GDW analyzes the 2026 Cullman County Girls BK Tournament:
Will Good Hope take the title again or will it be someone else?:
GDW Analysis:
Cullman County girls' basketball tournament presents an interesting scenario for the 2026 edition.
This wonderful event is set for January 19-24 from Tom Drake Coliseum at Wallace State CC.
Gameday Weekly looks at what is the strength of each participant and the concern of the teams as well.
Good Hope has captured 4 consecutive Cullman County championships.
The last team aside from Good Hope in cutting down the net on championship Saturday was Fairview's Lady Aggies in 2021.
No. 2 Vinemont vs. No. 7 Hanceville January 19:
Vinemont - Strength of the team is a deadly scoring duo of senior PG Reagan Robinson and senior SG Caroline Miller. Both have combined for over 2,500 points in their Vinemont career with the duo assisting the Lady Eagles to 36 wins in the last two seasons.
Vinemont has momentum from winning 4 out of 5 games in the span of 8 days. Back to back victories against Good Hope 61 to 59 and Holly Pond 62 to 50 earlier in the week showed what they are capable of accomplishing.
Concern - Consistency from the starting lineup that plays a lot of minutes. Coach Emily Willoughby is glad to see them perform strong at this time of the season and a few days off the floor will be something they are counting on for a solid run through the week.
Hanceville - The scoring tandem up front with F Alex Twitty and C Kerrigon Moore carries the Lady Bulldogs.
Twitty attacked Vinemont with 19 points in their game at Hanceville January 09 while Moore was solid in the early going.
Concern - Getting points from the perimeter players. Momentum too as Vinemont closed out this game with a 22 point run in making the battle at Lane Horton Gymnasium into a one sided affair.
No. 3 Good Hope vs. No. 6 Holly Pond January 20:
Good Hope - Well tested in championship style play. Experience in 2025/26 with PG Ella Gossett, SG Lexi Marshall, PF Lucie Adams and SF Sophie Konrad have enabled Justin Aby's team to storm by the opposition in 21 out of 25 decisions prior to the county.
Newcomer Ella Davis is back after missing some time with a leg injury. Davis is solid on both ends of the floor. Playing 3 games this week allows Davis to build endurance in adjusting of playing from a high school court to the 94 X 50 setup from Drake Coliseum.
Concern - Not having a lapse on offense. Good Hope shoots well from 3 point range but had a tough 3rd period January 12 with one made trey against Vinemont.
Good Hope rebounded from the Vinemont loss by taking down area opponents East Lawrence 61 to 38 and West Morgan 53 to 38 January 13 & 15.
Holly Pond - The Lady Broncos bring good personnel at different positions with PG Madison Butts, SG Maggie Nail, SF Ava Thomas, C Sadie Nail.
Lilly Huddleston has been a good addition to the floor for coach Mary Hartline.
Concern - Not having a slow start. Lady Broncos have gone 1 & 5 since December 19. Close losses have come against Vinemont twice, Priceville, Locust Fork and Lawrence County.
Seeking a victory on Friday against Hanceville serves as a momentum move, knowing they will need to grab the emotional side of the contest with Good Hope on the other side in their quarterfinal.
No. 4 Fairview vs. No. 5 Cold Springs January 20:
Fairview - A squad that blends the performance from Darby Nichols running the point to having Whitney Quick as the SG.
Kailyn Redding has soared to a higher level this season when seen by GDW. Her younger sister Kensli provides the group size up front.
Freshman Arleigh Harris was promoted to the varsity in early December, showing progress every time she is involved in crucial situations.
Concern - Coach Chris Nichols has lost senior G Davi Stidham to a knee injury two weeks ago. That lessens the depth of the group.
Making sure they present plenty of execution for they have displayed it in scoring 79 points against Class 7A school Austin right before Christmas.
Cold Springs - Eagles are soaring before the county tournament. New coach Paige Adams has watched the group mature from their opener to a 5 game winning streak prior to a game at Falkville January 16.
The leader is Ella Dickerson. The senior has shown her skills, especially on offense as Dickerson scored 17 in a win January 08 against Winston County. She was 5 of 6 from the line, scoring 5 FGs as well with 2 shots from 3 point land.
Aleah Addison is another Lady Eagle that can be productive in her perimeter touch.
Up front, the Lady Eagles will seek strong efforts by Hollyn Bruer, Kaydance Williams and Kotie Calvert.
Concern - Matching up with Fairview in a toss up game that sends the winner to the semifinal round for a battle with No. 1 seed West Point. Making sure they capitalize in possessions for Fairview is a team that has a triple threat in getting points from the top, the wing and inside the paint.
No. 1 West Point vs. TBD January 23:
West Point - Steady as she goes has been the trademark for the Lady Warriors this season.
Their experience with the starters have gelled tremendously to earn 20 consecutive victories.
A game with Russellville on January 16 will be looked at as a tuneup for John Welborn's group will be off the floor for a week.
West Point is a triple threat in the offense with the Faulkner sisters, Jaelyn at PG and Camryn the SG, then working it into C Laklin Shadix.
Adding to the assault with consistency lately has been SF Kealie Harbison and WG Caitlee Simmons.
Three point scoring off the bench by Patton Fell has been a boost in trying to defend this unit when the ball is in their hands.
Concern - Avoiding complacency. West Point has been superior in January with 4 victories by better than an average of 18 points per game.
Last time seen by GDW, West Point led Lawrence County 15 to 9 after the 1st. The Lady Warriors then used sound defense and held the Red Devils to 15 points in the final 3 periods, winning 60 to 24.
Staying calm at the start carries a lot for this team is the hottest among programs in North Alabama for beating sound opponents like Good Hope, Vinemont, Deshler and winning in tough environments such as the recent Border Wars Classic in Athens, plus Russellville and Lawrence County the past week.
Photo of Good Hope SF Ella Davis shooting between West Point's Jaelyn Faulkner (23) and Caitlee Simmons (2) in a game at Good Hope Gymnasium December 22.
Photo courtesy of Cathy McSwain.
