Patriots hold off Priceville in county final
By By Todd Thompson, Hartselle Enquirer
FALKVILLE - The Brewer Patriots put their faith in Jordan Bowling with a county championship on the line.
The Brewer junior delivered, hitting three free throws in the final 1.8 seconds to beat Priceville 56-53 in the boys’ championship of the Morgan County Tournament at Falkville High School.
The county championship was the second-straight for the Patriots, who have now won five of the last seven titles.
It was a special night for the Bowling family as the Patriots’ twin duo of Jordan and Taylor scored 40 of the Patriots’ 56 points.
Jordan Bowling led all scorers with 31 points, while Taylor Bowling added nine points in the finals.
Brandon Murray added five points on his way to earn tournament most valuable player honors after sparking the Patriots’ upset of top-seeded West Morgan with five 3-pointers.
Murray’s offensive production was down in the championship. But he still had a huge impact on Brewer’s offense.
Tyler Croft led the Bulldogs with 16 points, while John Hawkins added 15 points including eight in the fourth quarter to help spark the Priceville rally.
Brewer opened a 26-24 lead at the half, but stretched to lead to nine points with a strong run in the third quarter. During the quarter, the Patriots outscored Priceville 17-10.
Priceville used a strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter to climb back in the game. Just like the Bulldogs’ win over Hartselle in the semifinals, Priceville finished out the game with a strong run in the final four minutes of play.
Priceville tied the game at 53-53 and it looked as if the championship would be headed to overtime before Jordan Bowling was fouled on an off-balance 3-pointer in the final two seconds of play.
Brewer’s win over the Bulldogs was the third this season, but it wasn’t its easiest.
Jordan Bowling, who had the Patriots’ only two baskets in the fourth quarter, made nine of 10 free throws in the final eight minutes of play to keep Priceville at bay.
And the Patriots were already thinking about defending their 2009 and 2010 county championships next season at West Morgan High School.
