Athens' Antonio Shoulders delivers a pass in the Golden Eagles' game Tuesday against Hartselle. Athens fell to the Tigers 76-71 in overtime.

Athens overcame a 16-point halftime deficit to force overtime Tuesday night against Hartselle, but the Golden Eagles had no answer for Tigers standout Brady Peebles, who scored 46 points in Hartselle’s eventual 76-71 victory.

The game started out as a Hartselle blowout. The Tigers dominated the first half and took a 40-24 lead into the halftime locker room.

However, Athens looked like a completely different team in the third quarter and dominated the period, outscoring Hartselle 23-6 to take a 47-46 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

But Peeples carried Hartselle through the fourth quarter, scoring 18 of the Tigers’ 21 points in the quarter to force overtime with the score tied at 67.

Hartselle then outscored Athens 9-4 in the extra period to take the hard-fought win.

The loss spoiled an outstanding performance from Braden Gross, who scored 25 points to lead Athens. Keenan Hambrick chipped in with 16 points for the Golden Eagles.

East Limestone 67, Ardmore 33

It took a little bit for East Limestone to get going, but when they did, the Indians dominated in a 24-point victory over Ardmore in a Class 5A, Area 16 contest.

Ardmore led 15-9 after one quarter but scored just 18 total points the remainder of the game as East Limestone’s defense dominated the final three quarters.

The Indians outscored Ardmore 13-0 in the second quarter to take a 22-15 halftime lead, then outscored the Tigers 45-18 in the second half to pull away.

Kris McNeil led East Limestone with 18 points, while Austin Harvell had 17 points and 11 rebounds. Xavier Griffith tallied 16 points and 12 boards.

Ardmore was led by Chase Patterson with 10 points.

East Limestone (16-5) finished a perfect 6-0 in area play and will host the area tournament. Ardmore fell to 9-10 overall and 1-4 in area play with one area game remaining.

Tanner 58, Colbert County 44

It may have taken Tanner a little while to get going this season, but it appears the Rattlers are starting to roll. Tanner won its sixth consecutive game Tuesday night with a 14-point win over Colbert County in a key Class 2A, Area 16 matchup.

Tanner had consistent scoring throughout the game, scoring between 13 and 17 points in each quarter. The Rattlers took a 28-20 lead at halftime and pulled away in the second half to win comfortably.

Four players scored in double figures for Tanner, led by J.J. Jones with 19 points. Malik Atkins added 14, while DaShaun McNabb tallied 13 and Jared Cruz chipped in with 11.

Tanner improved to 12-4 overall and 6-1 in area play. The Rattlers will look to avenge their one area loss Friday night when they host Sheffield. A win Friday would mean Tanner wins the regular-season area championship and will host the area tournament.

In other boys action from Tuesday night, Lexington defeated Clements 60-43.