Belgreen’s Fisher, Phil Campbell’s Elliott reach career scoring milestones
The Belgreen High School and Phil Campbell High School girls’ and boys’ varsity basketball teams faced off at Belgreen’s gymnasium on Friday night, the schools earning a win apiece and players from both reaching career milestones.
To start the night, the Belgreen girls took down the Lady Bobcats by a final score of 50-40.
The Lady Bulldogs outscored PCHS 9-2 to open the first period and maintained that seven-point advantage going into halftime up 23-16.
Phil Campbell, not out of the game by any means, cut into the deficit in the third quarter, outpacing BHS 19-14 to make it a two-point game heading into the final eight minutes of regulation.
In the fourth, though, the hosts put the contest to bed, holding the Lady Bobcats to five points and finishing the game with a 10-point lead.
Belgreen’s Makenna Fisher led the Lady Bulldogs with 14 points in the game. Those 14 points not only helped push the Lady Bulldogs to victory but also pushed the senior over the 1,000 points mark for her career.
“I’m so proud of her,” Belgreen head coach Chad Green said. “I’m proud of her not only from an athletic standpoint but as the good Christian young lady that she is, and proud from seeing her improve from that timid and shy seventh grader to being a fearless competitor as a senior.”
Belgreen’s Lilliana Willingham also hit double digits for BHS, scoring 10 points. Phil Campbell’s Leela Baker led her team with a game-high 16 points.
In the follow-up boys’ game, Phil Campbell earned a 54-37 road win over the Bulldogs.
The Bobcats took a lead in the first and never looked like surrendering it, outscoring the hosts in each of the first three quarters.
PCHS went up 15-11 to start the game and then doubled up on the Bulldogs in the second to take a 33-20 lead into the locker room at halftime.
By the end of the third quarter, the Bobcats had a 19-point advantage and were able to cruise to a final 17-point win.
Phil Campbell’s Austin Elliott commanded the game, scoring 16 more points than the contest’s next leading scorer. The junior finished the game with 25 points as he also crossed the 1,000 career points threshold.
“I’m just super proud of him,” Phil Campbell head coach Shannon Benford said. “He has grown up a lot and works hard.”
Phil Campbell’s second-leading scorer was Logan Cooper, who dropped seven points for the Bobcats. Belgreen’s Rush Berryman led the Bulldogs with nine points in the defeat.
Up next for both teams, on Tuesday, January 6, Belgreen will host Covenant Christian in an area contest while Phil Campbell is set to travel to area foe Colbert Heights.