Tigers drop two after opening Metro Tournament with a win over Oak Mountain
HOMEWOOD, AL – The Hartselle Tigers (10-8) opened the 2022 Metro Tournament at Homewood High School with a 77-64 win over 7A Oak Mountain. Unfortunately, the Tigers couldn’t maintain the momentum from that victory as they dropped back-to-back games to Homewood and Clay-Chalkville to close the tournament.
Junior Kohl Key led the Tigers by averaging 15 points per game with 4.3 three-pointers made per game in the three-day tournament.
Clay-Chalkville 60, Hartselle 55
Hartselle fell 60-55 to Clay-Chalkville in the third-place game of the Metro Tournament. The Tigers led 14-9 after the first quarter but trailed 29-28 at halftime. Hartselle led 42-30 heading into the final quarter.
Rylan Smothers led Hartselle with 14 points and seven rebounds in the loss. He finished 6-of-12 from the field and 2-of-2 at the foul line.
Kiah Key and Ryan Dunn added 13 points each. Key also had 10 rebounds and five steals, while Dunn had six rebounds.
Key’s double-double was his third of the season, and it was the fifth time he has had double-digit rebounds.
Kevin Kirk scored 18 points for Clay-Chalkville, while Devon McKinnon added 11 points.
Homewood 66, Hartselle 59
The Tigers dropped a 66-59 decision to Homewood in the semifinals of the Metro Tournament. Hartselle led 9-7 after the first quarter. Unfortunately, Homewood took a 20-18 lead at halftime and held it for the remainder of the game.
Ryan Dunn led Hartselle with a season-high 17 points in the loss. He also had three assists and three steals.
Kohl Key added 15 points while hitting five three-pointers, while Kiah Key had 12 points, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
Canon Armstead led Homewood with 19 points and David Stone scored 10.
Hartselle 77, Oak Mountain 64
The Tigers opened the Metro Tournament with a 77-64 win over 7A Oak Mountain (14-3).
Hartselle led 24-19 after the first quarter. They opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run to take a 31-19 lead before the Eagles went on a 19-5 run to take a 38-35 lead with less than 20 seconds left in the first half. Ty Odom gave the Tigers a 40-38 lead at halftime after making a three-pointer and foul shot with eight seconds left.
Hartselle outscored Oak Mountain 37-26 in the second half to secure the victory.
Kohl Key scored a career-high 22 points to lead Hartselle to the victory. He hit a career-high six three-pointers and had three steals.
After missing five games due to an illness, Ryan Dunn had 12 points and seven assists in his first game back. Rylan Smothers finished with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Thomas Itsede added 10 points, three assists and three steals.
