Thompson survives test from Tuscaloosa County in area finale
Published 6:42 pm Monday, January 27, 2025
- Thompson outlasted Tuscaloosa County on the free throw line to sweep the season series and wrap up the No. 2 seed in Class 7A, Area 5. (File)
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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor
ALABASTER – Just like in their first meeting, the Thompson Warriors found the Tuscaloosa County Wildcats to be a tight match, and also like their Jan. 14 meeting, the Warriors came away with the win.
Thompson defeated Tuscaloosa County on Friday, Jan. 24 at Warrior Arena to sweep the season series ahead of their matchup in the area tournament semifinals at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa.
Before the game, the team honored its two seniors Jaden Love and Aaron Gover with a special senior night ceremony.
Both offenses got out to solid starts in the matchup. For the Warriors, Love was their spark plug with seven of his team’s 13 first-quarter points on his senior night. However, Tuscaloosa County hit a trio of 3-pointers to take a 14-13 lead into the second quarter.
Thompson responded in the second quarter, using a pair of 3-pointers from Trey Knight and four more points from Carson McKenney to fuel the offense. Five Warriors combined to outscore the Wildcats 15-10 in the second and go up 28-24 ahead of the halftime break.
Tuscaloosa County continued to keep it close off its long-range success as the team combined for a trio of 3-pointers once again. Cam Pritchett and McKenney each hit shots from the field but also played a key role in Thompson going 6-for-7 from the free throw line in the third.
That free throw success came back into play in the fourth quarter after the Wildcats made it a one-possession game ahead of the fourth quarter by trimming the deficit to 41-38.
Five different Warriors needed to go to the charity stripe in the fourth quarter, and they missed just two free throws as a team down the stretch. Thompson went a combined 8-for-10 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter to put away the five-point victory.
McKenney led the Warriors with 15 points. Knight scored 11 points, and Love made it three Thompson players in double figures with 10 points. Landyn Smith finished with five points, and Damonte Tabb earned four points in the win.
With the win, the Warriors improved to 14-11 and finished out area play with a 4-2 record, good enough for the No. 2 seed in the Class 7A, Area 5 tournament.
Thompson will finish out the regular season with back-to-back games, first against the Hoover Bucs on Thursday, Jan. 30 and then against the Huffman Vikings on Friday, Jan. 31. Both games will tip off at 7 p.m. at Warrior Arena.