Tigers drop two in area play

The Hartselle Tigers dropped into second place in the area standings after dropping matchups with Cullman and Decatur last week.

Cullman 54, Hartselle 41
The Tigers got off to a hot start as they jumped out to an 8-2 lead midway through the first quarter. After Cullman tied the game at 8-8, Hartselle closed the quarter with two three-pointers to lead 14-8 heading into the second quarter.

Cullman took control of the game with a 20-9 run in the quarter to take a 28-23 lead into halftime. After playing an even third quarter where both teams scored 14 points, the Bearcats pulled away for the win by outscoring the Tigers 12-4 in the fourth quarter.

Kohl Key had 14 points to lead Hartselle (11-13). Rylan Smothers finished with nine points and seven rebounds, while Ty Odom and Brayden Thomas added eight points each.

Brodie Banister and Jake Dorough had 12 points each to lead Cullman (16-8).

Decatur 50, Hartselle 44
Decatur grabbed a 13-7 lead following the first quarter and held on for a 50-44 win over Hartselle. The Tigers cut the lead to 23-20 at halftime but stumbled in the third quarter as the Red Raiders outscored Hartselle 20-10 to extend their lead to 43-30.

The Tigers battled back in the fourth quarter, scoring the quarter’s first 10 points to cut the lead to 43-40. However, Decatur recovered by outscoring the Tigers 7-4 the rest of the way to hold on for the 50-44 win.

Odom finished with 14 points to lead Hartselle. Key added 11 points and three steals, while Rylan Smothers had nine points.

Kamron Gamble led Decatur(14-9) with 18 points, while Braylen Elliott scored 14 points and Tre Kirk scored 11.