Huntsville opened Class 7A Area 7 play in grand fashion, whipping top-ranked Grissom 59-42 on the Tigers’ home court on Friday. In front of a packed house, the visitors snapped Grissom’s 18-game home winning streak – which started after a loss to Huntsville on Jan. 8, 2021.

The city rivals battled to a 14-all first-quarter tie before No. 10 Huntsville went on a run to take a 30-23 lead into intermission. The 14-7 Panthers took control in the third quarter, leading by as many as 18 points, and led 46-34 headed into the final period.

Simon Walker led the winners with 17 points. The 6-foot-5 sophomore was 7-for-10 from the field on the night. Caleb Harrison, a 6-9 junior, scored 12 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. He had 4 assists and 2 blocked shots. His cousin, 6-8 sophomore Josh Bowman, added 12 points with 5 rebounds and a pair of blocks.

Senior point guard Ja’Mari Arnold had 9 rebounds with 5 assists and 4 steals to go with his 7 points. Sophomore guard John David Gossett added 8 points with 7 rebounds and 5 assists.

The Panthers hit 72 percent of their 2-point attempts and 57 percent from the field overall. Huntsville had 17 assists and 8 turnovers and outrebounded the Tigers 30-13. Huntsville held Grissom to 16-for-41 from the floor – 39 percent.

Grissom – 15-6 overall and 2-1 in Area 8 play – got 15 points from DJ Thompson. Izzy Miles added 10 for the Tigers.

16

Clay Chalkville at Pinson Valley high school basketball

In a big Class 6A showdown, Austin Coner scored a game-high 26 points Friday night as No. 1 Pinson Valley rolled past Clay-Chalkville 72-46.

Darrell Barber’s Indians followed that with a 76-50 win over Haleyville on Saturday, moving them to 16-0 for the season.

“It starts on the defensive end,” Barber said following Friday’s win. “A lot of these guys were young last year. These guys are just hungry. Our guard play has been what’s been getting us over the edge.”

On Friday, Pinson Valley didn’t allow Clay-Chalkville to score more than 16 points in any quarter and forced double-digit steals. The lengthy Indians’ defense swarmed the Cougars throughout the night.

Pinson Valley led Clay 50-30 heading to the fourth quarter after holding the Cougars to just 6 points in a pivotal third period.

“Defense wins games,” junior Caleb White said. “Even though it’s not working on the offensive end, talking and encouraging each other on defense is how we pulled it through.”

Clay-Chalkville coach Chris Richardson admitted the third quarter was pivotal.

“That’s where it got away,” he said. “We didn’t play very well in that second half. We kind of let it go. We went toe-to-toe in the first half, but we’ve got a lot to go back and work on. We got a lot to practice on to get the game when they come to us.”

They won’t have to wait to long for a rematch. The teams meet again Jan. 24 at Clay-Chalkville.

Amari Bowens added 13 points for Pinson. Tiawan Hardy Jr. led the Cougars with 10 points.

– Cameron Buford

In other games over the weekend from across the state:

BOYS

CLASS 7A

Vestavia Hills 64, Tuscaloosa County 50: The No. 9 Rebels improved to 16-3 on the season with the win in their Area 5 opener on Friday.

Jordan Ross recorded a double-double for Vestavia Hills with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Win Miller scored 16 points and had 5 rebounds. Jackson Weaver scored 16 for the winners.

The Rebels travel to Hoover on Tuesday.

Baker 67, Davidson 44: The seventh-ranked Hornets improved to 14-5 on the year with the win over Davidson in their Area 1 opener on Friday.

Point guard Labaron Philon scored 34 points to lead Baker. Charles Taylor added 9 in the win.

Brandon Kyles led Davidson with 15 points. Derrick Butler had 12 for the Warriors.

Baker plays at Alma Bryant on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Alma Bryant 47, St. Martin (Miss.) 41: The Hurricanes won the home game against St. Martin of Ocean Springs, Miss., on Saturday. Alma Bryant improved to 5-6 on the season.

Nate Orr led the Hurricanes with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Drew Grayson tossed in 15 points – with four 3-pointers.

Alma Bryant hosts Baker on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Hoover 54, Thompson 45: The fourth-ranked Bucs got a double-double from Jonathan Caicedo, who scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Area 5 opener. Hoover led 27-16 at the half and 35-29 headed into the final quarter in the road win on Friday.

Salim London led Hoover with 15 points. DeWayne Brown grabbed 9 rebounds to go with his 8 points. Jarett Fairley had 9 points and 3 assists.

The Bucs host Vestavia Hills on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

Sparkman 68, Callaway (Miss.) 22: The sixth-ranked Senators (17-4) rolled past Callaway of Jackson, Miss., in the Grind2Shine event in Florence.

Jayden Gardner recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Tray Berger scored 12 for Sparkman and Warren Jackson had 11. Karmelo Montgomery grabbed 9 rebounds to lead the Senators.

16

Robertsdale at McGill-Toolen basketball

CLASS 6A

McGill-Toolen 60, Robertsdale 29: McGill-Toolen broke open a tight game in the third period and cruised to the win over Robertsdale in its Area 2 opener at McGill-Toolen’s Portier Center on Friday night.

Bennett Russ led fifth-ranked McGill-Toolen with 18 points, including four 3-pointers. Russ went 4-for-8 from 3-point range, while Jack Murphy had 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers for the Yellow Jackets, who improved to 14-6 overall.

“In the last six games, Bennett’s shooting 50 percent from three,” said McGill-Toolen head coach Phillip Murphy. “He’s been lighting it up and any time we can get the ball out to him, we will. His teammates were trying to get the ball to him in space.

“We play 11 of 13 most nights, and we trust all of our teammates. If one guy’s not hitting, we expect the next guy to do it, but Bennett’s been consistent the last six games.”

Jaleal White led the Golden Bears (15-4, 0-1) with 8 points. Robertsdale was hampered by several key players slowed by injuries, notably guard Glen Williams, who twisted his ankle in the second period.

McGill led 21-13 at the half and outscored the Golden Bears 13-7 in the third period to stretch the lead.

– Arthur L. Mack

Mountain Brook 81, McAdory 71: The third-ranked Spartans got a double-double from Julius Clark in the win over McAdory on Friday. Clark scored 12 points and claimed 10 rebounds for Mountain Brook.

Ty Davis led the Spartans with 19 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Henry Hufham scored 8 points with 4 rebounds.

Helena 59, Northridge 50: Josh Williams poured in 28 points to help the Huskies to the win on Friday.

Ian Johnigan added 19 points for the winners and Owen Davis added 8.

Blount 50, Saraland 47: No. 6 Blount edged Saraland in Area 1 play on the road on Friday. The Leopards improved to 12-5 on the season.

Jerry Brand and Joseph Paige scored 12 points apiece in the win.

Central-Tuscaloosa 71, American Christian 58: The Falcons beat their crosstown Class 4A rival on Friday with a balanced offensive effort.

Javion Taylor led the winners with 18 points. King Larkin scored 17 for Central and Jaydon White added 11.

American Christian also had three double-figures scorers. Justin Allen led the Patriots with 15 points. Lydell Williams had 13 in the loss and Samuel Holt tossed in 11.

Cullman 57, Hartselle 49: The fourth-ranked Bearcats topped No. 8 Hartselle at home on Friday in an Area 14 game. Cullman outscored the visitors 18-6 to rally for the win. The Bearcats trailed 21-9 after one quarter, 31-27 at the half and 43-39 headed into the final period.

Jake Dorough led the winners with 15 points, including three buckets from behind the 3-point arc. Garrison Sharpe scored 10 for Cullman. Kase Nixon added 8 points.

Kiah Key led Hartselle with 15 points, 9 coming on 3-point shots. Ryan Dunn scored 13 and Kohl Key and Thomas Itsede added 8 points apiece.

Briarwood Christian 66, Pelham 57: Briarwood raced to a 33-20 halftime lead and held a 50-36 advantage headed into the fourth quarter. Pelham cut the lead to 3 points in the final period, but the Lions held on for the Area 8 win.

Kamari Hollis led Pelham with 18 points. Joe Wimberly scored 14, Cory Perkins had 11 and Thompson Gennari added 10.

Pelham hosts Leeds on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

Hazel Green 53, Mae Jemison 40: TJ Pruitt led the Trojans with 18 points and 9 rebounds on the way to the Area 16 win at home. Sayiid Allen had 8 points and 6 rebounds for Hazel Green.

The Trojans are 5-13 overall and 1-2 in Area 16 play.

Northridge 63, Sipsey Valley 47: The Jaguars picked up the win on the road on Saturday.

Anderson Wilkin led the balanced offensive attack with 13 points. Ken Mickens scored 12 and Taylor Halperin added 10 for Northridge. John Walker claimed 11 rebounds in the win.

The Jaguars travel to Central-Tuscaloosa on Tuesday for an Area 6 contest.

CLASS 5A

Williamson 49, Gulf Shores 31: The Lions opened Area 1 play with the win to improve to 7-9 overall.

Robert Brown led Williamson with 14 points. He also had 3 assists and a pair of steals. Mikel Bonner had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Corien Hawthorne-Coleman also scored 10 points for the winners.

CLASS 4A

Westminster Christian 66, St. John Paul II 27: The third-ranked Wildcats improved to 16-3 overall and 3-0 in Area 15 with the win on Friday. Westminster made 56 percent of its field-goal attempts while holding St. John Paul II to 23 percent from the floor.

The Wildcats never trailed in the game and forced 11 turnovers that led to 20 points for the winners. Westminster Christian outrebounded the Falcons 38-12.

Junior Chase McCarty led Westminster with 21 points and Collier Lawson scored 16. Kaden Richard added 8 points in the win.

Jaeden Harris scored 15 for SJP2 after scoring 33 in the loss to Westminster on Dec. 9.

– Jimmy Lay

Bayside Academy 45, UMS-Wright 38: The home-standing Admirals scored 24 points from the foul line on 36 attempts in the come-from-behind win over the second-ranked Bulldogs. UMS-Wright – which hit 2-of-5 from the free-throw line – led 23-18 at the half and 30-27 headed into the final quarter.

Cade Morris led Bayside with 16 points. Graham Uter scored 13 in the win.

Bridges Simmons scored 9 points for UMS-Wright before fouling out after 16 minutes on the court. Jack Blackerby scored 6 for the Bulldogs.

UMS-Wright (12-8, 0-1 in Area 1) will host Orange Beach on Tuesday.

Haleyville 54, Cordova 46: Ninth-ranked Haleyville picked up the Area 12 win at home on Friday.

Drake James led the Lions with 23 points. Bryant James added 21.

Haleyville is 9-8 on the season and 3-0 in Area 12.

Prattville Christian 62, Booker T. Washington Magnet 37: The Panthers opened Area 6 play with the win on Saturday.

Conner Williams led PCA with 24 points and 9 rebounds. PJ Evans scored 12 points with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Carson Roberson scored 11 points with 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Cade Segars also scored 11 in the win.

Prattville Christian (9-10) will host Alabama Christian on Monday at 4:30 p.m.

CLASS 3A

Midfield 75, Indian Springs 53: The second-ranked Patriots picked up the Area 9 win over 6-3 Indian Springs on Friday.

Midfield (12-4) got a triple-double from Shannon Jones, who scored 17 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and dealt 10 assists.

Dalvin Dawson and Qelsian Kelley had 15 points apiece. Antonio Pope scored 11 points for Midfield and William Brundidge claimed 13 rebounds.

Montgomery Academy 72, Trinity 63: The Eagles earned the Area 6 road win on Friday behind Skyler Stovall’s 27 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals. Montgomery Academy led by 12 at the half and held off a late Trinity rally for the win.

Cole Caddell scored 17 points and had 4 rebounds for Montgomery Academy. Seth Edwards scored 9 points with 8 rebounds with a pair of blocks. JaShawn Cooper grabbed 7 rebounds for the Eagles.

Montgomery Academy is 8-7 on the year and 1-0 in Area 6. The Eagle play at Chilton County on Tuesday.

CLASS 2A

Decatur Heritage 65, West End 37: The fourth-ranked Eagles jumped to a 20-10 first-quarter lead and went into intermission up 39-23 in the win on Friday. Decatur Heritage improved to 11-7 on the season and 1-1 in Area 13.

Brady Wilson led Decatur Heritage with 19 points. He also had 4 rebounds and 3 steals. Nash Thomas scored 14 points with 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Jordan Davis had 10 points for the Eagles and 4 rebounds.

Thad Pearce and Eli Golden had 10 points apiece for West End.

Decatur Heritage plays another Area 13 game on Tuesday at Falkville.

Fyffe 68, Whitesburg Christian 62: The Red Devils got the win on the road over Whitesburg Christian, despite 21 points from Annin Harper for the Warriors.

Isaiah Matthews tossed in 17 points, had 9 assists and grabbed 8 rebounds for Whitesburg.

CLASS 1A

Brantley 65, Kinston 61: The Bulldogs held off Kinston in the Area 2 road win on Friday as Brantley improved to 10-2 on the season.

Jayden Parks pitched in 22 points for the winners. Keldric Brown had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Brantley. Jon Kilcrease scored 10 for the Bulldogs.

Georgiana 67, J.F. Shields 64: The home team improved to 10-5 on the season with its Area 3 win on Friday.

Nasir Cheatham had a double-double with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Cheatham also had 5 assists and 3 steals. Marques Payton scored 15 for Georgiana and JaCobie Morgan had 12 points with 8 assists. Jacob Lowery added 10 points.

GIRLS

CLASS 5A

Holtville 46, Wetumpka 40: The Bulldogs won their first Elmore County Tournament on Saturday at Tallassee High School, rallying from 13 points down in the second half to beat 6A Wetumpka.

Julie Nekolna poured in 25 points and claimed 12 rebounds to lead Holtville. The 6-2 junior also blocked 6 shots and had 3 steals and 3 assists. Nekolna has averaged 22.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game for the Bulldogs.

Sophomore Kaila Higgins scored 16 points, including four 3-pointers. Holly Smith scored 5 – the remainder of Holtville’s points in the championship game.

The Bulldogs improved to 17-2 with the win.

St. Paul’s 57, Citronelle 10: The Saints rolled to the Area 2 win on the road Friday night. Tori Passeau scored 15 to lead St. Paul’s. Ella Vallas pitched in 12 points for the winners.

Ava Voris and Grace Greer scored 7 points each.

St. Paul’s is 4-0 in Area 2 action.

Carroll-Ozark 49, Greenville 38: The Eagles edged Greenville on the road to open Area 4 play. Carroll ran its record to 13-4. Ameyah Gray hit the go-ahead basket with 24 seconds left in the game.

Gray poured in 23 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and made 2 steals. Taliyah Carter scored 10 points and had 3 rebounds.

Caroll hosts Charles Henderson on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. in an Area 4 game.

CLASS 7A

Hewitt-Trussville 58, Chelsea 36: Fourth-ranked Hewitt-Trussville knocked off No. 9 Chelsea in Area 6 opener at home on Friday.

Sophia Brown led Chelsea with 15 points. Haley Trotter added 9 in the loss.

Huntsville 55, Grissom 40: The No. 10 Panthers improved to 13-8 overall with the road win in their Area 7 opener on Friday. Huntsville pulled away with a 31-13 run through the second and third quarters.

Virginia Hawkins led the winners with 16 points, hitting 4-of-8 shots from behind the 3-point arc. Abby Johnson scored 9 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for Huntsville. Ja’mya Fletcher had 4 steals.

Huntsville host Albertville on Tuesday.

Sparkman 71, John Curtis (La.) 63: The second-ranked Senators finished 2-1 in the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic at the Alario Center in Westwego, La., winning the Platinum Consolation Bracket game on Saturday.

Kennedy Langham poured in 26 points in Saturday’s win after scoring 19 in a 70-60 win over Vanderbilt Catholic, the No. 3 team from New Orleans. Jamya Griffin had 10 points in the win over John Curtis of River Ridge, La.

Sparkman is 16-6 overall and 2-0 in Area 7 play. The Senators won six of their past nine games against out-of-state opponents in tournaments played in Mississippi, Tennessee and Louisiana.

CLASS 6A

Hazel Green 50, River Ridge (Ga.) 48: The Trojans escaped with the win in the She Got Game Classic in Suwanee, Ga., on Saturday. Hazel Green, 20-0 on the season and riding a 79-game winning streak, trailed throughout the game – 18-14 after one quarter, 27-25 at the half and 38-36 headed into the final period.

Zyriah Price got a big block for the top-ranked Trojans and Amiya Redus stuck a 3-pointer late in the win. The Knights had 5.4 seconds to go the length of the court, but Hazel Green’s defense kept River Ridge from getting off a final shot.

Leah Brooks led Hazel Green with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Nyla Collier scored 12 points and Redus had 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.

Mataya Gayle led River Ridge with 23 points. Kayla Cleaveland scored 12 and Makayla Roberson added 10.

On Friday, Hazel Green whipped Mae Jemison 78-21. Brooks scored 15 points and grabbed 8 rebounds as the Trojans ran their Area 16 record to 3-0. She also had 3 assists and 3 blocks. Price scored 14 points in the win. Redus scored 12 and Jaden Toney had 10.

Zee Berry scored 13 for Mae Jemison.

Hazel Green’s 79 consecutive wins are second all-time in the Alabama High School Athletic Association to Lauderdale County’s 86 straight from 2013-15. The AHSAA boys’ record is 73 in a row by A.G. Parrish High of Selma from 1943-47.

Williamson 47, Gulf Shores 40: The Lions knocked off Gulf Shores in Area 1 play on Friday.

Ta’Myla Allen scored 17 points, grabbed 6 rebounds and had 5 assists and 5 steals. Kaliyah Lucky scored 16 points and had 4 steals.

Homewood 58, Columbia 23: The Patriots rolled to the win to improve to 17-4 on the season.

Laine Litton led Homewood with 15 points. Ellis McCool and Ryanne Ezekiel scored 8 points apiece in the win.

McGill-Toolen 63, Ponchatoula (La.) 25: Senior Lindsey Cox led five Yellow Jackets in double figures in the win in the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic at the Alario Center in Westwego, La., on Friday. Cox scored 14 for McGill-Toolen.

Anna Reed McNeece and Emily Claire Harbaugh scored 12 point apiece. Albanie Dixon and Jayde Dempsey contributed 11 points each.

McGill-Toolen led 40-10 at the half and finished with 17 assists and 14 steals in the game.

CLASS 4A

Priceville 54, West Morgan 31: The Bulldogs jumped to a 17-4 first-quarter lead and carried a 34-18 advantage into halftime in the Area 13 game on Friday.

Leslie Hames led Priceville (11-5) with 18 points and 5 steals. Lauren Hames scored 15 and claimed 6 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Abby Lanlois grabbed 8 rebounds and scored 8 points.

Ansley Terry led the Rebels with 18 points.

St. John Paul II 65, Westminster Christian 27: The fourth-ranked Falcons got 24 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists from Ashlyn Plott on the way to the Area 15 win.

Ella Watts pitched in 23 points with 9 rebounds for St. John Paul II (15-4, 4-0).

The Falcons play Area 15 foe Randolph on Tuesday.

Prattville Christian 91, Booker T. Washington Magnet 16: The two-time defending 3A champion Panthers – now playing in Class 4A – had five players in double figures and two with double-double performances. Avery Rogers distributed 14 assists – a single-game record for PCA (18-2, 1-0 in Area 5) – to go with her 12 points and 5 steals.

CoCo Thomas scored 15 points, claimed 13 rebounds and had 5 assists and 5 steals in the win. Hannah Jones led the Panthers with 27 points and 9 rebounds. Kayden Carr scored 22 points – with six 3-pointers – and had 6 assists. Jenna McClendon scored 10 points and had 4 steals.

Prattville Christian travels to Dallas County on Friday for another Area 5 game.

CLASS 3A

Phil Campbell 48, Danville 41: The Bobcats held off the Danville rally to win the Area 15 game at home. Phil Campbell jumped to a 21-12 first-half lead before Danville cut the margin to 33-30 headed into the final quarter.

Macy Hardy led the Bobcats with 17 points, 7 in the fourth quarter. Hannah Welborn pitched in 11 points with 6 in the final period.

Elisabeth Hand led Danville with 15 points. Madalyn McCreless scored 13 for the Hawks.

CLASS 1A

Brantley 43, Kinston 22: Coco Stamps scored 15 points to lead the Bulldogs (3-2) to the Area 2 road win on Friday.

A.C. Free scored 10 points for Brantley. Myia Mount hauled in 20 rebounds for the winners.

J.F. Shields 68, Georgiana 44: J.F. Shields got the Area 3 win on Friday on the road.

Nyeashia Thomas scored 15 points and claimed 18 rebounds in the loss. Lillie Boggan scored 15 for Georgiana (3-10, 0-1).

This post will be updated.

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