THARPTOWN - Owen Terry scored 14 points for Red Bay on Saturday, and the Tigers rode a fast start to a 43-26 win over Belgreen in the seventh-and-eighth-grade boys bracket of the Junior High Franklin County Tournament at Tharptown High School.
David Lindsay added 11 points for second-seeded Red Bay, which advanced to the championship game and will face Thursday’s winner between top-seeded Tharptown and Phil Campbell on Saturday morning in the finals at 11:15 a.m.
Red Bay and Belgreen were tied 2-2 in the opening minute after a basket by the Bulldogs’ Cole King, but the Tigers took off with a 14-0 run. Terry scored six points during the run, and Paden Allison capped it off with two free throws to make it 16-2 with 1:47 left in the first quarter.
Belgreen got back within nine at 20-11 on back-to-back baskets by Jordan Wright midway through the second quarter, but Red Bay answered with a 7-0 run that included a pair of buckets by Coby Jackson and a three-pointer by Lindsay. Carson Cox scored twice for the Bulldogs in a 6-0 run to close the half that cut the lead to 27-17.
Belgreen got back within single-digits once more on a three by Brodie Vandiver early in the third quarter, but the Tigers got two free throws from Bryson Hacker and a layup from Terry off a steal to make it 33-20 at the 2:40 mark. Red Bay led by double-figures the rest of the way.
Jackson finished with eight points for the Tigers, and Allison added four. Carson Corum hit a three-pointer, Hacker scored two points and Hayden Seahorn had one. Red Bay shot 5-for-6 from the foul line as a team.
Wright led Belgreen with nine points, and Cox finished with four. King, Vandiver and Jackson Galliano each added three, and Koty Ragan and Austin James had two apiece.
In other action at the Junior High County Tournament on Saturday:
Seventh/Eighth Grade Boys
Phil Campbell 55 Vina 13
The Bobcats led 24-2 at the end of one quarter and 44-4 at the half, cruising past Vina and earning a date with top-seeded Tharptown in Thursday’s semifinals at 4 p.m.
Cole Pace led Phil Campbell with 12 points, four of which came in the big first quarter. Cam Habada scored seven of his nine points in the first quarter, and Sage Raper scored all five of his points in the first. Quentin Hyde knocked down an early three and finished with seven points.
Brennan Misner also scored seven points, and Kyle Pace added six. Clayton Demartin finished with five points, and Cooper Riddle and JJ Quillen added two apiece.
Belgreen 55 East Franklin 16
The Bulldogs cruised to a win in Saturday’s opening game, out-scoring East Franklin 13-3 in the first quarter and 22-2 in the second.
Jordan Wright finished with 12 points to lead the Bulldogs, and Brodie Vandiver added 10. Jackson Galliano scored eight points, and Alex Jarnigan had seven. Cole King scored six points, Carson Cox and Austin James each finished with five, and Canaan Stough had two.
Andrew Green led East Franklin with six points, and Trey Benford had four. Hunter Baker scored three, Oscar Molina added two and Jackson Baker had one.
Seventh/Eighth Grade Girls
Tharptown 42 Vina 26
Autumn Montgomery scored a game-high 18 points, helping second-seeded Tharptown earn a spot in Saturday’s championship game.
Vina trailed just 10-9 after a basket by LaDava Davis early in the second quarter, but Montgomery responded with seven points in a 10-0 run by the Lady Wildcats. Savannah Romans finished off the run with a layup at the 1:35 mark to make it 20-9.
Montgomery then added another layup in the closing seconds of the half, sending Tharptown into the break with a 24-13 lead.
Kassidy Gesler scored on a putback for Vina to open the third quarter, but Montgomery answered with a layup and a jumper to make it 28-15. The Lady Wildcats led by double-figures the rest of the way and will face Thursday’s winner between top-seeded Phil Campbell and fourth-seeded Red Bay in Saturday’s final at 10 a.m.
Tharptown finished 16-for-32 from the foul line in the win over Vina. Romans scored eight points, and Kaitlyn Simmons added seven. Luz-Maria Alfaro had three points, and Kendall Morgan, Emily Campos and Erica Borden scored two apiece.
Davis led Vina with 13 points. Gesler finished with four, and Madelyn Humphres and Maddie Mills each added three. Kaitlyn Athey scored two, and Carly Blevins added one.
Vina was 14-for-34 from the foul line.
Red Bay 32 Belgreen 8
The Lady Tigers dominated defensively, holding Belgreen to just two made field goals and earning a date with top-seeded Phil Campbell in Thursday’s semifinals at 5:15 p.m.
The Lady Bulldogs scored on their first possession of Saturday’s game on a long jumper by Katie Cooper, but they did not make another field goal until a basket by Harley Carter with 2:45 left in the third quarter. During that stretch, the Lady Tigers out-scored Belgreen 23-1.
Sarah Eaton led Red Bay with nine points. She, Kaylie Lindley and Gretchen Davis each knocked down a three-pointer. Bella West, Anna Kate Kennedy and Emily Enis finished with four points each. Amber Mason and Brianna Markham scored two apiece, and Audrey Ehler added one.
Noelle Willingham led Belgreen with three points. Cooper and Carter had two apiece, and Ana Anderson added one.
Ninth Grade Girls
Red Bay 31 Belgreen 25
Cassidy Kuykendall led the Lady Tigers with 10 points on Saturday, helping them advance to face top-seeded Phil Campbell in the semifinals on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Red Bay led 22-12 after three quarters, and Emma McCollister hit a three-pointer and went 3-for-4 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to help the Lady Tigers hold on for the win.
McCollister finished with eight points, and Makenzie Hester and Kirsten Scott added four apiece. Madisyn Hester and Alexis Tabbs each scored two, and Kylee James added one.
Bailey Oliver scored seven of her 11 points for Belgreen in the fourth quarter, helping the Lady Bulldogs mount a late rally that fell just short. Kaley Chandler made a pair of threes and finished with 10 points. Felicia Campos and Maria Estrada each scored two.
Ninth Grade Boys
Phil Campbell 52 Vina 48
Mason Swinney scored 20 points for Phil Campbell on Saturday, and Blaine Goodson added 18 to help the top-seeded Bobcats earn a date with second-seeded Tharptown in Saturday’s final at 1:45 p.m.
Swinney scored eight points in the third quarter, helping Phil Campbell out-score Vina 14-10 to stretch its lead to 41-32. Elijah Whitfield made a pair of threes in the fourth quarter for the Red Devils, but the Bobcats got four points apiece from Swinney and Goodson and held on to win.
J.R. Herring added seven points for Phil Campbell. Boone Swinney had three, and Dylan Jeane scored two.
Whitfield led all scorers with 22 points, hitting four threes and going 2-for-2 from the foul line. Glen Ashley added 10 points for Vina, and Dawson Miller hit two threes and finished with nine.
