By Bart Moss / For the FCT

The Phil Campbell Bobcats captured their first Franklin County Championship since 1998, well before any of the current players were born, Monday night, defeating Belgreen 58-47.

“This was a great win for our program,” said Phil Campbell coach Craig Thomas. “I thought our girls played a great game. They hustled, they were patient with the basketball, and they did what they had to do to win.

“Our program did really well this year, winning all divisions of the county tournament.”

Darby Elliott, Phil Campbell’s senior point guard, was excited and exhausted.

“We really hustle and get after the whole game,” said Elliott, who has been an on-the-court-leader for the Bobcats all year long. “It is so exciting to get this championship for our school.”

The Bobcats have dominated county teams – and most of the rest of their schedule – all season long with relentless pressure defense, steals and layups. In fact, the Bobcats had already beat the Bulldogs by 20-plus points twice.

Belgreen, playing on their home court, was not about to let this game turn into a route. The Bulldogs hit the boards well and handled Phil Campbell’s full-court pressure about as well as anyone has this season.

“I was proud of our girls,” said Belgreen coach Chad Green. “They came out fearless and ready for the challenge. We did a better job of taking care of the ball and stopping their transition than we have in our previous two meetings.”

Belgreen led Phil Campbell 13-12 toward the end of the first quarter, but the Bobcats went on a 7-0 run to take a 19-13 lead at the beginning of the second quarter. Although the game would remain close, the Bobcats would never relinquish the lead.

Phil Campbell extended their lead to 10 at halftime 35-25.

Belgreen cut Phil Campbell’s lead to 39-34 on two straight three-point shots by Jasmine Martin and Emma Willingham early in the third quarter. That was as close as the Bulldogs would get.

Leading by seven late in the third quarter, Phil Campbell would go on a 7-0 run capped off by a soft jumper by Abby Davis to give the Bobcats a 52-38 lead.

The Bobcats were able to take significant chunks of time off the clock in the fourth quarter with strong passing game.

“Belgreen played a great game,” said Thomas. “They had a good game plan. We made some adjustments and attacked the basket. We changed our style a bit in the fourth quarter. We handled the pressure and had some good leadership on the floor.”

Davis led the Bobcats with 21 points. She was followed by Darby Elliot with 13 points. Kallie Allen and Dakota Elliott added nine points each. Chloe Roberson finished the game with four points and Caitlyn Mills two points.

Emma Dempsey led Belgreen with 11 points. Ansley Tate finished the game with eight points. Gracie Dempsey and Jasmine Martin scored six points each. Emma Willingham added five points. Katie Dempsey and Camie Terrell contributed four points each, and Autumn Bragwell chipped in three points.

Semifinals: Phil Campbell 59, Red Bay 40

The Phil Campbell Bobcats made a bold statement in their opening game of the Franklin County Tournament. In a tournament that has been dominated by Red Bay for the past two decades, the Bobcats (15-5) made clear they were focused on taking the prize for the first time since 1998.

Phil Campbell opened the game by taking a 24-5 first quarter lead and never looked back. The Bobcats led 33-16 at halftime and 50-30 at the end of the third quarter in route to a win that pitted them against the Belgreen Bulldogs in the finals Monday night.

Darby Elliot led the Bobcats with 18 points. Davis and Allen followed with nine points each. Roberson and Dakota Elliott added eight points each. Carley Nix finished the game with four points, Mills with two points and Harris with one point.

Macy Faulkner led Red Bay with 10 points. Mallori Miller added eight points, Destiny McCollister six points, Brooke Shewbart six points, Carlie Lindley five points, Lila Blackburn three points and Reagan Kuykendall two points.

Semifinals: Belgreen 64, Vina 44

After a slow first half start, the Belgreen Bulldogs ran away from the Vina Red Devils in the semifinals of the Franklin County Tournament, 64-44. The win sent the Bulldogs to the finals to face Phil Campbell Monday night.

The game was tied 9-9 at the end of the first quarter and 19-19 at the end of the first half. Vina led most of the first half, but a short jumper by Belgreen’s Camie Terrell tied the game heading into the locker room.

The second half was all Belgreen. The Bulldogs outscored the Red Devils 23-13 to take a 42-32 lead at the end of the third quarter. Belgreen again outscored Vina 22-12 in the fourth quarter to get the 20-point win.

Bragwell led Belgreen with 19 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Emma Dempsey followed with 13 points, with nine coming in the second half. Martin added eight points, Katie Dempsey seven points, Willingham six points, Tate five points, Terrell four points and Gracie Dempsey two points.

Abby Hester led Vina with 15 points. Emma Humphres finished with eight points, Sara Scott six points, Kaley Vandiver six points, Rayleigh Guinn four points, Kaitlyn King three points and Sarah Johnson two points.

Quarterfinals: Red Bay 45, Tharptown 39

The Red Bay Tigers overcame a sluggish second quarter to win a close one over the Tharptown Wildcats to advance to a semifinal matchup with the Phil Campbell Bobcats.

Red Bay held a narrow lead at the end of the first quarter, 15-12. Tharptown reversed the lead at halftime, 24-21. Red Bay retook the lead in the third quarter, 31-28, and held off the Wildcats in the fourth quarter for a 45-39 win.

Kuykendall led Red Bay with 15 points. She was followed by Lindley with 10 points. Savannah Shaw added five points, McCollister four points, Miller four points, Shewbart three points, Lila Blackburn two points and Faulkner two points.

Tharptown’s Aly Vandiver led all scorers with 16 points. Brooke Daily and Adrianna Borden added seven points each. Shaylee Wieting scored four points, Linda Bahena two points, Annslee Bottoms two points and Ameliah Dawson one point.