Tigers, Hawks advance to second round of 9th grade tournament

By Staff
Nick Johnston, Hartselle Enquirer
DANVILLE – Two games, two blowouts.
The Hartselle Tigers 9th grade squad improved to 15-5 with a 37-19 win over West Morgan, while Danville cruised to a 42-19 win over rival Falkville.
Hartselle will take on No. 1 seed Brewer in the second round of the Morgan County Tournament at 5 p.m. today, while Danville faces Priceville at 4 p.m.
Hartselle 37, W. Morgan 19
First Round
The Tigers wasted little time dispensing of the Rebels, beginning with a 10-0 run through the end of the first quarter.
Hartselle held West Morgan to just one field goal in the first half, due in part to turnovers. As a team, Hartselle forced 22 turnovers, including 16 steals.
Daxton Maze hit what proved to be the game-winning free throw with 4:44 remaining in the second half, as the Tigers led 20-5.
Hartselle pushed its advantage to 21 points at 30-9 by third quarter's end.
Justin Billings led Hartselle with eight points, while Steven Chop scored seven points, pulled down nine rebounds and also had two blocks. Maze and Brent Hill had four apiece, while Cline Thompson and Nathan Kimbrell both had three.
Cody Stisher, Mark Stowe, Keeton Light and Johnny Jones all had two points.
Jones had a team-high four steals.
Rod Goodloe had a game-high 11 points for West Morgan, while Josh Husky scored five.
Danville 42, Falkville 19
First Round
Stratton Garner scored a game-high 12 points and Tyree Murphy added 11 as the Hawks advanced to the second round.
Danville led 11-4 at the end of the first quarter, 25-11 at halftime and 38-15 heading into the fourth quarter.
Drew Osborne scored six for the Hawks, Chris Vest and Danny Pepper had four apiece, while Alex Arsher had three points. Johnathan Bridges added two points.
For Falkville, Eric Smith scored a team-high six points and Heath Alford had five. James Beavers and Jackson Holmes had three apiece and Thomas Holt had two.