Pilots advance in All “A” Classic with win over FHS Bulldogs

Mark Collier

The Fulton County Pilots returned to the court this past week, playing all three of their First District rivals, going 2-1 with a road win against the Falcons of Hickman County Jan. 3, before dropping a home contest against the Carlisle County Comets Jan. 6, then advancing in the First Region All “A” Classic with a home victory over the Fulton Bulldogs Jan. 7.

The Pilots advanced to the second round of the All “A” Classic, where they will travel to Mayfield to take on the Cardinals Jan. 10. The Pilots are now 9-3 on the season.

FCHS 61, FHS 42

The Pilots would take an 18-8 lead over thier crosstown rivals after one quarter of action, and would add onto thier lead in the second quarter, leading 30-17 at halftime.

The Pilots would outscore the Bulldogs 12-7 in the third quarter to take a commanding 42-24 into the final quarter of action, where the Bulldogs scored 18 points but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit.

Good shooting contributed to the win for the Pilots, as they made 23 of thier 46 shot attempts, and 14 of their 18 free throw attempts.

Tristan Kinney led the Pilots with 22 points, followed by Willie Campbell with 12, Jayden Smith with 11, and JShon Jones and Omarion Pierce with eight points each.

Pierce and Jones split team-high honors in rebounds, with each pulling down seven, followed by Kinney with six, Campbell with five, and Jayden Smith with two.

Bulldogs Jamar Martin and Jamal Martin each scored 11 points for FHS, with Jamar Martin also pulling down three boards in the game.

Isaiah Kimble had 11 rebounds and contributed 4 points in the match, as did Bulldog Jacob Madding.

Fulton’s Branden Maclin and Mason Oliver had 3 points a piece.
Daveon Chiers, Tristan Lalley and Cam Morris had 2 points each for the game.

CCHS 65, FCHS 58

The Pilots jumped out early on the Comets, leading 17-6 after the first quarter of action.

The Comets would storm back in the second quarter, outscoring the Pilots 25-10 to take a 31-27 into halftime.

The two teams would play nearly equal in the third quarter, with the Comets adding a point to their lead to make it 49-44 as they headed into the final quarter.

The Pilots were unable to get any closer in the fourth quarter, as the Comets outscored them 16-14 in the final eight minutes of action.

Pierce led the Pilots with 24 points, followed by Kinney with 14, Campbell with nine, Jayden Smith with eight, and Jones with three.

The Pilots pulled down 28 rebounds, led by Pierce with 11, Kinney with seven, Campbell with five, Jayden Smith and Jadairian Smith with two each, and Jones with one.

FCHS 64, HCHS 52

The Pilots would trail after one quarter of action, with the Falcons leading 12-10.

The Pilots would take a 45-30 lead into the fourth quarter, where they would fight off a rally by the Falcons to secure their eighth victory of the season.

The Pilots made 23 of their 43 shot attempts, including 5 of 11 from behind the three-point line in thier victory over their district foes.

Four Pilots scored in double figures, led by Campbell with 15, Jones with 14, Pierce with 13, Kinney with 12, Jayden Smith with seven and Christian Smith with three.

Pierce had a team-high 12 rebounds, followed by Kinney with eight, Jayden Smith with five, Jones with three and Campbell with two.