Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

CULLMAN – The Thompson Warriors will head into area play with a hard-fought road win over a top-10 opponent as they defeated the Cullman Bearcats 61-57 on Tuesday, Jan. 2.

The matchup was tightly contested from the early moments, with the teams combining for 18 points in the first quarter, and Cullman had the 10-8 advantage after the opening eight minutes.

Thompson took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Bearcats 17-8 with a strong effort on both sides of the floor.

That gave the Warriors a 25-18 lead going into the halftime break, but the fight was far from over.

Cullman responded after the teams came out of the locker room as it outpaced Thompson in a high-scoring third quarter, and the Bearcats’ 18 third-period points allowed them to cut the Warriors’ lead to just two going into the fourth.

Thompson and Cullman kept battling throughout the fourth quarter as each team sought to grab the victory, but in the end, the Bearcats tied up the game and sent the matchup to overtime.

After watching its lead slip away in the second half, the Warriors bounced back in overtime and retook the lead for good.

As the final buzzer sounded, Thompson walked away with a four-point victory in a hostile road environment, closing the book on non-area play with a 14-5 record.

Colben Landrew led the Warriors with 22 points, seven rebounds and four steals, and he was joined in double-figures by two of his teammates: Cam Pritchett, who had 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists, and Jay Green, who scored 10 points and recorded five steals and four assists.

In addition, Daeshaun Morrissette had seven points, three rebounds and two assists.

Thompson will kick off area play on Friday, Jan. 5 with a trip to rival Hoover at 7 p.m.