Hartselle’s Trace Hill goes up for a shot over Brewer’s Noah Stapler and Haden Holmes. | Caleb Suggs

Hartselle overcomes bad start to earn double digit win over Brewer

Caleb Suggs

Hartselle Enquirer

When Brewer traveled to Hartselle in the week following the Morgan County tournament, many believed they would be watching a rematch of the championship game. Unfortunately for Brewer, the Patriots were upset and didn’t make it to the title game. Still, that didn’t bring down any of the energy that these two always bring to their heated rivalry.

Brewer opened the game as hot as any team could possibly be. The Patriots raced to an 11-0 lead, with 9 of the 11 coming from Baxley Collins and John Graves, and led 16-4 at the end of the first.

Hartselle managed to get back on track in the second quarter and went on a run of their own as they outscored the Patriots 14-2 to tie the game at 18-18. Baxley Collins put Brewer back ahead with a three pointer, but Trace Hill tied it right back up with a buzzer beating three pointer of his own just before halftime.

In the second half, it was Hartselle who started out hot. Trace Hill knocked down three shots form beyond the arch to help Hartselle take a 32-23 lead. However, a three point shot from Dakota Bennett and a couple three point plays from Graves and the Patriots were right back in it. A three point play from Kyle Eddy put the Tigers up by six, but Brewer closed the quarter on a 10-0 run, capped by a Bennett three pointer, to take a 42-38 lead at the end of the third. The lead could’ve been 45-38, but a three point shot from Noah Stapler was waived just before the buzzer.

While Brewer managed to stay on top of Hartselle for most of the previous three quarters, the Tigers ran away with the game in the fourth. Hartselle outscored the Patriots 24-9, and cruised to a 62-51 victory, improving their current win streak to six games.

Afterwards, Hartselle head coach Faron Key was pleased with his team’s performance. “Our guys really liked the competition. They have been looking forward to playing in a close game again.” Key said. “Give credit to Brewer, they came out with a lot energy. But we hit that competitive button and our response defensively in the second half was excellent.”

Trace Hill finished the game as the Tiger’s leading scorer with 29 points while Kyle Eddy had 15. John Graves led Brewer with 17 while Dakota Bennett had 15.