Hartselle seems to be enjoying their stay in Mobile as they picked up their second victory of the season with a 78-60 win over Blount in the McGill-Toolen Tip-Off Classic.
“Tonight was another good win for our guys,” said Hartselle coach Faron Key. “We tried to build on our win last night and get a little better. Our offense stepped it up tonight.”
The Tigers jumped out to a 21-9 first-quarter lead behind 12 points from Brody Peebles and five from Ryan Dunn.
They extended their lead to 42-29 at halftime as Peebles had 13 in the quarter, and Dunn added five more to reach double figures. Peebles hit four three-pointers but showed he could dominate in the paint by making six buckets from within five feet of the basket.
The Tigers defense stood out in the first half with nine steals and four blocked shots.
Blount was able to stay in the game in the first half by making 17 out of 19 from the free-throw line.
“We just fouled too much,” said Key. We gave up 29 points in the first half, and 17 came on free throws. We have got to improve in that area of the game.”
Hartselle put some more distance between themselves and the Leopards in the third as they outscored Blount 23-12. Peebles added ten points in the quarter to give him six double-digit quarters in two games. Kiah Key exploded for nine consecutive points that helped push the lead from 16 points to 25 points midway through the third quarter.
“I was able to gain some confidence early in the third when I knocked down a layup,” said K. Key. “My teammates kept encouraging me, and that got me going.”
Blount outscored the Tigers 19-13 in the fourth to make the final score 78-60.
Peebles finished with 39 points, four steals, and three rebounds.
“Tonight was another good win!” said Peebles. “We have a long way to go in the season and must take the lessons learned from tonight and get better.”
Dunn added 13 points, four assists, and two steals, while K. Key finished with 11 points, five rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a blocked shot.
“We played well but also had some stretches we relaxed too much, but we will correct in practice,” said Dunn. “We played with a lot of energy and effort, and that’s what we have to focus on first.”
Luke Ward added nine points, three rebound, and two assists. Coleman Mizell came off the bench with four points, four rebounds, three blocked shots, an assist, and a steal. Trent Wright finished with two points, three rebounds, a blocked shot, an assist, and led the team with four steals.
“It is great to see the trust that my team has in one another,” said Ward.
Hartselle (2-0) will play their third game in three days when they tip-off with Saraland at 2 pm on Saturday.
