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By SETH HAGAN | Special to the Reporter

ALABASTER –Thompson hosted the new no. 1 ranked team in Class 7A Friday, January 27 in the Vestavia Hills Rebels who came in fresh off a win against Hoover to take control of the area. Vestavia came in focused on leaving with the area crown and the tournament’s no. 1 seed and looked every bit like the best team in the state. The Rebels surged to a 22-5 lead and never let.

Thompson got closer than 14 points the rest of the way in a 65-34 finale to the area schedule. 

Vestavia (21-4, 5-1) started cooking from beyond the arc from the jump and never looked back. Four triples in the first quarter, plus five Thompson turnovers and a last-second three from half-court at the buzzer gave them a 20-5 lead after one quarter, stunning the home crowd. 

Thompson took down the no. 9 ranked Tuscaloosa County Wildcats on Tuesday, but looked far less poised against a Rebel team that handed them a 71-50 defeat back on January 13. The Warriors only mustered five field goals in the first half while Vestavia hit five from three-point territory alone. 

The Rebels limited Thompson’s leading scorer Carson Pringle all night and collapsed their defense in the paint to limit any penetration. The Warriors also struggled from long range and were unable to shoot themselves back into a rhythm. Freshman Colben Landrew led Thompson with four points before halftime as the only Warrior with more than a bucket going into the locker room. 

Leading 35-14 going into the third quarter, Vestavia emerged from the break as hit as ever with an 8-0 run to begin the period. Senior Xzayvion Childress hit two of his three triples in the third quarter, but the Rebels again limited the remainder of his teammates as Pringle was the only other Warrior to score in the third. 

Thompson had their best production in the final period outscoring Vestavia 12-6 over the final eight minutes of the contest. Pringle hit a three while fellow senior Damian Wooley hit two from the field to finish things out. 

Xzayvion Childress led Thompson with 11 points with Carson Pringle chipping in seven. 

Thompson (15-12, 1-5) play their final home game next this coming Tuesday, January 31 against the Helena Huskies with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The Warriors’ regular season finale will be Friday, February 2 at Florence High School. The Area 5 tournament will be hosted at Vestavia Hills.