Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Basketball Classic Updates – Day 2

In the finale of the third-annual Corky Kell & Dave Hunter Basketball Classic, the hosting Gainesville Red Elephants soundly defeated visiting Pinson Valley (AL.) 56-36. After climbing out ahead with a 12-5 lead heading into the second quarter, Gainesville never let its foot off the gas while holding Pinson Valley to just six second-quarter points to go into halftime up 31-11. The point deficit proved to be too much to overcome as the Red Elephants, led by a tea-high 21 points from senior guard Kevin White, went on to claim their 10th victory of the season.

Also fueling the Gainesville scoring spree was senior forward Charlie Gersmehl, who ended the night with 15 points, while senior center Kevin Curtis and senior guard Brandon Nelson each had six.

Tucker 78, Mt. Paran 54 (Boys)

In the opening game of the Day 2 competition, the Tucker Tigers went up 23-14 over Mt. Paran after the first quarter, but the Eagles managed to keep the game close, cutting the score to 40-36 in favor of Tucker heading into the half. However, the second half was all Tucker, as the Tigers came out on top 78-54 to claim their eighth win of the season. Senior center Julian Glenewinkel led the team in scoring with 18 points, 12 of which came in the first half.

Other top scorers for Tucker were sophomore Sterling Pritchett, who finished the game with 17 points. Also contributing were freshman guard Vance Wilder who knocked down two three-pointers while senior forward Amontae Briggs finished with nine points. The top scores for Mt. Paran were sophomore Shane Goines (23 points) and junior JT Scott (14 points).

Riverwood 72, West Forsyth 44 (Boys)

Game two featured the West Forsyth Wolverines taking on the Riverwood Raiders. Riverwood came into this matchup with just a 3-6 record, compared to the Wolverines who sat at 6-2, but came out strong in the first quarter and amassed a 22-12 lead. West Forsyth managed to keep the game close at 28-25 in favor of Riverwood at the half, but the Raiders would outscore the Wolverines 44-19 in the second half, putting up as many points as West Forsyth would have all game in just two quarters of play to claim the victory.

Leading the way for Riverwood in scoring was junior guard Myles Nobles who scored 36 points, followed by junior point guard Tyson Sharper who scored 14. West Forsyth was led in scoring by junior Tommy Naso (19 points) followed by senior power forward Colt Muschara (7 points).

River Ridge 76, Marietta 70 (Girls)

In Day 2’s closest matchup, the River Ridge Lady Knights narrowly bested the Marietta Blue Devils in what would end up being the day’s highest-scoring matchup. The score remained close throughout the contest, but River Ridge managed to finish each quarter just ahead of the Blue Devils to pick up the Lady Knights’ fourth win of the season.

Leading the way for River Ridge was the dynamic duo of senior guard Makayla Roberson and junior forward Finley Parker. Roberson, a Samford commit, finished the game with 22 points, while Parker finished with 31 points. Top scorers for Marietta were sophomore point guard Leah DeWitt (24 points) who made three three-pointers on the night, alongside junior guard Kyann Senior (15 points) and freshman shooting guard Alana DeWitt (13 points) who also made three three-pointers in the game.

North Paulding 51, West Forsyth 30 (Girls)

The North Paulding Wolfpack picked up their 10th win of the season fueled by a dominant first-half performance against the West Forsyth Wolverines. After going ahead 14-7 heading into the second quarter, North Paulding managed to hold West Forsyth scoreless in the second quarter while putting up 17 points of its own to go up 31-7 at the half. The lead proved to be too much to overcome, as West Forsyth now sits at 5-4 on the season.

Leading the way in scoring for the Wolfpack was sophomore Kenzie Hinkson, who finished the game with 19 points. Junior Kalee Hinkson contributed 13 points to the victory while freshman Brooklyn Arnold and junior Morgan Landrum each scored six points.