Photo courtesy of Barry Stephenson
Hoover, Spain Park Basketball
Hoover's Eboni Williams (3) guards Spain Park's Bailey Bowers (2) in a game on Jan. 30, 2016.
High school basketball seasons come down to a single game once area tournaments roll around.
The Hoover and Spain Park boys and girls basketball teams will compete in their respective area tournaments this week. Hoover is in Class 7A, Area 5, while Spain Park is in Area 6.
The Lady Bucs are the host and top seed of the Area 5 tournament, where they will play Oak Mountain at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 10. Should they win, they would play the winner of the Tuscaloosa County vs. Thompson game on Friday at 6 p.m.
Spain Park's boys will also host an area tournament. As top seed, the Jags will face No. 4 Hewitt-Trussville on Thursday, Feb. 11, at 7:30 p.m. The winner of that game will play either Vestavia Hills or Mountain Brook on Saturday, Feb. 13, also at 7:30 p.m.
The Lady Jags take on Hewitt-Trussville on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., at Mountain Brook. The winner will advance to the championship game on Friday at 7 p.m. against either the Lady Spartans or Vestavia Hills.
Hoover's boys will take on Thompson at 6 p.m. on Thursday, at Oak Mountain. The Bucs would play in the title game on Saturday at 7 p.m., should they come out on top.
In high school basketball, teams qualify for the postseason by finishing in the top two of their respective area tournaments. So, the formula is simple. Win the first game of the area tournament, and the teams are in the playoffs. Lose, and the season is over.