Tigers battle through three games in the Huskey Holiday Shootout

The Hartselle Tigers traveled to Helena for the Husky Holiday Shootout this past week. The Tigers came away with a win over UMS-Wright before falling to Chelsea in the semifinals and Helena in the 3rd place game.

Several Tiger players set career highs during the Shootout, including Rylan Smothers, Dawson Seal, Aiden Pointer and Kohl Key.

Hartselle 75, UMS-Wright 40

Hartselle opened the Husky Holiday Shootout with a 75-40 win over UMS-Wright. The Bulldogs led 13-10 after the first quarter. The Tigers took control of the game by outscoring UMS-Wright 26-6 in the second quarter to lead 39-19 at halftime. They extended their lead to 58-33 heading into the final quarter.

Dawson Seal led four Hartselle players in double-digits with a career-high 18 points while hitting six three-pointers. Ty Odom had 16 points, while Smothers added 13 points and eight rebounds. Markus Tapscott finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Key scored six points and had a career-high eight assists.

Chelsea 61, Hartselle 49

Hartselle had a matchup with 7A Chelsea in the semifinals and fell to the Hornets 61-49. The Tigers led 11-9 after the first but trailed 29-20 at halftime and 45-39 heading into the final quarter.

Smothers led Hartselle with a career-high 26 points. He also had a team-high seven rebounds. He finished 9-of-15 from the field and 7-of-10 from the free throw line. Odom added 14 points and six rebounds.

Helena 62, Hartselle 58

In the 3rd place game, the Tigers fell behind 25-12 after the first quarter and couldn’t recover in a 62-58 loss to 6A #6 Helena. Hartselle trailed 35-24 at halftime. They opened the third quarter with a 16-4 run to take a 40-39 lead, but the Huskies rebounded to lead 45-43 heading into the final quarter. Helena outscored the Tigers 17-15 in the fourth quarter to hold on for the win.

Smothers matched his career-high of 26 points and added five rebounds. Odom added 12 points and four steals, while Pointer scored a career-high 10 points. Key had eight points, four assists and four steals.

Hartselle (9-8) heads to Homewood for the Metro Tournament starting Dec. 28 with a 7:30 matchup with 7A Spain Park.