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Hurley, Branom combine for 43 points
Boys Basketball | Sulphur Bluff
SULPHUR BLUFF- The Sulphur Bluff Bears hosted Avinger for their second district game of the season. The Bears won their district opener against Yantis Tuesday, by a final score of 84-34.
Senior Brandon Branom got things started for the Bears, giving them a 2-0 lead by scoring the first basket of the night. Sulphur Bluff built their lead to as much as 11-4 in the opening frame before Avinger started to get back into it. The Bears led 16-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Avinger got off to a strong start to open the second frame, tying things up at 18-18 before Sulphur Bluff took their lead back on a score from junior Dewitt Brookins. The Bears controlled things for the rest of the half and went into the locker room leading 30-23.
The Bears offense went dormant to open the second half, and Avinger was able to quickly take the lead at 31-30, scoring eight unanswered points to begin the third quarter. The two teams traded buckets the entire remainder of the frame, with Sulphur Bluff scoring the final points of the quarter to take a 39-38 lead.
Avinger took a 43-41 lead early in the fourth quarter, and kept their lead for a huge majority of the frame. With 1:50 remaining Sulphur Bluff was able to tie the game at 48-48. On the next possession Sulphur Bluff’s Branom knocked down a 3-pointer to go ahead 51-48.
Avinger did their best to tie the game back up and force overtime, but they could only muster up one more point, and Sulphur Bluff was able to walk away with the 51-49 win.
Senior Montana Hurley was the leading scorer, finishing with 23 points in the game. Branom was right behind him with a 20-point performance of his own. The two combined for 43 points, just six points shy of Avinger’s team total for the game.
Other scorers for the Bears were Brookins with five points, Shane Johnson with two points and Blake Hume with one point. The win pushes the Bears winning streak to five games, and gives them a 7-5 record to start the season.
During their five game winning streak Sulphur Bluff has defeated Fruitvale, 69-29; Campbell, 49-32; CHESS, 51-31; Yantis, 84-34; and Avinger, 51-49. On top of their 7-5 record, the Bears are now 2-0 in district play.