Staff Reports

CENTRE – Austin Richardson sank five of Cedar Bluff’s 11 3-pointers and finished with 17 points to lead the Tigers to a 67-51 varsity boys basketball win over Gaylesville in the Cherokee County Tournament on Thursday.

Richardson also had four steals, three assists, three rebounds and a block for the Tigers. Bucky Leek rang for 12 points, including a pair of treys. He also posted 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal. Eli McFry managed 10 points, all in the fourth quarter, to go along with eight boards.

Caleb Tucker tallied nine points and three rebounds. MJ Adams added six points and four boards. Aden Green and Kade Browning both finished with five points for the Tigers.

Kuper Bradley connected on four 3-pointers and had 17 points to lead the Trojans. Tanner Eads added 16 points, including a 6-of-7 performance from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Kyler Bradley sank 7-of-8 fourth-quarter shots from the charity stripe and had 13 points. Collin Hendon finished with five points.

Cedar Bluff held a 13-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter, but the Trojans tightened the score at halftime, trailing 26-23. The Tigers went on a 20-3 third-quarter run to take a commanding 46-26 advantage.

Cedar Bluff advances to face top-seeded Sand Rock on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Gadsden State-Cherokee Arena.

Varsity Girls

Sand Rock 77, Gaylesville 22

CENTRE – Zoey Handy netted 16 points, including an 8-for-8 performance from the free-throw line, to lead the Sand Rock Lady Wildcats to a 77-22 basketball victory over Gaylesville in the Cherokee County Tournament on Thursday.

Handy also had five rebounds, an assist and a steal for the Lady Wildcats. Katelyn StClair delivered 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, to go along with six assists, three rebounds and two steals. Sherina Foster also had a pair of treys and had 10 points, three assists, two rebounds and two steals.

Jacey Stephens rang for nine points, all on 3-pointers, to go along with two rebounds, two assists and a steal. Aliyah King came away with seven points. Chloe Stephens and Kennedy Henderson both finished with six points and four and three steals respectively. Henderson also grabbed seven rebounds.

Shonda Epps topped the Lady Trojans with 10 points. Aubrie Peek added six points on a pair of 3-pointers.

Sand Rock jumped out to a 30-6 first-quarter advantage and led 54-16 at halftime. The Lady Wildcats led 69-22 at the end of three quarters.

Sand Rock advances to meet top-seeded Spring Garden on Friday at 4 p.m.

Junior Varsity Boys Tournament

Spring Garden 37, Gaylesville 29

CENTRE – Spring Garden jumped out to a 15-3 first-quarter advantage and went on to take a 37-29 victory over Gaylesville in the Cherokee County Junior Varsity Boys Tournament on Thursday.

Zane Edwards led the Panthers with 11 points. Noah Barber connected on a pair of 3-pointers and had 10 points. Henry Chaney and Caden Buttram scored six and five points respectively.

Caden Angle led Gaylesville with 10 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Dameon Jeter rang for six points. Daylen Dobbins and Landon Chumbler both finished with five points.

Spring Garden led at halftime 25-14 and held a 32-22 at the end of three quarters.

With the win, the Panthers met Cedar Bluff in other JV boys action on Thursday.

Cedar Bluff 53, Spring Garden 42

CENTRE – Isaac Bishop scored a game-high 15 points in leading the Cedar Bluff junior varsity boys to a 53-42 victory over Spring Garden on Thursday.

Hunter Jenkins tossed in 14 points for the Tigers. Isreal Morrison and Dakota Langley netted nine and five points respectively.

Clayton Sadler and Zane Edwards both rang for 11 points for the Panthers. Edwards connected on three 3-pointers. Noah Barber netted nine points and Caden Buttram finished with six points.

Spring Garden held an early 12-8 advantage, but Cedar Bluff rallied to take a 24-22 edge at halftime. The Tigers stretched their lead to 39-33 after three quarters and outscored the Panthers 14-9 in the fourth for the final.

Cedar Bluff advances to Saturday’s JV boys title game at 4:30 p.m., where the Tigers will Cherokee County.

Cherokee County 44, Sand Rock 31

CENTRE – Jayquan Diamond delivered 10 points to lead the Cherokee County junior varsity boys to a 44-31 victory over Sand Rock in the Cherokee County Tournament on Thursday.

Aiden Whitefield sank three 3-pointers and finished with nine points for the Warriors. Ben Moseley managed eight points.

Morgan Tucker tallied 14 points to lead Sand Rock. Dominick Clausen connected on three treys and finished with 11 points.

The Warriors jumped out to a 15-5 first-quarter advantage and held a 17-9 halftime lead. They outscored the Wildcats 20-13 in the third to take a 37-22 edge.

Cherokee County battles Cedar Bluff for the JV boys title on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.