Bobcats end shooting slump in win over Red Bay
By Staff
Mike Self, FCT Sports Editor
RED BAY – When Red Bay coach Greg Cash heard that Phil Campbell hadn't been shooting well lately, he began to worry.
"When Coach [Gary] Odom told me that before the game, I knew we were in trouble," Cash said.
His fears were realized on Tuesday night as the Bobcats snapped out of their recent slump with 11 three-pointers, shooting their way to a 64-53 victory over the Tigers.
Jay Steward and Tanner Maddox each made three treys for Phil Campbell (9-10, 2-4 Class 2A, Area 16), and four other players hit at least one.
"It wasn't like it was just one guy," Cash said. "It was everybody."
The Bobcats' hot shooting helped them avenge a 44-42 loss they suffered at home to Red Bay on December 12. They also kept alive their hopes of finishing third in the area standings and thereby avoiding a first-round matchup with the top seed in the tournament.
"Our guys came over here on a mission tonight," Odom said. "They had a serious look about them all day today. We hadn't been shooting the ball well at all, but we did tonight. Like I told them after the game, I don't know how and I don't know why, but I hope it continues."
Steward nailed a three-pointer as time expired in the first quarter to give Phil Campbell an 11-8 lead, and the floodgates opened. The Bobcats made five threes in the second quarter, including two by Maddox, as the lead grew to 34-21 at the half.
Red Bay trimmed the lead to 10 on a three-pointer by Jesse James early in the second half, but Steward answered with another trey to make it 39-26. The lead swelled to 18 at 47-29 on a three-pointer by Jonathan Dill, and Phil Campbell led 50-36 at the end of the third quarter.
The Tigers (1-3 area) opened the fourth quarter on a 10-2 run, cutting the lead to 52-46 on a basket by Ethan Davis with just less than six minutes remaining.
"Red Bay never goes away," Odom said. "They kept playing hard and got back in the game."
Chase Hutcheson made two free throws for Phil Campbell to stem the tide, and Steward delivered the dagger by draining the Bobcats' eleventh and final three of the night to push the lead back into double figures with 4:00 remaining.
"We got it down to six, but when he that shot from the corner it was pretty much over," Cash said.
The Tigers trimmed the lead back down to eight with 1:32 remaining, but Phil Campbell made 6-of-8 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Steward finished with 16 points to lead four Bobcats in double figures. Hutcheson added 11 points, and Caleb Thompson and Brett Thomas each had 10.
Justin Page led Red Bay with 13 points, and Grant Fancher added 10. Davis finished with eight, and Derrick Miller had seven.
James, Pablo Makepeace and Chris Frame each had five.'
