Bulldogs power past Cougars, head to regionals
By Bart Moss / For the FCT
The Belgreen Bulldogs continued their frantic scoring pace from the area tournament on into subregion play, blowing past the Waterloo Cougars 99-68.
Belgreen Coach Clint Isbell can only hope his team carries the momentum hot-shooting touch into regional play at Wallace State Community College this week, where they will play South Lamar Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
“We have been clicking on all cylinders the past few games,” said Isbell, whose team will play at Wallace for the first time in three years. “We have been playing at the pace we like to play. We have been hitting our shots, causing turnovers, making free throws. There is not a lot bad I can say about how we are playing. We just have to stay focused and keep playing hard. We’ve come too far and played too well to stop now.”
Belgreen and Waterloo traded baskets for about two-thirds of the first quarter before the Bulldogs gradually turned the game into a blowout. The game was tied at 15-15 very early in the first quarter when neither team was missing a shot. From there, Belgreen went on a 15-6 run to close the quarter and take a 30-21 first quarter lead.
The pace seemed to affect Waterloo, as the Cougars began to make a lot of unforced errors and started missing shots. Belgreen, playing behind an energetic packed house, never let up their relentless pace on defense or offense. The Bulldogs outscored the Cougars 29-11 in the second quarter to take a 59-32 halftime lead. The Bulldogs would extend their lead to 82-54 before coasting to the win in the fourth quarter.
Jacob Mayberry and Mason Bragwell led Belgreen with 17 points each. Brant Bragwell added 15 points, and Joseph Welch had 13 points to round out the double figure scoring. Adam Green had eight points, Seth Taylor seven points, Payton Scoot six points, Shane Devaney five points, Grayson Moore four points, Ashlee Britton three points and Eli Hiser and Patrick Sykes two points each.
The Bulldogs went 20-for-28 from the free throw line.
R.A. Hubbard 77, Tharptown 52
The Tharptown Wildcats hung with the R.A. Hubbard Chiefs through three quarters of play, but eventually the athleticism of the Chiefs wore on the Wildcats as they fell 77-52. The loss ended Tharptown’s season.
Hubbard jumped out to a 20-9 lead over Tharptown in the first quarter, but the Wildcats battled back, outscoring the Chiefs 17-12 in the second quarter to cut the lead to 32-26 at halftime. R.A. Hubbard pushed their lead back out to 12 points in the third quarter, outscoring Tharptown 19-13 to make the score 51-39 going into the final period of play. The Chiefs put the game away with an explosive fourth quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 26-13 to secure the win.
Mikey Rosson led Tharptown with 24 points. Carson Petree added eight points, Cole Daniel had seven points, T.J. McDonald and Levi McCormack had four points each, Braden Key added three points, and Alex Argueta finished with two points.
Sheffield 70, Phil Campbell 52
The Phil Campbell Bobcats struggled with the athleticism of the Sheffield Bulldogs in subregion play Tuesday night, losing 70-52. The loss brought an end to the Bobcats’ season.
Sheffield led Phil Campbell 21-14 after the first quarter and broke the game open in the second quarter, outscoring the Bobcats 19-10 to take a 40-24 halftime lead. Sheffield expanded their lead to 58-32 after three quarters.
Hayden Copeland led Phil Campbell with 13 points. Peyton Thomas added 11 for the Bobcats.
