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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

LEEDS – Fresh off a runner-up finish at the Smoky Mountain Christmas Classic, the Briarwood Christian Lions kept their momentum going in their final games of 2024 at the Leeds Invitational.

Briarwood defeated the Pell City Panthers 78-55 on Friday, Dec. 27 before beating the St. Clair County Saints 82-59 on Saturday, Dec. 28 in the Christmas break showcase at Leeds High School.

The Lions burst out of the gate with a 21-point first quarter, getting seven different scorers involved while Drew Mears started the day with five points and Eli Stubbs scored four points in the first.

The defense also helped Briarwood build out a double-digit lead which stood at 21-8 at the end of the first quarter.

The strong shooting performance from the Lions continued into the second quarter. Tory Smith knocked down a pair of 3-pointers as he scored eight of his team’s 21 points in the second.

Briarwood continued to use a wide variety of scorers to deal damage against Pell City as six different players helped the Lions continue to outpace the Panthers and make the halftime lead 42-21.

Pell City got more momentum on the offensive end and would outscore Briarwood 21-17 in the third quarter. However, six points from Stubbs to get him into double figures led the way for Briarwood in the third and helped the Lions maintain their double-digit advantage.

With a 59-42 lead going into the fourth quarter, Briarwood finished strong to keep the Panthers at bay. Mears capped off his team-high 18 points with eight in the fourth quarter to finish off the 33-point victory.

In addition to Mears’ total, Stubbs, Smith and Brayden Robertson had double-figure performances with 14, 11 and 10 points, respectively. In addition, Sam Canale and Garrett Witherington each scored eight points and Charlie Caldwell rounded out the scoring with seven points.

The next day against St. Clair County, Briarwood faced a tight first quarter before ultimately pulling away. Despite eight first-quarter points from Mears and a pair of early buckets from Witherington, the Lions held just a 17-14 lead going into the second quarter.

That gave way to a frantic second quarter where both offenses found lots of success. With the teams combining for 47 points in the remaining minutes of the half, Caldwell’s eight points and Stubbs’ seven points in the second made up for Mears being held scoreless during the second.

Briarwood’s high-powered offense helped it take a 42-36 lead into the halftime break.

The Lions used the long ball to build out their lead in the third quarter as Stubbs and Smith each hit a pair of 3-pointers. Mears and Witherington each made multiple baskets to help power the offense as well.

As a result, the lead extended to 64-50 at the end of the third quarter, and Briarwood continued to pull away from there.

Canale paced the offense from the field in the fourth quarter while Mears had a strong stretch from the free throw line, maximizing his opportunities from the charity stripe by making eight free throws.

The Saints couldn’t get much more momentum from there and the Lions sealed the 23-point victory for their second-straight win.

Mears led the team once again with 22 points and was joined in double figures by Stubbs with 15 points and Smith with 12 points, the latter exclusively off 3-pointers. Caldwell, Canale and Witherington each had eight points and Robertson scored seven points for Briarwood.

The Lions are now 12-6 on the season and will play next on Friday, Jan. 3 at 5 p.m. against the Woodlawn Colonels at Briarwood Christian School. That will be the final game before the start of area play on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. on the road against the Shelby County Wildcats.