Vina boys top Hackleburg
J.R. Tidwell/FCT Vina’s Nicky Miller (23) looks to make a shot against Hackleburg Tuesday night at Belgreen.
BELGREEN — The Vina Red Devils defeated the Hackleburg Panthers 57-47 Tuesday night at Belgreen.
The win put the Red Devils through to the next round, where they faced Belgreen Friday night in round two of the 1A Area 13 Tournament.
“Our defense played better, and our offense made some shots,” Vina head coach Dustin Silas said. “Our kids over the last 2 ½ weeks have practiced well and are playing very hard.”
Hackleburg jumped on top early with a 5-0 lead after three minutes of play. Adam Pharr hit a layup to put Vina on the board, sparking a comeback for the Red Devils.
A 3-pointer by Andrew Hester knotted the game at 8-8 with just over a minute remaining in the first.The Panthers had a late surge in the first, taking a 12-8 advantage into the second.
Nicky Miller hit two treys for Vina early in the second, allowing the Red Devils a 15-14 lead at the midpoint of the second quarter.
Another 3 by Hester followed by two foul shots and a 3-pointer by Miller put the Red Devils up 25-23 at the half.
The Panthers again tied the game at 25 all with 6:45 left in the third.
Nick Schmittou put Vina back on top with a free throw, and then gave the Red Devils a 29-25 lead after sinking a shot from behind the arc.
Vina had a four-point lead going into the final quarter at 38-34. The Red Devils extended that lead to eight points at 45-37 with 5:10 to go in the game, spurred on by a 3 from Adam Pharr.
Hackleburg went on a run late to close the gap to three points at 47-44 with three and a half minutes left.
Vina managed to hold off the surging Panthers to pick up the 10-point win.
“We have our work cut out for us playing Belgreen,” Silas said. “We have to try to figure out a way to beat them.”
Miller led the Red Devils in scoring with 22 points, including five 3-pointers. Adam Pharr had 13 points and Hester added nine. Also scoring for Vina were Schmittou (6), Tyler Hammick (4) and Ethan Pharr (3).
