Bobcats beat Belgreen 36-30, repeat as B-boys champions
By Staff
Kim West
RED BAY – The second-seeded Phil Campbell B-boys beat No. 1 Belgreen 36-30 in overtime to repeat as Franklin County Tournament champions Monday night.
In overtime Phil Campbell outscored Belgreen 8-1, and the Bobcats sank 6-of-10 free throws as Chase Swinney scored six of his team-high 13 points.
Belgreen took an early 4-0 lead thanks to a layup by Chaney Simmons and a jumper by Caleb Mitchell, but Phil Campbell responded with eight straight points, including a 3-pointer and a putback by Austin Jones, to lead 8-4 heading into the second quarter.
Britnell tied the score at 12 with a putback, but Swinney hit a driving layup to give the Bobcats a 14-12 advantage at halftime.
In the third quarter, Belgreen tied the score three times and outscored Phil Campbell 8-7 as Britnell scored six points, including a turnaround shot, a bank-in jumper and a putback. But Swinney hit 1-of-2 free throws at the end of the quarter to put the Bobcats back ahead 21-20.
After Cameron Harris hit two free throws at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Britnell responded with a turnaround jumper over three defenders. Both teams continued to trade baskets throughout the quarter but Phil Campbell stayed ahead until the final minute.
With the Bobcats clinging to a two-point lead with 1:01 left, Britnell took an inbounds pass and drained a jump shot with 30 seconds left to tie the game at 28.
After both teams traded turnovers, Phil Campbell missed a running jumper at the buzzer with no time left to send the game into overtime.
Swinney led the Bobcats with 13 points, while Ben Stancil scored 10 and Harris and Jones added five apiece. Craig Saint (2) and Jamie Dorrah (1) also scored for Phil Campbell.
Britnell finished with a game-high 16 points, and Mitchell added six for the Bulldogs. Tyler Medina, Simmons, Brock Hester and William Washington each scored two points for Belgreen.
Phil Campbell won last year's tournament by beating East Franklin. This year, the Bobcats defeated Tharptown to advance to the finals, and Belgreen downed Red Bay Saturday.
