The Russellville High School varsity boys’ basketball team clinched the regular season area title on Friday night, beating the West Point Warriors 68-65 in Cullman. The win, which improved the Golden Tigers’ record to 11-5 overall and kept them a perfect 3-0 in the Class 5A Area 15, assured Russellville’s place in the area championship game.
“To be able to take care of business and go ahead and secure our place in the area tournament is kinda bigger in our situation,” Russellville head coach Patrick Odom said. “When it’s a three-team area like ours it guarantees you playing in the (area) championship game and state playoff basketball.
“It’s really big and it allows us over the next week and going into tournament time to just focus on us,” he added.
After the Golden Tigers beat West Point by 11 points at the Russellville Middle School gymnasium in the first meeting— a game that got “a bit chippy,” as Odom described it—the matchup in Cullman was a tighter affair. Russellville took the advantage over the hosts in the opening stages of the game, but the Warriors always stayed within striking distance.
The Golden Tigers, knowing it would be a 32-minute battle, never ran away with it, but Odom said, in the end, his team found a way to win.
“We got off to a quick start and got a lead early, but, you know, playing over there—we’ve taken a lot of great teams over there and always had to earn our way. It’s always a four-quarter battle,” Odom said. “They’ve gotta good team and they went on a few runs, but on every run our guys did what we talk about all the time. We matched them and were able to respond.
“We finished the game with some guts and some character, and it was just a big win for us,” Odom added.
Russellville’s senior playmaking duo EJ King and Jah Williams had great performances against West Point, according to Odom, but the head coach felt the road victory was a great team win with plenty of collaborators, too.
“EJ had another great game, and we kinda just get accustomed to what he does, but (WPHS) threw a lot of different looks at him and he just plays the way he plays,” Odom said. “Jah Williams played another great game. With EJ playing the way he does, Jah doesn’t get the attention he should, but he’s been playing great for us all year.
“In the first half, Malachi Groce hit some big shots for us. That’s a guy that’s been struggling some with his shot, so I thought it was great to see him get going,” he added, “but past that we just did what we’ve been doing. We’ve been playing about eight guys, and I thought all eight guys gave what they were supposed to give. If we can keep getting those contributions, that’s what makes us a good team.”
The result over West Point marked Russellville’s 17th consecutive win against area opposition (including area tournament games), a streak that dates back to January of 2022. Asked how his Golden Tigers ward off complacency and continue to perform against rivals, Odom said it has a lot to do with the culture and attitude of the program.
“We kinda build everything around making sure that it’s to help us win these types of games because these are the important games, but I think it’s also a testament to how we want to lead our guys,” Odom said. “We don’t get too high, don’t get too low. We’re just trying to find a way to get better each day, and each game gives you that opportunity.
“It’s a long season, and you’re gonna have nights you don’t play your best, but you still gotta find ways to win,” he added. “I think it’s all about staying in that mentality. You can have a big win but if you ride it too long you’re gonna turn around and find a way to lose a game. So, it’s all about releasing that and moving forward and our guys do a good job of that. If you look at what we’ve done the last few years, I think it’s paid off.”
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