Cutts drops 31, Russell scores 24 as Montevallo hangs on for crucial area win over Jemison

Published 12:10 pm Friday, January 17, 2025

By Andrew Simonson

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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

MONTEVALLO – The Montevallo Bulldogs found themselves in a battle in area play against the Jemison Panthers, but when it mattered the most, they put the pieces together on both ends of the court to pull away for the win.

Montevallo defeated Jemison 81-61 on Thursday, Jan. 16 at Montevallo High School for its second area victory of the season.

The Bulldogs started out the game on the right note thanks to big first quarters from Dee Cutts and Nahjear Russell. Cutts dropped nine points in the first while Russell scored five, making up 14 of their team’s 20 first-quarter points.

That was enough to outpace the Panthers in the early minutes of the game, giving Montevallo a 20-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams caught fire from deep in the second as Jemison scored four 3-pointers, including three from Davion Slaughter, while the Bulldogs got a deep shot from Demeco Gibson, Cutts and Derrick Richburg. Cutts also got into double figures with seven more points in the quarter.

The two sides matched each other’s scoring output of 15 points in the second quarter, leaving Montevallo with a 35-27 lead going into the halftime break.

Each team’s offense continued firing during the third quarter but did so in different ways. Jemison continued to find success from the field with 20 of their 21 third-quarter points coming from field goals.

The Bulldogs, on the other hand, earned a plethora of opportunities from the free throw line and went 11-for-14 during the third, including a 7-for-8 stretch from Russell who scored nine points in the third quarter alone to add to his seven from the first half.

Montevallo dropped 20 points in the third quarter as the Panthers cut the deficit to seven going into the fourth and final period.

With a 55-48 lead at the start of the quarter, the Bulldogs put their foot on the gas pedal on the offensive end. Cutts led the surge with 13 points in the fourth while Russell and Buck Ross each chipped in six points apiece. Together, the trio scored all 25 of Montevallo’s fourth-quarter points.

The defense also put together an improved effort in the fourth, preventing Jemison from reaching the heights of the third quarter by limiting it to just 13 points, including nine points from the field.

The collective effort on both sides of the ball helped the Bulldogs pull away for a dominant 20-point victory.

Cutts scored a team-high 31 points while Russell dropped 24 points as the two players each went into double figures for the night. Gibson finished with eight points, Buck Ross scored six points and Keiston Ross earned four points in the win.

Montevallo improved to 12-10 overall and 2-2 in area play with the win. The Bulldogs will have a chance to hold on to their second-place spot in Class 5A, Area 5 with a win over the Demopolis Tigers on Friday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. at Demopolis High School.

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