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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

MONTEVALLO – The Montevallo Bulldogs survived a major test ahead of the postseason as they emerged victorious in a two-possession game in their regular season finale.

Montevallo defeated the St. Clair County Saints 66-62 on Friday, Jan. 31 at Montevallo High School.

Dee Cutts started off the game strong with eight of his team’s 17 first-quarter points while both Ross brothers made big plays in the opening period. Keiston scored four points and Buck hit his team’s first 3-pointer of the game.

That stood in contrast to St. Clair County, which dropped a trio of 3-pointers in the first quarter, and the Saints trailed just 17-16 at the end of the quarter.

Keiston Ross and Cutts each stepped up with deep shots in the second quarter, but unlike the first quarter, the baskets inside the paint almost completely dried up. The Bulldogs scored just eight points in the second, allowing St. Clair County a chance to grab hold of the lead.

The Saints did just that, keeping their steady flow of 3-pointers with three more in the remaining minutes of the first half. While they relied almost entirely on long range shots, it proved to be a success as St. Clair County led 27-25 at the halftime break.

The teams remained in a tight battle in the third quarter without much separating them. Cutts built off his 11 points from the first half with seven points in the third while Buck Ross hit another crucial 3-pointer as well as a pair of free throws.

That wasn’t enough to take the lead as the Saints remained in front largely thanks to their free throw shooting success, but St. Clair County had just a 42-39 lead going into the fourth quarter, making it a one-possession game ahead of the final eight minutes.

Both offenses erupted in the fourth quarter as they sought to walk away with the victory. While the Saints continued to shoot the ball well and got three more 3-pointer to give them 10 for the game, the Bulldogs’ top scorers stepped up when they needed them the most.

Both Ross brothers and Nahjear Russell hit multiple shots from the field, but they also worked their way to the free throw line repeatedly and made the most of those chances.

Keiston Ross went 5-for-8 from the free throw line and Russell made three of his four shots from the charity stripe to help the Bulldogs grab the lead and hold on to it down the stretch, securing the four-point win.

All four of Montevallo’s scorers reached double figures. Cutts led the way with 20 points and Keiston Ross scored 18 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter and an 8-for-10 performance from the free throw line.

Buck Ross finished with 17 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Russell scored seven of his 11 points in the final eight minutes.

The Bulldogs ended the regular season with a 17-12 record. They will take on the Jemison Panthers in the Class 5A, Area 5 semifinals on Tuesday, Feb. 4 at 5 p.m. at Selma High School with a spot in the area title game and sub-regionals on the line.