Slade Gilmer

For the FCT

TUSCUMBIA —A furious fourth-quarter rally by the Russellville Golden Tigers fell short, as Deshler held on for a 73-67 win over Russellville on Tuesday, Dec. 18.

Trailing 55-38 heading into the final stanza, Russellville rallied to cut the lead to five, but a late miss allowed Deshler to escape with a win.

The game started with both teams trading buckets in the first period, with Deshler holding a 17-14 lead.

In the second period, Deshler used a 13-0 run to take a 15-point lead before Russellville hit two shots before the half to cut the margin to 33-22 at halftime.

Deshler started hot in the third period, pushing the lead to 20 on two separate occasions before the fourth quarter.

However, the Golden Tigers fought back, thanks to several missed free-throws from Deshler and a tough pressure defense that forced several turnovers.

Caleb Robison’s three-pointer with 11 seconds left cut the margin to 72-67, and a jump-ball on the ensuing inbounds pass gave Russellville possession. However, Robison’s three pointer barely missed, and Deshler grabbed the rebound and hit one free-throw to put the game away.

Robison led the Golden Tigers with 23 points—all coming in the second half. Jackson Smith had 18 points. Kaelon Bonds had nine, Jacob Seal had seven, Drew Malone had four, Leslie Dunstan and Lucas Witt had two points each, and Colby Tompkins and Chris Owens each had one point. Bonds, Dunstan, and Witt each fouled out of the game, as did two Deshler players.

With the loss, the Golden Tigers dropped to 4-6 on the season.

In girls’ action, Deshler jumped out to a big early lead and never looked back in a 48-23 win over the Russellville Lady Golden Tigers.

The Lady Tigers led 18-6 after the first quarter and built the lead to 26-6 before a late 7-2 run by Russellville cut the margin to 28-13 at halftime. The two teams struggled from the field in the third period, as Deshler and Russellville only managed five points each in that stanza, before Deshler pulled away in the fourth quarter to get the win.

Ashley Dunstan led Russellville with 11 points, Rachel Garrison had 10, and Megan Brockway had two.

The Lady Golden Tigers dropped to 1-9 with the loss.