Post Photo by Kacy Kincaid Ben Franklin gets the dunk in the second quarter. Franklin led all scorers with 18 points.
Post Photo by Kacy Kincaid Freshman Tristan Goad added 11 points for the Rockets off the bench.
By Kacy Kincaid
Sports Writer
CORNERSVILLE — The suspense was palpable the entire game between the Cornersville Bulldogs hosting the Forrest Rockets during the county clash, with the Bulldogs getting a gritty 40-34 win.
It was all Ben Franklin in the first quarter for the Bulldogs, scoring nine of the team’s 11 points.
The Rockets took a few minutes to warm up, finding open looks, but the shots not falling.
With 2:26 left in the frame, Cornersville had an early 9-3 lead after a Franklin bucket, Bray McCown answering at the other end of the court to get the Rockets going.
By the end of the first, Forrest had closed the gap, still trailing 11-7.
McCown and freshman Tristan Goad led the way for the Rockets for the remainder of the half, Goad coming off the bench to score eight second quarter points.
On a McCown steal, Jimmy Bond drove to the basket to give Forrest its first lead of the game, 13-11.
After a 3-point shot from McCown, the Rockets started to pull away, but not before Franklin got the slam dunk on the other end, Goad then answering with six from behind the arc.
At the half, Forrest led Cornersville 22-13.
The Rockets kept up the momentum entering the third quarter with McCown and Goad, and the help of a 3-point shot from Kelley Toombs, to pad a healthy 30-16 Rocket lead.
With only a couple minutes left in the third, the Bulldogs starting closing in, cutting the Forrest lead to only six.
At the buzzer, Gage Lovell drove the lane, landing the bucket.
Heading into the fourth quarter, it was a two-possession game.
One minute into the fourth, Lovell picked up another bucket and the foul, but missed the foul shot, but the Bulldogs pulled the rebound, and Jacob Courtemanche knocked down the three to give the Bulldogs a 31-30 lead.
While the Rockets just couldn’t get shots to fall, Kale Adcox drained two 3-pointers, stretching the Cornersville lead to 37-30.
With 2:16 left to play, Ben Villazon found Josh Doud on the block, Doud finishing the shot, the Rockets trailing by five, 37-32.
On the Rockets’ next possession, Jayden Russell drew the foul and sunk the two shots, the score 37-34.
With less than a minute to play, Cornersville took four trips to the foul line, the Rockets not able to come up with another basket, the final score 40-34.
Franklin led all scorers with 18. McCown led Forrest with 12, Goad closely behind with 11.
Cornersville 11 2 13 14 — 40
Forrest 7 15 8 4 — 34
Cornersville: Ben Franklin 18, Gage Lovell 8, Kale Adcox 6, Jacob Courtemanche 3, Noah Hunnicutt 2, Blaine Woodard 1.
Forrest: Bray McCown 12, Tristan Goad 11, Kelley Toombs 3, Ben Villazon 2, Jimmy Bond 2, Jayden Russell 2, Josh Doud 2.
3-Point goals: Cornersville (3): Adcox 2, Courtemanche; Forrest (5): McCown 2, Goad 2, Toombs.
Halftime score: Cornersville 13, Forrest 22.
