Ju’Maria Hamilton converted a pair of free throws to give Fairfield a lead it wouldn’t lose to earn a 52-51 win over John Carroll in Class 5A, Area 9 championship on Friday at Fairfield.

“This means a lot to us,” said Fairfield coach Maurice Ford. “We fell short last year in the regionals. It means a lot for us to keep winning and keep going on.”

The Tigers overcame a hot-shooting second-seeded John Carroll, which made 12 3-pointers in the game, led by Kalib Thomas’ game-high 21 points, including six 3-pointers. It was a Thomas 3-pointer midway through the final quarter that tied the game 47-all before Hamilton gave Fairfield the lead for good.

Fairfield made seven 3-pointers and placed four players in double figures, led by tournament MVP Josiah Jones’ 14 points.

Hamilton finished with 10 points as did Demarcus Williams while Darrin Jackson scored 9 of his 11 points in the second half.

— Cameron Buford

In other area tournament action from across the state:

CLASS 7A

Austin 62, Bob Jones 45: Austin rode a big second half to a 62-45 win over Bob Jones and cut down the nets for the Class 7A, Area 8 championship.

Cam Collins and Jordan Johnson scored 15 points apiece for the host Black Bears (20-9), ranked No. 8 in 7A. Collins had six rebounds, two steals and two assists. Johnson had five rebounds.

“We had to play with all our hearts. This is the area championship,” said Collins, a senior. “I feel like we needed the momentum (to go into the Wallace State regional). We needed this win.”

“We came out hard, didn’t let up,” said Johnson, a junior. “This is big for us. Everybody doubted us. They counted us last coming into the area. Proved everybody wrong.”

Austin led 26-19 at halftime and outscored the Patriots 16-7 in the third quarter for the Decatur school’s first area title since 2019.

“Our statement has not been survive and advance,” Austin coach Desmond Phillips said. “It’s been conquer and dominate.”

Malachi Mitchell had 11 points with three 3-pointers and five rebounds for ninth-ranked Bob Jones (22-10). Both teams advance to play Thursday in the regional at Wallace State.

“I thought we were very competitive early on,” Patriots coach Luther Tiggs said. “I thought our guys really played hard. We had some really good looks first half. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t go down. You got to give the credit to Austin. They did what they had to do second half.”

– Skip Vaughn

Vestavia Hills 64, Hoover 59: The top-ranked Rebels, the No. 1 seed in the Area 5 tournament thanks to a winning coin flip tie-breaker over the Bucs, won the crown on Friday at home in come-from-behind fashion. Hoover led 21-18 after one quarter, 32-27 at the half and 51-47 headed into the final quarter.

The Rebels (25-4) outscored Hoover 17-8 to take the championship.

Win Miller led Vestavia Hills with 24 points. Jackson Weaver scored 17 points in the win and Keown Richardson added 11.

Salim London and Elijah Herron led Hoover (27-4) with 12 points. London also had 5 assists. DeWayne Brown recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the setback. Jonathan Caicedo added 9 points.

Hoover plays the Area 8 champion Austin on Thursday at Wallace State-Hanceville.

CLASS 7A

Area 5: Vestavia Hills 64, Hoover 59

Area 6: Spain Park 52, Oak Mountain 46

Area 7: Huntsville 51, Sparkman 42

Area 8: Austin 62, Bob Jones 45

CLASS 6A

Blount 63, Theodore 56: Top seed Blount slipped past No. 2 Theodore at home on Friday to earn the Area 1 championship. Blount improved to 20-6 on the season.

Joseph Paige and Devontaey Woulard led the winners with 18 points apiece.

Trey Glover led Theodore with 18 points. E.J. Simmons scored 14 for the Bobcats. J.J. Bush scored 11.

CLASS 6A

Area 1: Blount 63, Theodore 56

Area 5: Benjamin Russell 69, Chilton County 51

Benjamin Russell (18-6), Chilton County (19-12)

Area 6: Paul Bryant 45, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 37

Paul Bryant (18-12), Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (17-8)

Area 8: Helena 41, Pelham 32

Helena (17-11), Pelham (21-9)

Area 13: Oxford 71, Gadsden City 54

Oxford (14-14), Gadsden City (9-20)

Area 15: Muscle Shoals 72, Columbia 55

Muscle Shoals (20-5), Columbia (14-15)

Area 16: buckhorn 65, Lee-Huntsville 37

CLASS 5A

Area 6: Marbury 80, Elmore County 65

Area 9: Fairfield 52, John Carroll 51

Area 11: Moody 35, Springville 30

Area 13: Douglas 41, Boaz 38

Area 14: Scottsboro 71, Guntersville 66

Scottsboro (21-8), Guntersville (23-7)

Area 15: Russellville 62, Lawrence County 61

Russellville (17-10), Lawrence County (9-20)

Area 16: Madison Academy 70, East Limestone 56

29

Westminster Christian Academy vs. West Limestone Boys Basketball Class 4A Area 15 Championship

CLASS 4A

Westminster Christian 75, West Limestone 30: Top-ranked Westminster Christian won its third straight Area 15 championship beating West Limestone 75-30. The Wildcats had four players in double figures led by Junior Chase McCarty with 19, sophomore Kaden Rickard with 15, senior Eric Robinson with 12 and junior Lawson Collier with 10.

Westminster shot 65 percent from the field, hitting on 31-of-47 attempts, including 6-of-14 from 3-point range. Westminster’s defense held West Limestone to 31 percent shooting (11-of-35) while holding a 25-14 edge on the boards. The Wildcats forced West Limestone into 16 turnovers that led to 21 points.

Collin Patterson led West Limestone with 11 and Haven Helms added 10.

Westminster (25-3) got off to a fast start, leading 22-5 at the end of the first period and 36-12 at the half.

McCarty knocked down a 40-foot shot at the buzzer to end the third quarter to push the Wildcats lead to 58-25 heading to the fourth.

“I thought we guarded really well and that was the difference early in the game,” Westminster coach Ronnie Stapler said. “We did such a good job off the ball and contesting a lot of their shots. I thought we created some offense off our defense and got some steals and easy baskets.

“We’ve been playing good, but now it’s one-and-done and we need to refocus and get locked in and connected again because it doesn’t matter how you’ve played up until now it’s a one-game tournament now.”

McCarty praised his team for its defensive effort.

“This was a great team win. We had four people in double figures and it wasn’t just about putting the ball in the basket,” he said. “We defended really well to hold them to only 30 points. I’ve very confident our play heading into the rest of the playoffs.”

Westminster will host Area 16 runner-up Brooks on Tuesday night and West Limestone will travel to Deshler in sub region play.

CLASS 4A

Area 3: Geneva 85, Andalusia 83

Area 4: Montgomery Catholic 54, B.T. Washington 51

Montgomery Catholic (15-6), B.T. Washington (13-11)

Area 5: Wilcox Central 56, Prattville Christian 52

Wilcox Central (23-5), Prattville Christian (15-17)

Area 6: Bibb County 74, Holt 59

Bibb County (16-11), Holt (17-12)

Area 13: West Morgan 60, Priceville 43

West Morgan (22-6), Priceville (14-15)

Area 15: Westminster Christian 75, West Limestone 30

Westminster Christian (25-3), West Limestone (14-15)

Area 16: Deshler 69, Brooks 38

Deshler (25-5), Brooks (13-16)

CLASS 3A

Area 2: Hillcrest-Evergreen 42, Straughn 34

Area 3: Houston Academy 56, Providence Christian 37

Area 4: Opp 58, Pike County 30

Opp (17-8), Pike County (7-13)

Area 6: St. James 60, Trinity 48

Area 7: Sumter Central 71, Southside-Selma 37

Area 15: Colbert County 49, Phil Campbell 47

CLASS 2A

St. Luke’s 50, Chickasaw 49: Kam Chambers sank the first of two free-throw attempts with only 2.1 seconds left to play and JaVonte Nickles stole a loose ball on the ensuing throw-in as host St. Luke’s rallied from a 12-point deficit for the win over visiting Chickasaw in Area 1 championship on Friday night.

“Man, it was a lot of pressure on me, but coach taught us to always fight through adversity,” Chambers said.

The Wildcats improved to 12-11 overall and will play host to the loser of the Area 4 championship game between Zion Chapel and Highland Home in the sub-regional, while the Chieftains (11-6) will travel to the Area 4 winner.

“This one was all about defense,” St. Luke’s coach Garreth Trawick said. “In the end, you put the ball into some good players’ hands. It was a little too close for comfort.”

B.J. Cooks scored a game-high 19 points for the winners. J.T. Busby added 9 points and 8 rebounds, while Mike Myles chipped in 9 points and 6 steals for the Wildcats, who were 9-of-19 on free throws, hit three 3-pointers and grabbed 15 steals.

Quay Daniels had 10 points for Chickasaw. Jamal Newsom added 8 points and 8 boards, Javon Mose scored 8 points and Jamarion Osborn had 7 points and 7 rebounds for the Chieftains, who went 4-of-7 on foul shots, nailed five treys and held a 29-20 advantage on the boards.

Chickasaw closed out the first half with a 7-0 run to lead 28-16 at the break. The Chieftains held a 12-point lead at 37-25 midway through the third quarter and entered the fourth up 42-37. The final period saw five lead changes as St. Luke’s fought back into contention, with the visitors leading for the final time at 48-47 with 3:20 to play.

– Robert Ladnier

CLASS 2A

Area 1: St. Luke’s 50, Chickasaw 49

Area 3: Ariton 58, G.W. Long 47

Area 5: Aliceville 61, Tuscaloosa Academy 47

Area 10: Red Bay 56, Sulligent 47

Area 11: Locust Fork 58, Southeastern 52

Locust Fork (17-9), Southeastern (12-12)

Area 13: Holly Pond 54, Decatur Heritage 49

Holly Pond (24-5), Decatur Heritage (15-11)

Area 14: Whitesburg Christian 66, Tanner 64

Area 15: Pisgah 91, North Sand Mountain 88

CLASS 1A

Area 11: Marion County 69, Lynn 39

Area 14: Hackleburg 51, Vina 49

GIRLS

CLASS 7A

Davidson 44, Mary G. Montgomery 43: Cristyle Mauldin hit a free throw with 2.1 seconds left to lift the Warriors to the Area 1 championship on Friday at top seed Davidson.

The Vikings’ Brooke Bell had tied the game at 43-43 with two free throws.

MGM’s Daysha Broughton led all scorers with 24 points.

Awa Diouf scored 12 for the Warriors and Jenice Adjessom had 11.

Both teams advance to the South Regional in Montgomery next week.

Auburn 56, Central-Phenix City 41: Visiting Auburn held the top seeded Red Devils to just 1 point in the fourth quarter in the Area 4 championship game on Friday.

Syriah Daniels led the second seeded Tigers with 30 points. Brooke Hallman had 13.

CLASS 7A

Area 1: Davidison 44, Mary Montgomery 33

Area 3: Prattville 52, Enterprise 30

Area 4: Auburn 56, Central-Phenix City 41

CLASS 5A

Area 2: LeFlore 51, St. Paul’s 38

Area 12: Southside-Gadsden 42, Alexandria 33

CLASS 4A

Area 4: Montgomery Catholic 54, LAMP 34

Montgomery Catholic (24-7), LAMP (17-14)

CLASS 3A

Area 10: Carbon Hill 54, Gordo 38

CLASS 2A

Area 8: Westminster-Oak Mountain 44, Cornerstone School 41

CLASS 1A

Area 2: Elba 58, Florala 40

Area 3: Red Level 77, Georgiana 73

Area 4: Marengo 33, Choctaw County 30

Area 10: Jefferson Christian 61, Appalachian 59

Area 11: Marion County 63, Hubbertville 31

This post will be updated.