The Bell County Bobcats bounced back in a big way at the Alpha Invitational, pulling away for a convincing 76-46 win over Tullahoma, Tennessee, on Friday.
Bell County led 35-25 at halftime before turning the game into a rout in the second half, improving to 5-1 on the season.
Clarke Burnett led the way for the Bobcats, scoring 18 of his game-high 26 points in the third quarter to spark Bell County’s surge. Ethan Buell set the tone early, scoring 12 of his 21 points in the first quarter while finishing the night with three 3-pointers. Braxton Ferguson added 12 points in the win.
Bell County’s pressure defense proved to be a major factor, forcing Tullahoma into more than 20 turnovers and creating scoring opportunities throughout the night.
“I thought our guys bounced back from yesterday‘s game and played with a lot of energy,” Bell County coach Brad Sizemore said. “We had several guys that came in and gave us a big boost off the bench, especially defensively. Our press was really good. We were able to turn them over 20-plus times Ethan and Blake really helped us offensively today and Braxton had a big third quarter. We will have the opportunity now to play a loaded Dorman South Carolina team tomorrow for fifth place.”
The Bobcats will face Dorman (S.C.) on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the Alpha Invitational fifth-place game.
