DANVILLE - The Priceville Bulldogs came up two points short in their bid for the Morgan County Tournament championship. They fell 46-44 to West Morgan in a battle of area foes. The second-place finish is the Bulldogs' second in a row after losing to Danville last season.
“Since day one, all I have ever asked these guys is to play hard,” Priceville coach JR Dilbeck said. “We fought hard up to the very last second of the game. We just needed some shots to fall.”
Bulldog players Cole Lindeman, Jake Langlois and Sammy Holmes were named to the All-Tournament team. They joined West Morgan’s Carson Muse (MVP), Jalen Fletcher, Byron Parrish, Isaac Ward, Brewer’s Mac Shadden and Kade George, Danville’s AJ Holladay and Gage Taylor and Falkville’s Isaiah Warnick and Dawson Fowler.
Championship
West Morgan 46, Priceville 44
West Morgan led for much of the game, with the Rebels taking a 36-31 lead into the fourth quarter. However, the Bulldogs opened the quarter on a 9-3 run to take a 40-39 lead with 4:33 remaining. The teams found themselves tied at 44-44 after swapping baskets over the last few minutes.
The Rebels took the lead at 46-44 on a Muse dunk of a Fletcher pass with 1:59 remaining. They held on for the win after missing eight straight free throws and denying Priceville an easy look at the basket in the final seconds.
Ward finished with 12 points to lead West Morgan. Jalen Fletcher scored 11, while Muse had nine.
Sammy Holmes finished with 16 points to lead Priceville, while Cole Lindeman added 10. Caleb Lawrence had eight and Jake Langlois scored seven.
The win was West Morgan coach Sam Brown’s 11th Couty Tournament championship. He trails former Brewer girls coach Ricky Allen, who has 17, and former Austin coach Joe Jones with 16.
West Morgan 30, Brewer 28
The first half saw Brewer lead throughout, taking a 19-13 lead into halftime. However, West Morgan held the Patriots scoreless in the third quarter and outscored them by eight to take a 21-19 lead into the fourth.
The teams battled back and forth over the first six minutes of the final quarter, with the Rebels taking a 30-28 lead with 2:08 remaining. However, both teams missed multiple free throws down the stretch, with West Morgan fending off multiple shots by Brewer in the game's final 30 seconds.
Jalen Fletcher scored 13 points to lead West Morgan.
Mac Shadden finished with 11 to lead Brewer.
Priceville 72, Danville 29
Priceville dominated their semifinal matchup with Danville and rolled to a 72-29 win over the Hawks. The Bulldogs led 22-3 after the first quarter, 45-14 at halftime and 62-23 heading into the final quarter.
Sammy Holmes finished with 18 points and six rebounds to lead Priceville. Cole Lindeman added 17 points, four assists and five steals, while Tyler Case scored 14. Jake Langolis had seven points, eight rebounds and three blocks.
Gage Taylor finished with 12 to lead Danville, while Joseph Smith added eight and AJ Holladay seven.
1st Round
Brewer 60, Falkville 32
The Brewer Patriots broke open a tight game at halftime with a big second half in their 60-32 win over Falkville. After leading 29-20 at halftime, the Patriots outscored the Blue Devils 31-12 in the second half to get the win.
Austyn Holmes finished with 14 points to lead Brewer. Mac Shadden and Jackson Dunn each added 12 points.
Dawson Fowler finished with 10 points to lead Falkville.
