By Brandon Sumrall | Special to the Advertiser
The Thorsby Rebels picked up a pair of big area wins on Jan. 23, as the varsity girls knocked off the Billingsley Bears 40-34, while the Rebels varsity boys came away with a 68-51 win.

Varsity girls action between the two teams was a tight race from the opening tipoff and remained that way much of the contest.

Lauren Reeser and Trinity Price put both teams on the board early, but it was a lone basket by Hollann Horton that accounted for the only other basket for the Bears in the period.

With four points from Carlee Wyatt to lead Thorsby in the period, the Rebels ended the first with an 8-4 lead.

The momentum began to shift in the second period as a pair of baskets from Abby Tindol knotted the score at eight, and with a basket from Madison Motley gave the Bears its first lead of the game.

Emily Jones made sure the Billingsley lead was short lived with a basket to tie the game up at ten, but it was a free throw by Jamya Callens that gave the Bears a slim 13-12 lead at the half.

Billingsley led 24-21 entering entering the final period, and Tindol made it a five-point Billingsley lead early in the fourth.

However, another three by Wyatt would cut the lead to two.

At the four minute mark of the period and with the score tied at 30, a basket from McKinley Sanderson kicked off a 8-0 Thorsby run that propelled the Rebels to the win.

Wyatt led the Rebels with 15 points, three rebounds and three steals, while Tindol led the Bears with 13 points, 10 rebounds and three steals.

In the varsity boys action it proved to be all Thorsby, as the Rebels wasted no time in jumping all over the visiting Bears.

Christian Fortner led the way with eight in the first period and Chase Merrell added seven more for the Rebels, as Thorsby jumped out to a 23-9 lead over the Bears at the end of the first period.

With Thorsby opting to make deep substitutions during the second period, the Bears began to claw away at the Rebel lead.

Randal Rawlinson and John Callens combined to cut the lead to nine during the early moments, while Raymond Culter later made it a seven-point lead for the Rebels at the half, 31-24.

A three-pointer by Brisen Tatum at the 6:17 mark in the third quarter, tied the game at 31.

Fortner made sure the Billingsley momentum did not last and started a 10-0 run by the Rebels that led to Thorsby in front 50-35 at the end of the third period.

Fortner and Tyler Jackson combined to make it a 20-point Thorsby lead early in the fourth.

Fortner led the Rebels with 26 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks.

Cutler led the Bears with 21 points 10 rebounds and five steals.