HS hoops update: Huskies, Indians win area tournaments
HEWITT-TRUSSVILLE
The Hewitt-Trussville High School girls basketball team began the postseason with a convincing 68-39 win over Gadsden City in the opening round of the Class 7A, Area 7 tournament, on Tuesday night. Erica Jones notched a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Amiya Payne scored 10.
The boys team saw its season come to an end on Thursday in a 58-41 loss to Gadsden City of the Class 7A, Area 7 tournament. The Huskies finished the campaign with a 15-9 record.
The Lady Huskies took down Grissom, 67-59, in the area championship game on Saturday, and improved to 25-3 on the year.
This week, the Lady Huskies will be at Jacksonville State University on Thursday for the Class 7A Northeast Regional semifinals. They will take on Huffman at 9 a.m.
CLAY-CHALKVILLE
The Clay-Chalkville High School girls basketball team opened up the Class 6A, Area 12 tournament on Monday night, by playing Pinson Valley at Center Point. The Lady Cougars held on for a 50-44 win to advance to the final in an entertaining contest.
Clay-Chalkville jumped out to a 20-5 lead after a quarter of play, but Pinson Valley turned the tide in the second quarter, cutting the Lady Cougars lead at halftime to 25-20. Clay-Chalkville then increased its lead to as many as 17 in the fourth quarter before Pinson Valley clawed back to within four points late in the game.
Erica Lockhart led the Lady Cougars with 16 points. Aukeivah Tellis added 11 points and Monika Johnson scored 11.
The boys saw their season come to a close on Tuesday night, as the Cougars fell to Center Point, 33-29. Jovan Gale led the Cougars with 10 points. In Jeremy Monceaux’s fourth season at Clay, the Cougars finished the season with a record of 12-14.
In the girls area championship game on Wednesday, Center Point defeated the Lady Cougars, 42-34.
This week, the Lady Cougars will travel to Brewer in the sub-regional round of the Class 6A playoffs. With a win, they will qualify for the Northeast Regional tournament at Jacksonville State.
PINSON VALLEY
The Pinson Valley High School girls basketball team saw its season come to a close on Monday night, as the Lady Indians fell to Clay-Chalkville, 50-44, in the opening round of the Class 6A, Area 12 tournament.
Clay-Chalkville jumped out to a 20-5 lead after a quarter of play, but Pinson Valley turned the tide in the second quarter, cutting the Lady Cougars lead at halftime to 25-20. Clay-Chalkville then increased its lead to as many as 17 in the fourth quarter before Pinson Valley clawed back to within four points late in the game.
Kaitlyn Ambrose led the Lady Indians with 14 points in the contest. Janaiya Mintze scored 12 points and Courtney Whatley added 10.
The Lady Indians finished the season with a 9-19 record in Sara Halasz’s second season, and were by all accounts much improved from the previous season.
The boys team began the Class 6A, Area 12 tournament with an 86-46 win over Gardendale on Tuesday. Four Indians scored in double figures, with Orion Morris registering 19 points and five rebounds, Camron Scott posting 17 points, six board and three blocks, Geordon Pollard scoring 15 points and Colby Jones adding 10 points. Kewaski Jackson dished out 11 assists.
The Indians wrapped up the area championship on Thursday with a 73-54 win over Center Point. Jones led the way with 24 points and six rebounds. Pollard posted 18 points and seven boards. LiAllen Dailey notched a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds.
This week, the Indians will host Cullman on Tuesday night in the Class 6A sub-regional round. A win will earn them a trip to Jacksonville State University for the regional tournament.