RHS teams struggle into new year
Varsity girls
West Point 60, Russellville 28
The Lady Golden Tigers were no match for West Point in this clash of area teams Jan. 4 at RHS.
The Warriors held a 34-17 lead at the half and went into the game’s final period up 52-23. Krista Sikes led RHS with seven points. Madison Murray had six, Autumn Logan scored five and Chalea Clemmons had four. AJ Taylor, Lexie Glass and Alivia Clemmons scored two points each.
Central-Florence 48, Russellville 40
Central’s Laura Lee Keener scored 33 of her team’s 48 points to lead the Wildcats to a win at Russellville.
“Madison Murray hit some big shots for us today, and there was a lot of progress,” Russellville head coach Corey Thomaston said. “We’re not where we want to be. We’ve got work that’s got to be done, but I was real proud of the effort for 32 minutes today.”
Murray had a team-high 22 points for RHS (4-13). Chalea Clemmons (5), Sikes (4), Logan (4), Alivia Clemmons (3), Taylor (1) and Glass (1) also scored for Russellville.
Varsity Boys
Lauderdale County 73, Russellville 66
The Golden Tigers and LCHS faced off in the championship game of the Bracy Invitational at Deshler Dec. 28.
It was the second time in as many tournaments that the two teams met on the hardwood, with Lauderdale County also taking the victory in the previous meeting.
Lauderdale County used a 23-5 second quarter to take a 41-27 lead into the half. Russellville outscored LCHS in the second half, but the early lead was too much to overcome.
Chandler Dyas led Russellville with 21 points. Lucas McNutt had 16, Will Bonner scored 14 and Devin Buckhalter added 10. Colin Bonner and Brooks Scott added two points each, and Jeb Bishop scored one point for RHS.
West Point 70, Russellville 69
The first game of 2019 was a tough one for the Golden Tigers. Area opponent West Point came into Russellville and stole a win in the final seconds of the contest.
The hotly-contested matchup saw tempers flare during and after the game as the two teams battled for positioning in the area race. With the loss, Russellville falls to 2-1 in Class 5A Area 14 play.
Russellville’s pressure defense in the second quarter held the Warriors to seven points in the period, and RHS scored 21 to take a 33-24 lead into the half. However, West Point came out hot in the third and went into the game’s final period with a 51-50 advantage. A three-pointer with 5.4 seconds to go in the game gave the Warriors the lead, and Russellville’s final attempt at a game-winning shot failed.
Buckhalter led RHS with 19 points, while McNutt had 17 and Dyas finished with 12. Will Bonner had nine points, while Scott pitched in with eight and Caden Parker scored four.
Russellville 89, Central-Florence 86
For the second consecutive night, RHS was the place to be for fans who enjoy last-second heroics on the court.
The Golden Tigers got the better result Saturday, as Buckhalter hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the game to give Russellville the exciting win over the Wildcats.
The two teams combined to put on an outside shooting display, as both squads were on fire from three-point land. Central’s Lane McCay scored 38 points and hit eight of his team’s 15 three-pointers in the contest.
Russellville (11-5) inbounded the ball with 1.4 seconds remaining after advancing the ball to near midcourt and calling a timeout. Parker found an open Buckhalter, and he then hit the exciting game-winner.
“We’re not going to see a team shoot the ball better than they shot it tonight all year,” Russellville head coach Patrick Odom said. “The McCay kid was unbelievable. Other than tackling him tonight, I don’t think we could stop him from making a jump-shot.
“We’ve got to start playing better defensively, but you credit them too. It was just one of those nights where it was going to be who could make the last shot.”
McNutt was Russellville’s top scorer with 28 points. Will Bonner added 18, Dyas scored 13, and Buckhalter finished with 11. Scott and Colin Bonner had seven each, and Parker added five.
