Thompson downs Briarwood in semis of Thanksgiving tournament

Published 8:56 pm Tuesday, November 22, 2022

By Alec Etheredge

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By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Managing Editor

ALABASTER – A strong second and third quarter was enough for the Thompson Warriors to create some separation in the semifinals of their own tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

The Warriors led by just one at the end of the first quarter, but they outscored county foe Briarwood 29-16 between the second and third quarter before eventually holding on for a 51-43 victory.

 In the opening quarter, the two teams battled back and forth with Xzayvion Childress starting strong for the Warriors.

He scored six of his team’s nine points, while Colben Landrew found his stroke early from beyond the arc with a 3-pointer to help the Warriors post nine points in the first period.

Briarwood, however, was right behind with eight points thanks to four different scorers contributing in a balanced effort to make it a 9-8 game through the first eight minutes of action.

In the second quarter, however, the Warriors picked up the defensive pace, while the offense gained even more confidence.

Landrew knocked down two more from beyond the arc to total nine in the first half, while Carson Pringle added three points and both Tre Adolphus and Justin McKnight added two each.

With that, the Warriors outscored Briarwood 13-5 in the quarter to take a 22-13 lead into the half.

Thompson carried that confidence early into the second half, hitting two 3-pointers within the first four possessions for part of what became a 10-2 run to start the third quarter.

With that, the Warriors opened up a 32-15 lead and went on to lead by as many as 19 points in the period before the Lions started to claw their way back into the game.

A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Grant Mears cut the deficit to 14 points going to the final quarter.

The Lions eventually dwindled it down to as little as eight points following an offensive rebound and put back as well as a 3-pointer from Mears that made it 44-36.

The two then traded baskets for a few possessions, but an and-1 in the final two minutes from Cam Pritchett put the Warriors up 49-38, which became too much for Briarwood to overcome.

The Lions did get a late 3-pointer from Zac Lamey with five seconds left, but it was too late at that point, as the Warriors held on for a 51-43 victory.

Thompson was led by Landrew with 14 in the win, while Adolphus finished with 11 and Childress 10.

Briarwood was led by William Lloyd with 13 points in the less, while Mears finished with nine.

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