Russellville teams see mixed results to end 2017
By Brannon King / For the FCT
Girls (Hatton Christmas Classic)
Clements 53, Russellville 32
The Lady Golden Tigers took the basketball court for their first game of the Hatton Christmas Classic on Dec. 29 and came away with a loss to Clements.
The two teams played an even first quarter before the Colts pulled away in the second and third periods. Clements held a 44-26 advantage after three quarters of action.
Madison Murray led Russellville with 14 points in the game. Autumn Logan also scored in double figures with 10 for RHS. Pruitt and Cox had three points each, and Hill finished with two for Russellville.
Russellville 61, Decatur Heritage 37
Russellville came back to Hatton Friday and started play in the consolation bracket. The girls picked up a dominating win over Decatur Heritage.
The Lady Golden Tigers shot the ball well from the field and began the game with a 20-6 lead. They held a 33-23 advantage at the half. RHS was able to hold DHCA to only four points in the final quarter of play.
Murray continued her top-scorer streak with 22 points. Logan again had a double-digit point total with 12. They were followed by Pruitt (9), Taylor (8), Hargett (5), Cox (3) and Hill (2).
Russellville 56, East Lawrence 33
RHS advanced all the way through the consolation bracket with their second win of the day on Friday.
The Lady Eagles were no match for Russellville (5-13), as the Lady Golden Tigers used smothering defense to grab the victory and finish up the 2017 portion of their regular season schedule before they resume play in early January.
“We really executed to the level that I feel like we are capable of doing on a nightly basis,” Russellville head coach Corey Thomaston said.
“In the first game today, shots fell early, and it was a result of us executing our offense,” Thomaston added. “When shots start falling, it makes everything else work a little bit easier. In the second game, shots didn’t fall as much, but our defensive intensity and effort early on really set the tone for how we were going to play tonight.”
The Lady Golden Tigers were led in scoring by Murray’s 19 points. Logan scored 13, and Treyvia Pruitt finished with 12. They were followed by Hill and Taylor with five points each, and Madison Hargett had two points for RHS.
Boys (Bracy Invitational)
Russellville 77, Sheffield 52
The Golden Tigers went to the Deshler dome in Tuscumbia for the Bracy Invitational and played three games in three days, with the first coming against the Sheffield Bulldogs.
RHS got scoring from nine different players in the game, led 39-30 at the half and outscored Sheffield 20-6 in the final quarter.
Lucas McNutt led Russellville with 21 points. Devin Buckhalter had 14, and Caden Parker also scored in double digits with 10. Brock Malone (9), Calen Bragwell (6), Logan Jones (6), Chandler Dyas (5), Houston Kitterman (4) and Brooks Scott (2) also had points for RHS.
Florence 74, Russellville 60
For the second week in a row, RHS ended up having to play a strong Florence team in a tournament. This time, Russellville was able to stay closer to the Falcons on the scoreboard, but FHS was again the better team.
A 25-9 first quarter did Russellville in on this day, even though the Golden Tigers played close with FHS in the other three quarters, only being outscored by three points in the second and third periods and actually outdoing Florence by a 18-10 tally in the fourth.
Buckhalter had a big game for RHS with 20 points, while McNutt pitched in with 16. Jones (6), Parker (6), Malone (6), Dyas (3), Kitterman (2) and Bragwell (1) all scored for Russellville.
Red Bay 61, Russellville 60
An all-Franklin County matchup finished up play in the Bracy Invitational for both Russellville and Red Bay. The Tigers of RBHS won the battle between two schools that rarely get the opportunity to play against each other on the court.
Gath Weatherford sank two free-throws to give Red Bay a four-point lead with only three seconds remaining in the game. Russellville’s Parker answered with a long three-pointer at the buzzer to draw to within a point, but it wasn’t enough for RHS.
“When we’ve been at our best, we’ve shot the ball well, and we shot it just poorly today,” Russellville head coach Patrick Odom said. “You credit (Red Bay), they played hard. With how they play, when they got the lead, it kind of forced us into a chase mode all night.
“There were plenty of opportunities to win the game, we just couldn’t ever seem to make the play,” Odom added. “Those guys are doing a good job. Red Bay deserved to win; I’m not sure over the course of 32 minutes that we did, so we’ve just got to keep moving forward.
“We’re kind of riding the rollercoaster right now, and we’ve just got to get more consistent with what we’re doing.”
Russellville (4-9) was led in scoring by McNutt’s 21 points. Buckhalter had 18 for RHS and was followed by Dyas (9), Parker (5), Kitterman (3), Malone (3) and Bragwell (1).
Red Bay’s top scorer was Weatherford with 27. Braden Ray had 16, Peyton Green had 8 while Jalen Vinson and Colton Corum had 5 points each.
