point with two 2013 county championships — JV and ninth-grade boys — to its credit after his ballgame, but he mentioned that the Warriors' varsity boys still had unfinished business to tend to versus Fairview later in the night.
“We need one more,” he said as he walked off the floor.
% Rob Ketcham can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 257 or at robk@cullmantimes.com.
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