Hot hand

By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
PHIL CAMPBELL - The way Russellville opened the second half of Thursday's county showdown ultimately trumped the way Phil Campbell closed the first.
The Golden Tigers shot out of the gate in the third quarter with a 13-2 run to seize control of the game, going on to claim a 64-52 victory over the Bobcats in front of a packed house at Phil Campbell's gymnasium.
"This is a big win for us," Russellville coach Tony Seals said. "Anytime you win at Phil Campbell, it's big. This is a tough place to play."
It got even tougher for the Golden Tigers (7-6) when Phil Campbell (7-10) ran off 10 straight points at the end of the first half to wipe out most of a 14-point deficit and send the home crowd into a frenzy.
Russellville regrouped at halftime and came out hot in the third quarter, led by junior wing man Rodney Suggs.
"Rodney hit two straight threes and also a layup, so he had eight points right there by himself," Seals said. "That got us going. We also did a better job defensively during that spurt."
Jarrell Nesmith opened the second half with a layup, and Suggs followed with a three to give the Golden Tigers a 36-27 lead. Corey Trapp's three-pointer stretched the lead to 12.
A layup by Griffin Harris got Phil Campbell back within 10, but Suggs answered with another deep trey from the left wing and a layup off a steal to make it 44-29 midway through the third.
The Bobcats never got within single digits again.
"We hit some shots right before the half to get some momentum, but Russellville was able to respond," Phil Campbell coach Kelly Kiser said. "That's what good basketball teams do. Tony does a super job with his guys. He is to be commended for everything."
Russellville led 31-17 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half after a steal and layup by Siran Winston capped a 9-0 run.
The Bobcats began their comeback with a layup by Chris Herring, and Matt Thomas drained a three-pointer to trim the lead to nine.
Harris then made two free throws, and a turnover by Russellville led to Eric Glasgow's trey that left Phil Campbell trailing 31-27 at the half.
"I tried to rest some people right before halftime, and we got caught with the wrong rotation out there," Seals said. "That's not the kids' fault. It's mine.
"Give Phil Campbell credit. They played hard. It was a good game on both sides. I think the difference was probably our offensive rebounding. We did a better job getting second and third shots."
Senior forward Geoffrey Nelson led Russellville's rebounding attack with 11 boards. He scored several times on putbacks and finished with a team-high 17 points.
Suggs added 13 points and nine rebounds.
"A lot of times, when you play an aggressive zone like we do, you end up out of position for long rebounds on the backside," Kiser said. "We got caught a few times with two guys trying to block out three, and that's tough. Russellville's really athletic, too.
"I feel good about the way we played though. If we give that kind of effort every night and play with that level of pride and dedication, we'll be in good shape."
The Bobcats came out blazing, getting a pair of fast-break layups from Glasgow as part of a 6-0 run to open the game.
Russellville got things going behind Nelson, who scored the final seven points in a 13-4 run that put the Golden Tigers on top by three after one quarter.
Glasgow made three three-pointers and finished with a game-high 19 points for Phil Campbell. Thomas added 14 points, including 12 in the first half, and Harris had 11.
Trapp finished with 10 points, including a pair of threes, for the Golden Tigers. Nesmith had nine points, and Winston added seven.
Russellville led 49-35 at the end of the third quarter.