BY DANIEL SCHMIDT FOR THE OBSERVER
BEULAH – As seniors gathered with their loved ones at halftime, Monday night’s matchup against Horseshoe Bend High School was supposed to give Beulah’s seniors the chance to go out on a high note during their final regular season game at home.
It was also a chance for both the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams to extract revenge for two defeats in New Site earlier this season.
Instead, the otherwise special night was spoiled as the Lady Generals defeated the Lady Bobcats 53-39 and the Generals took down the Bobcats 64-58, giving both the HBHS girls’ and boys’ teams a sweep over BHS.
With the victory, the Lady Generals improve to 13-7 while the Lady Bobcats must regroup with an 8-9 record on the season. The Generals now sit at 7-10 while the Bobcats fall to 11-5.
Following the initial senior night festivities, it appeared the girls’ game would be tightly contested from opening tipoff to the final whistle as HBHS carried a narrow 7-5 lead after the first five minutes. That tight margin ultimately grew to a 16-8 Lady Generals lead, however, as Tykasia Williams’ six tough points in the paint could not keep pace with Lily Moss’ early three point basket and six points from Takenzie Woods.
As both teams settled into the game, scoring opportunities came at a premium with BHS and HBHS opting for tighter defenses. Facing tougher resistance from the Lady Bobcats, the Lady Generals took advantage of their free throw opportunities and went on a 13-10 run that negated eight combined points from Taylor Ross and Williams.
That allowed HBHS to take a commanding 29-18 lead at halftime.
Down by double digits, BHS sought to get back into the game and break through the Lady Generals’ full-court press.
Things quickly changed as Greenleigh Key was particularly effective near the basket and from the free throw line, scoring eight of her 14 total points in the third quarter. With the game nearly out of reach, the Lady Bobcats stopped the bleeding with several quick baskets late in the third quarter and cut into HBHS’ ballooning lead.
With BHS still trailing by 11 points entering the fourth quarter, discipline on both teams broke down as they urgently sought to control the final frame. As a result, errant passes resulted in numerous turnovers, and most scoring opportunities came from the free throw line, fast break opportunities or three point range.
Williams led all scorers with 20 points, while Key paced the Bobcats with 14 points and Moss and Holland Gamble contributed 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Similarly to the girls’ game, the boys’ game began competitively with a frantic pace and high-flying action as both sides looked to carve out an early advantage.
Despite only one combined point through the first roughly three minutes of play, things quickly heated up around the five minute mark. Two timely three point baskets from Ayden Sanders and evenly distributed scoring helped the Bobcats keep pace with Braxton Wilson’s nine first quarter points as BHS trailed HBHS 16-13 after the first quarter.
From there, the Bobcats flipped the game on its head with relentless frontcourt pressure, dazzling ball handling from Cameron Baker and complimentary scoring from Beau Duck. Those efforts fueled an 18-11 run from BHS that kept Wilson’s continued offensive outpouring in check.
Following a back-and-forth first half, the Bobcats entered the break with a 31-27 lead.
After halftime, BHS did its best to keep its foot on the gas. For eight minutes, the Bobcats rid impressive shooting from various spots and ranges by Adolph Dunn Jr., who contributed 10 points in the third quarter, to a 23-19 lead. Yet that lead remained fragile as Wilson exploded for 14 points with a mixture of slashing and spinning runs to the basket and numerous free throw opportunities.
Hanging on to an eight point advantage, BHS looked to secure the victory over HBHS by corralling the white-hot Wilson, who scored only three points the entire fourth quarter. Even with Wilson rendered ineffective, the Bobcats’ lead evaporated as the Generals went on an 18-4 run as Stone Williamson, Kendon Sherrer and Soloman Arnold picked up the slack and scored 15 of their combined total 21 points.
Wilson led all scorers with 33 points for the Generals, while Dunn Jr. led the Bobcats with 12 points and Baker and Sanders both contributed 11 points.
What’s Next
According to the Alabama High School Athletic Association website, the final day for region play was Jan. 27, and BHS’ final two regular season girls’ and boys’ games at Lanett High School and home against Verbena High School were cancelled.
Moving forward, the girls’ sub-regional tournament begins on Feb. 7 and the boys’ sub regional tournament begins on Feb. 8. Because area tournament brackets are not due until Jan. 28, it is unclear at the time of writing who the BHS girls’ and boys’ teams will play next.
