RHS basketball ends at subregional
By Brannon King for the FCT
The No. 4-ranked Lee-Huntsville Generals were just too much for Russellville as the Golden Tigers boys’ basketball season came to a close with a 89-49 loss in the Class 5A sub-regional game at RHS.
Russellville (18-8) fell behind early, and Lee continued to pull away for the convincing victory. The Golden Tigers trailed at the end of the first quarter 26-14 and 48-29 at the half. Seven different Lee-Huntsville players scored in the game, and they were led by the trio of Kobe Brown, Malik Burnett and Tyreece Smith.
Lee had to travel to RHS since the Generals finished second in their Area tournament to another highly-talented team, Mae Jemison. Lee-Huntsville held Russellville to one field goal in the fourth quarter and outscored the Golden Tigers by a 15-5 total in the final period of play.
“They’re just a great basketball team. They have all the ingredients that it takes to be really good,” Russellville Head Coach Patrick Odom said after the game. Size, speed and athleticism are some of the traits the Generals possess, according to the RHS coach. “What we needed tonight was for them to not shoot the ball well, and when they came in and did that, it just made things difficult on us. We probably could have played better in some stretches, but all the credit goes to them.”
Six Golden Tigers scored in the game, and they were led by senior Austin Stidham’s 14 points. Fellow senior Taylor Vincent also scored in double figures for Russellville with 13 points on the night. Bailey Motes, also playing his final game in a high school uniform, had seven points. Devin Buckhalter pitched in with 7. Lucas McNutt scored 5 while senior Judd Ward scored 3. Nate Franklin also played in his final game for RHS.
“This group is a special group,” Odom said about his team. “I love my group of guys, and there’s not enough words for me to tell how proud I am of them. Tonight was just a difficult task, but these guys have accomplished a lot and have been a joy to coach and to watch play because they go about their business in the right way.
“They’re high-character guys. I told them that in itself is going to take them a long way, and that’s more important than basketball. So for that, I’m very proud of them.”
The Russellville squad finished the season as Class 5A, Area 16 champions by taking the Area tournament for the second-straight year. The team has shown steady progress under Odom, who has now been head coach of the Golden Tigers for two seasons. RHS will now look to build on what the team has accomplished going into next season and will have to replace many starters that will graduate. Look for Buckhalter and McNutt to play key roles on the team again next year as Russellville looks to continue their winning ways.
