Host UMS-Wright built a double-digit lead in the third quarter, then held off a fourth-quarter rally by Bayside Academy for a 37-31 Class 4A Area 1 victory on Friday night.

“We knew it would require a really special defensive effort and, for the most part, we did that,” UMS-Wright coach Michael Napp said. “We are now tied (with Bayside) with two area games left.”

The Bulldogs improved to 15-10 overall, 3-1 in area play and will travel to Orange Beach on Tuesday and host to St. Michael on Friday.

Bayside (11-13, 3-1) will host St. Michael on Tuesday and travel to Orange Beach on Friday.

“That is a veteran UMS squad that knows how to win close games,” Bayside coach Jonathan Vines said. “The defense was great the entire game. We just couldn’t execute; shot selection was an issue for us.”

UMS senior Bridges Simmons led all scorers with 15 points and added 7 rebounds, while Bo Wills chipped in 7 points and 12 boards for the Bulldogs. Napp’s team won the rebounding battle 36-25, but went just 4-for-13 at the foul line.

Cade Morris scored 11 points and had 3 steals for Bayside, while Graham Uter had a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks.

Morris hit a 3-pointer to knot the score at 7-all with 1:57 left in the first quarter, but UMS-Wright led the rest of the way. The Bulldogs went up 13-9 after the first quarter, 24-16 at the break and 34-23 after three quarters, with Bayside outscoring them 9-3 in the fourth quarter to help close the gap.

– Robert Ladnier

In other high school basketball action from across the state over the weekend:

CLASS 7A

Baker 63, Theodore 61: Junior point guard Labaron Philon scored 16 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter Friday night as No. 3 Baker rallied for a victory over the Class 6A Bobcats.

The Hornets (19-5) trailed 35-24 at the half and 50-40 entering the fourth quarter before rallying for the win.

Huntsville 66, Mae Jemison 43: The fifth-ranked Panthers rolled over Class 6A city rival Mae Jemison on Friday, relying on their deep bench and a relentless defensive effort. Huntsville’s starters accounted for just 21 points on the night.

The Panthers (17-8) led 36-20 at the half and 62-31 headed into the final quarter. Huntsville shot 51 percent from the floor – 35 percent from behind the 3-point arc – and held the Jaguars to 33 percent shooting from the field. The winners had 18 assists with 5 turnovers and forced Mae Jemison into 19 turnovers.

Junior Merik McCartney scored 17 points to lead Huntsville. Josh Bowman scored 9 for the Panthers and JD Gossett had 8.

JJ Glover led Mae Jemison with 8 points.

Huntsville travels to Albertville on Tuesday for an Area 7 game.

Hoover 75, Thompson 73: Top-ranked Hoover ran its record to 23-2 and 4-0 in Area 5 with the narrow win at home on Friday.

Salim London led the Bucs with 19 points and Jarett Fairley pitched in 17. DeWayne Brown scored 10 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and blocked 4 shots for Hoover. Elijah Thomas added 10 points and Jonathan Caicedo claimed 8 rebounds.

Hoover travels to Vestavia Hills on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. showdown with the second-ranked Rebels.

Mary G. Montgomery 74, Alma Bryant 48: The Vikings recorded a season-high offensive effort and the largest home margin of victory of the season in the Area 1 win on Friday.

“I’m so proud of the team effort tonight,” said Mary Montgomery head coach Rovertus Kimble. “We were able to share the ball and get guys involved.”

The Vikings had four players in double figures with Erik Washington tossing in 20 points, most from the low post. Lashondae Horace scored 14 in the win. Troy Flowers and Jeremiah Bolton chipped in 10 points apiece for MGM (12-6).

Mary Montgomery improved to 4-1 in area play with its lone loss coming 68-65 to Baker on Jan. 13. The Vikings hold the No. 2 seed in the area after going 2-0 vs. both Bryant and Davidson.

Kimble praised his team’s defensive effort in the win. “One of our goals defensively is to hold our opponents to only 10 points per quarter. Especially when you can limit a team on offense, good things will happen.”

– John Vella

Ensworth (Tenn.) 49, Sparkman 48: The visitors from Nashville edge No. 8 Sparkman on Saturday, dropping the Senators to 18-8 on the season.

Karmelo Montgomery led the Senators with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Chase Jackson scored 13 and Cameron Jones hit three 3-pointers for 9 points and had 4 rebounds.

Deraki Garr led Ensworth with 15 points and Nic Hyche scored 14.

Grissom 44, Sparkman 39: No. 7 Grissom topped No. 8 Sparkman at home on Friday.

Izzy Miles led the winners with 18 points. Justin McCall added 16 for Grissom.

Karmelo Montgomery led Sparkman with 9 points and 6 rebounds. Cameron Jones added 9 points.

Fairhope 62, Foley 28: McRae Taul finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points and claiming 11 rebounds as No. 6 Fairhope improved to 23-1 overall.

Jacksonville State football signee Caden Creel added 14 points and 6 assists.

The Pirates play at rival Daphne on Tuesday.

Dothan 68, Jeff Davis 67: Thomas Dowd registered a double-double for the Wolves in the win on Friday. Dowd had 19 points with 17 rebounds along with 5 assists.

AJ Porter scored 13 points and claimed 5 rebounds for Dothan. Braxton Hornsby had 11 points with 5 rebounds. Raymon Blakmon had 5 assists with 4 rebounds and 6 points.

CLASS 6A

Mountain Brook 88, Woodlawn 47: Second-ranked Mountain Brook opened Friday’s game with Woodlawn with a 26-2 run and never looked back. The Spartans hit 16 3-pointers on the way to the convincing victory.

“We like to shoot a lot of 3s,” Mountain Brook coach Tyler Davis said. “Our guys were feeling comfortable tonight and we’re starting to play better as a team. So, I was happy with that.”

The Spartans hit five 3-pointers – from four different players – in the first quarter. Everyone who played for Mountain Brook scored, including five Spartans in double figures.

“That’s something that we always preach here,” Davis said of his team’s balance. “Five guys in double figures means we’re getting more efficient as a team. That’s going to help up in our stretch run (for the state playoffs).”

Davis’ son, Ty, finished with a team-high 19 points, knocking down three 3-pointers. Junior guard Carson Romero led the Spartans with four 3-pointers, and senior John Colvin and junior Ty Davis added three made three 3-pointers apiece in the 41-point win.

The younger Davis said Mountain Brook prides itself on shooting from long range.

“We shoot hundreds of them at the end of practice every day and he preaches we have to make 100 3-pointers and 50 free throws,” he said. “That started the show tonight. I saw that second one go down and I felt good from then.”

After overcoming a hard fall on a drive to the basket in the first half, Colonels guard Quay Lynch led all scorers with 23 points. The freshman guard also knocked down four 3-pointers of his own in the loss.

Mountain Brook returns to area play against Shades Valley on Tuesday. The Colonels travel to Shades Valley on Friday.

– Cameron Buford

Northridge 62, Central-Tuscaloosa 55: The Jaguars edged Central in the Area 6 match on Friday, with three players scoring in double figures.

Patton Currington led the winners with 13 points. Anderson Wilkin scored 12 and Taylor Halperin added 11 for Northridge.

Javion Taylor led Central with 17 points. King Larkin had 15 for the Falcons (13-11, 1-3).

Hartselle 48, Decatur 40: The Tigers jumped to a 22-14 halftime lead and carried a 31-22 advantage into the final period to earn the Area 14 road win on Friday.

Hartselle (13-11) hit 10-of-14 free throws in the final quarter – 14-of-18 on the night. The Red Raiders hit 15-of-23 from the foul line, including 8-of-12 in the fourth period. Hartselle was whistled for 15 fouls in the win while Decatur was hit was 17.

Ryan Dunn led the winners with 18 points, 8 in the fourth quarter. Kiah Key and Rylan Smothers scored 10 points apiece for Hartselle.

Ellis Dickman led Decatur with 15 points – all in the second half and 13 in the fourth quarter. Jayden Brown scored 11 in the loss.

CLASS 5A

Vigor 56, St. Paul’s 50: Jaden Addison scored 20 points and Terrell Johnson added 14 as host Vigor improved to 11-7 overall and 4-2 in Area 1 play on Friday.

Garrett Walker led St. Paul’s with 18 points while Joe Brown had 10 as the Saints dropped to 13-9 and 4-2 in the area.

“Vigor is a unique atmosphere,” said St. Paul’s head coach Brandon Garrett. “It has one of those intimate settings that’s kind of small and I think that affected our guys. Generally, we play well on the road, but this is the first time it’s happened all year and it couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

The Wolves jumped out to a 16-6 first-period lead and led 30-14 at halftime. Although ahead by 13 going into the fourth period, Vigor had to weather a last-minute comeback as St. Paul’s rallied, but it was too late for the Saints.

“The fourth period was fast and furious,” said Garrett. “We had to speed up the game to have a chance to win. I thought we missed some golden opportunities to get it below five. It was an unfortunate night for the guys and myself.”

Vigor hosts Citronelle Monday night while St. Paul’s hosts LeFlore.

– Arthur L. Mack

Williamson 68, Elberta 29: Senior forward Jarius Cross had 20 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists as Williamson evened its overall record at 11-11 and improved to 4-0 in Area 1 play. Robert Brown followed with 14 points, 4 assists and 5 steals.

The Lions host B.C. Rain on Tuesday in another area matchup.

LeFlore 62, Faith Academy 58 (OT): Devon Carter scored a game-high 26 points for Faith Academy, but it wasn’t enough as the Rams lost a 62-58 overtime battle against LeFlore in Area 2 play on Friday night.

LJ Holifield chipped in 12 points, including three 3-pointers for Faith Academy, which dropped to 13-10 overall and 2-4 in area play. Meanwhile, LeFlore, led by Kevin Moorer’s 22 points and 10 points apiece from Labrandon Walton and Brittney Reed, improved to 15-5 and 4-1.

“We played solid basketball the entire game,” Faith head coach Chad Applin said. “But we had a lot of missed opportunities and got a little overaggressive defensively. We have to be a little more disciplined.”

After a 10-10 stalemate at the end of one quarter, LeFlore outscored the Rams 15-6 in the second to take a 25-16 halftime lead. The Rattlers led by 10 in the third, but the Rams got a spark when freshman Phoenix Hunter came off the bench and hit a pair of 3-pointers to mount a run.

In the fourth period, Holifield nailed three 3-pointers as Faith outscored LeFlore 22-12 to tie the game at 53-all in the end of regulation. The game was tied twice in overtime before the Rattlers took advantage of their inside game and pulled away. A last-ditch Faith 3-point shot missed the mark as time ran out.

LeFlore travels to play St. Paul’s on Tuesday, while Faith hosts Citronelle.

– Arthur L. Mack

Greenville 97, Georgiana 94: The visitors came close in the offensive showcase at Greenville on Saturday as two Georgiana players recorded double-double efforts and five players scored in double figures.

Jaden Stallworth scored 26 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for the sixth-ranked 1A Panthers. Marques Payton scored 15 points and claimed 12 rebounds. Noah Nelson scored 17, Jacobie Morgan had 16 points and 6 assists and Nasir Cheatham added 12 points in the loss.

Georgiana is 13-7 on the year and will host Area 3 foe Red Level on Tuesday.

CLASS 4A

Westminster 70, Randolph 44: The top-ranked Wildcats wrapped up Area 15 play with a 6-0 mark with the home win over Randolph. All 10 players on Westminster’s roster scored, led by junior Chase McCarty’s 21 points.

Junior Lawson Collier scored 12 points, on 4-for-4 shooting on 3-point attempts for Westminster (20-3). Sophomore Kaden Rickard scored 11 points and senior Eric Robinson added 9.

Westminster made 57 percent of its field-goal attempts, including 9-for-19 from behind the 3-point arc. The Wildcats led 20-13 after one quarter and led 35-25 at the half. Westminster broke open the game in the third period, outscoring the Raiders 20-6 to take a 55-31 lead into the final period.

The Wildcats forced Randolph into 18 turnovers, leading to 20 points for the home team.

Andrew Hunter led Randolph with 14 points. Grayson Davenport scored 9 for the Raiders, who made 44 percent of their shots from the field – 6-of-17 on 3-pointers.

Westminster meets No. 3 Anniston for the second time this season on Tuesday at home. The Wildcats beat Anniston 68-34 on Dec. 21.

– Jimmy Lay

Wilcox Central 64, Prattville Christian 43: Wilcox Central picked up the Area 5 home win on Friday night.

Carson Roberson led Prattville Christian (12-11, 3-1) with 19 points. PJ Evans had 6 assists and 4 rebounds to go with 6 points. Brady Roberson had 8 points and 4 rebounds.

CLASS 3A

Plainview 72, Geraldine 55: Top-ranked Plainview ran its record to 21-4 and claimed the championship in the DeKalb County Tournament on Saturday night.

Luke Smith led the Bears with 28 points. Jonah Williams scored 14 and Dylan Haymon added 13.

Midfield 59, Haleyville 57: The third-ranked Patriots got a buzzer-beater at home to top No. 7 Class 4A Haleyville on Friday.

DeMarreon Baldwin tossed in 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds to lead Midfield (15-5). He also had 5 assists in the win. Shannon Jones scored 16 points and had 5 assists. William Brundidge claimed 13 rebounds for the Patriots.

Bryant James scored 19 points to lead Haleyville (11-12) and Drake James scored 18 in the loss.

Trinity 74, Montgomery Academy 68: The visiting Wildcats scored 32 points in the second period to pull to a 25-point halftime advantage on the way to the Area 6 win on the road on Friday. Trinity improved to 15-6 on the year.

Skyler Stovall led Montgomery Academy with 21 points – all in the second half – in the losing effort. Stovall also had 9 rebounds and 4 steals. DJ Vinson scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half and finished with 16 rebounds and 5 blocked shots. Cole Caddell scored 13 points with 6 rebounds and Seth Edwards had 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks.

Montgomery Academy is 10-9 and 2-2 in Area 6.

GIRLS

CLASS 7A

Mary G. Montgomery 66, Alma Bryant 64: The Vikings held off a late rally by Bryant in Semmes on Friday to win their third consecutive game. The Lady Vikings needed an offensive season high to earn the victory.

Bryant’s last shot at a win was a 3-point attempt from the top of the key by Mari-Margret Grayson, but tough defense by Ivy Klezmer kept the shot off the mark. Klezmer scored 18 points – 17 coming in the second half.

“It was a back-and-forth game,” Vikings coach Matt Bosarge said. “I could not be happier for the players tonight. We are peaking at the right time down the stretch. We started the season 0-3, but since then we’ve really bounced back.”

Daysha Broughton led the Vikings (9-6) in scoring with 19 points, including five 3-pointers.

Freshman Madi-Marie Grayson led Alma Bryant with 27 points. “She’s a special player for them, that’s for sure,” Bosarge said.

The Hurricanes (10-12) looked for Madi-Mari Grayson for the final shot, but she was triple-teamed in the corner.

– John Vella

CLASS 6A

Hazel Green 85, Buckhorn 39: The streak continues for Hazel Green after the runaway Area 16 home win on Friday. The top-ranked Trojans are 24-0 and have won 83 consecutive games, three short of tying Lauderdale County’s 2013-15 streak of 86 straight wins – tops in AHSAA play.

Jaden Toney led the winners with 20 points and 5 assists. Zyriah Price scored 17 points and claimed 7 rebounds. Amiya Redus scored 12 points and Kristen Johnson added 10. Leah Brooks grabbed 10 rebounds, blocked 5 shots and had 8 points. Sydney Steward dished out 13 assists and grabbed 6 rebounds.

Ari Collier scored 24 points for Buckhorn.

Lee-Huntsville 72, Lift for Life Academy (Mo.) 71 (OT): The Generals edged Lift for Life in the final game of the Sweet Hoops Girls Showcase in St. Louis on Saturday. Rahkiyah Taplin had the game-winning points from the free-throw line with 5 seconds left in overtime.

Lee held 14-13 after one quarter, but trailed 30-27 at the half. The Generals carried a 45-42 edge into the final period, but the Hawks knotted the game at 61 at the end of regulation.

Jayla Turner, who was selected the game’s most valuable player, and Taplin scored 22 points each for the winners. Londan Harris added 16 points and had 7 rebounds and 6 steals for the Generals. Lamiya Batimba finished with a double-double with 14 rebounds and 10 points.

In Friday’s game in the St. Louis event, Lee beat Career Academy of Missouri 56-32. The Generals raced to a 17-7 first-quarter lead and 31-11 halftime edge on the way to the win.

Harris scored 20 points, had 7 assists and 6 steals for Lee. Batimba added 12 points with 8 rebounds and Turner scored 10 in the win.

CLASS 5A

LeFlore 64, Faith Academy 44: Saije Taylor scored 27 points and Kennedy Vines added 13 as LeFlore defeated Faith Academy in Area 2 action on Friday night. Ariuna Davis added 12 points and 10 rebounds as the Rattlers improved to 11-6 overall and 4-1 in area play.

Kellyn Hunter scored 20 points, while Nancy McKenzie had 15 for Faith Academy (10-9, 3-3).

LeFlore led 21-18 at the end of the first period and 29-22 at the half. The Rattlers took advantage of several second-half Faith Academy defensive lapses and eventually cruised to the win.

LeFlore travels to play St. Paul’s on Tuesday while Faith hosts Citronelle.

– Arthur L. Mack

Holtville 55, Elmore County 26: Julie Nekolna poured in 26 points, hitting 11-of-21 field-goal tries, and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the Bulldogs to the home Area 6 rout on Friday. The 6-foot-2 junior also led Holtville with 7 assists.

Kaila Higgins scored 9 points on three 3-point buckets and Holly Smith added 7 points with 6 rebounds. Ana Brown had 6 assists for the winners.

Greenville 60, Georgiana 29: The Tigers ran away with the home game on Saturday.

Lillie Boggan had a double-double for 1A Georgiana (5-12) with 14 points, 15 rebounds and 5 steals.

Vigor 70, St. Paul’s 68: Kiara Howard scored 31 points – including the game-winner just before the final buzzer – as host Vigor escaped with a victory over St. Paul’s in Area 2 action on Friday night. Howard was 7-of-8 from 3-point range as the Wolves improved to 10-14 overall and 3-3 in area play.

St. Paul’s (12-10, 4-2) got another strong performance from Ella Vallas, who also poured in 31 points and grabbed an incredible 24 rebounds. Tori Passeau had 16 points, hitting 5-of-12 from 3-point range.

Vigor led 24-19 at the end of the first period and 43-33 at the half. St. Paul’s battled back and led 56-54 at the end of the third period. The Saints had several opportunities in the fourth period to extend the lead, but twice missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and were called for a five-second delay in bringing the ball down court, setting up Howard’s winning shot – a 12-foot jumper with a defender in her face.

“To our credit, the girls came out (in the second half) and did what I asked them to do,” said St. Paul’s head coach Amanda Niehoff. “I felt I dropped the ball on that five-second call, but our team responded well when the game could’ve easily gotten out of hand.”

Vigor hosts Citronelle on Monday night, while St. Paul’s hosts LeFlore on Tuesday.

– Arthur L. Mack

Carroll 56, Rehobeth 40: The Eagles improved to 17-5 on the season on Friday and honored 5-foot-11 senior Ameyah Gray for scoring 1,000 points in her career. Gray registered a double-double on Friday with 17 points and 12 rebounds. She actually went over 1,000 in November, but the Eagles were not able to verify the records until recently.

Zymirria Glanton scored 13 points for Carroll and Taliyah Carter scored 12. Tyazia Newman had 5 rebounds in the win.

Helen Williamson scored 13 points to lead Rehobeth.

Carroll travels to Enterprise on Tuesday.

Williamson 82, Elberta 13: The Lions had three players in double figures in the Area 1 rout at home on Friday. Williamson improved to 12-6 overall and 4-0 in the area.

Eulethia Perdue led the winners with 22 points. ShaDonya Johnson scored 20 and Kaliyah Lucky added 10. Ta’Myla Allen dished out 10 assists for the Lions.

Kali Snyder led Elberta with 8 points.

CLASS 4A

Priceville 79, Falkville 24: The Bulldogs won their second straight Morgan County Tournament on Saturday with the rout of Falkville at Danville High School.

Priceville (14-6) raced to a 26-6 first-quarter lead and went up 51-16 at the half and 75-18 headed into the final period.

Leslie Hames tossed in 28 points for the winners. Lauren Hames scored 16 and Abby Langlois registered a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Zoey Benson scored 10 and Lillyan Bloodworth had 5 assists to go with her 6 points.

Ellie Kate Hill scored 11 points to lead Falkville.

UMS-Wright 72, Bayside Academy 26: Sophomore Ansleigh Ishee posted a double-double, scoring a career-high 31 points and hauling in 10 rebounds, as host UMS-Wright rolled past the Admirals.

“By making some big 3s early on, it just opened up the middle for Ishee and she just dominated inside,” UMS-Wright coach Terry Canova said. “What this win does is if St. Michael loses to Orange Beach, it puts us two games ahead with two games to go and assures us of at least a tie for the area championship.”

The Bulldogs improved to 4-0 in Area 1 play and will travel to Orange Beach on Tuesday before hosting St. Michael on Friday to complete area play. The Admirals dropped to 0-4 in the area and will host to St. Michael on Tuesday and travel to Orange Beach on Friday.

Sadie Knight added 14 points and Elizabeth Meador 12 for UMS-Wright, which held a 23-17 advantage on the boards and went 6-of-9 from the foul line.

M.K. Smith scored 14 points and grabbed 5 rebounds while Blakeley Robbins added 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks for Bayside, which went 8-of-10 from the foul line.

The Bulldogs (22-5) scored the first 8 points of the contest and built leads of 20-4 after one quarter, 43-6 at the intermission and 63-15 headed into the fourth quarter.

– Robert Ladnier

Prattville Christian 60, Wilcox Central 26: The third-ranked Panthers improved to 21-2 overall and 4-0 in Area 5 play with the win in Camden on Friday.

Hannah Jones poured in 31 points, grabbed 8 rebounds and had 5 steals in the win. Jenna McClendon scored 12 points and had 6 rebounds. CoCo Thomas had 6 rebounds and 4 steals and Keyden Carr had 7 rebounds and 4 assists.

Westminster Christian 44, Randolph 38: The Wildcats trailed 37-32 with 4:22 left, but used a 12-1 run to beat Area 15 rival Randolph on Friday. The win clinched third place in the area tournament to be played at St. John Paul II on Feb. 6-9. The Wildcats (5-15) will meet No. 2 seed West Limestone.

On Friday, Brianna Tinsley scored 8 of her 14 points in the final 4 minutes, scoring on a driving layup and hitting six clutch free throws down the stretch.

Sophomore Ella Anderson led Westminster with 15 points.

Joanna Vega led Randolph (6-8) with 15 points. Madison Deorio added 11 for the Raiders.

– Jimmy Lay

CLASS 3A

Cottage Hill 46, Mobile Christian 39: The Warriors earned the Area 1 win on the road Friday as Taylor Davidson notched a double-double. Davidson scored 16 points and claimed 10 rebounds.

Dakota Freeman scored 14 points in the win that pushed Cottage Hill to 8-7 overall and 2-1 in the area. Ashlyn Newton added 10 points.

Plainview 55, Sylvania 51: Third-ranked Plainview ran its record to 21-3 and won the DeKalb County Tournament with the win over No. 9 Sylvania on Saturday.

Lauren Jimmerson led the winners with 16 points. Kami Sanders scored 13 and Sawyer Kate Hulgan added 8.

CLASS 2A

Tuscaloosa Academy 60, American Christian 16: Seniors Alex Brownlee and Hill Warr led the Knights to the win on Senior Night on Friday. Brownlee scored 14 points and Warr added 13.

This post will be updated.

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