Belgreen girls win holiday tournament
By Bart Moss / For the FCT
For many teams, holiday basketball tournaments are used to venture away from the same teams they play during the regular season. These tourneys many times offer the opportunity for a team to test itself against tougher competition and different circumstances.
The Belgreen Lady Bulldogs did just that last week, winning the Winston County Christmas Tournament.
The Bulldogs played Decatur Heritage and Corner. Both games put the Belgreen girls in challenging situations, and in both situations, they came out winners.
In both games Belgreen had to face down adversity and make come-from-behind efforts to get wins. The Bulldogs had to go to overtime to beat Corner in the finals.
“I was real proud of the effort our girls gave,” said Belgreen coach Chad Green. “We faced two tough situations and never gave up. We played strong and came out on the winning end.”
Girls
Belgreen 61, Corner 57 (Overtime)
The Belgreen Bulldogs couldn’t sustain an eight-point fourth-quarter lead but pulled out a 61-57 overtime win over Corner to win the Winston County Christmas Tournament.
Jasmine Martin scored five points in overtime to lead the Bulldogs past Corner.
Corner led Belgreen 15-14 at the end of the first quarter and held a two-point advantage at halftime, 25-23. Belgreen had a big third quarter, outscoring Corner 17-7 to take a 40-32 lead into the fourth quarter. Corner, however, outscored Belgreen 21-13 in the fourth quarter to tie the game 53-53 and send it to overtime.
The Bulldogs doubled up Corner 8-4 in overtime to get the championship win.
Emma Dempsey led Belgreen with 14 points. Martin and Gabbie Moore scored 13 points each. Ansley Tate had 11 points. Katie Dempsey and Gracie Dempsey finished with four points each. Emma Willingham had two points.
Belgreen 52, Decatur Heritage 46
The Belgreen Bulldogs came out on top in a roller coaster game with Decatur Heritage in the semifinals of the Winston County Christmas Tournament.
Decatur Heritage led Belgreen 9-8 at the end of the first quarter, but the Bulldogs outscored the Eagles 24-13 in the second quarter to take a 32-22 halftime lead.
Belgreen couldn’t get comfortable though. The Eagles outscored the Bulldogs 17-4 in the third to take a 39-36 lead into the final period of play.
Belgreen outscored Decatur Heritage 16-7 in the fourth quarter to get the win.
Katie Dempsey led the Bulldogs with 12 points. Emma Dempsey, Moore and Gracie Dempsey scored nine points each. Camie Terrell finished with six points, Martin with four points, Tate with two points and Willingham with one point.
Boys
The Belgreen Bulldogs participated in the annual TimesDaily Classic last week. Belgreen picked up a win against Colbert County and a loss to Haleyville.
Belgreen 76, Colbert County 40
The Belgreen Bulldogs jumped on the Colbert County Indians early and didn’t let up, rolling to a 76-40 win in the opening round of the TimesDaily Classic.
Belgreen opened up a 12-0 lead to start the game and led 27-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs extended their lead to 49-21 at halftime and led 74-32 at the end of the third quarter.
Mason Bragwell led all scorers with 22 points, followed by Brant Bragwell with 13 points and Peyton Scott with 12 points. Jake Taylor finished the game with eight points, Jacob Mayberry with six points, Ashlee Britton with five points, Seth Taylor and Eli Hiser with four points each and Caleb Pinkard with two points.
Haleyville 77, Belgreen 56
The Belgreen Bulldogs fell behind early to the Haleyville Lions and never could find their way back into the game, losing 77-56.
Haleyville led a high-scoring first quarter 26-19 but pulled away from Belgreen in the second quarter, outpacing the Bulldogs 24-12 to take a 50-31 halftime lead. Haleyville led 73-42 at the end of the third quarter.
Mason Bragwell led Red Bay with 22 points. Hiser and Brant Bragwell followed with 14 and 10 points respectively. Britton followed with six points. Mayberry and Taylor scored two points each.
