The Reset: Busy basketball week, Jags hire Vakakes
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BASKETBALL
The Spain Park basketball teams got off to a winning start last week, sweeping a road trip to Tuscaloosa County on Monday. The Lady Jags earned a convincing 57-41 win behind a pair of double-digit scorers. Camille Chase led the way with 17 points and Paxton Gillespie added 15 points. Spain Park’s boys pulled out a hard-fought 57-54 victory over the Wildcats. Colin Turner led the charge with 19 points. Chase James finished with 11 points, knocking down three 3-pointers in the process. Sam Wright and Zach Gray finished with 10 points each as well.
Hoover traveled to Hewitt-Trussville on Tuesday and earned a sweep. The Lady Bucs began the evening with a 59-44 win over the Lady Huskies in a rematch of last season’s Class 7A state championship game. Reniya Kelly led the way for Hoover, finishing with 17 points and 5 steals. Kristen McMillan narrowly missed a double-double, adding 13 points and 9 rebounds. Alanah Pooler was also a board shy of a double-double, notching 10 points and 9 boards. D’yona Jones led Hewitt with 18 points.
Hoover’s boys escaped with a 57-53 over the home team. Salim London and Brodin Grady had big games to pace the Bucs. London finished with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists, while Grady went for 16 points and 6 rebounds. Jaylen Carrington posted 7 assists as well. Karnell Smith led Hewitt with 12 points.
The Hoover girls hosted the Big Orange Classic last week, beginning play Friday with a 63-20 win over Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa. The boys team also played a home game Friday evening, falling to McGill-Toolen 63-58. Carrington led the Bucs with 16 points, while Grady went for 14 points and took three charges. Jarett Fairley scored 7 points and Salim London had 5 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Spain Park’s boys traveled to Hueytown and played well down the stretch to pull out a 59-52 win. The Jags knocked down 11-of-13 free throw attempts in the final quarter to preserve the win. Turner led the team with 17 points, with James joining him in double figures with 12 points. Wright scored 9 points and Josh Harrington added 8 points.
Hoover’s girls wrapped up a successful run in their own tournament with a pair of wins on Saturday. The Lady Bucs defeated Eufaula 74-38 and beat Auburn by a similar score, 73-40, to cap off the week.
WRESTLING
Last Tuesday, the Hoover wrestling team was defeated in a tri-match by a pair of top teams. Arab beat the Bucs 58-18 and Thompson knocked off Hoover 75-3.
Hoover placed second over the weekend at the Beech Invitational in Tennessee. Jack Lamey Jr. won the 182-pound weight class. Baylor Hardy (120) and Broc Metcalf (138) finished second and Ty Sisson (126), Keith Christein (160) and Chaleb Powell (285) were all third.
BOWLING
Last Monday, the Hoover boys bowling team beat Thompson 4-1 to finish out region play. The win gave the Buccaneers the first region title in program history.
RECLASSIFICATION
The AHSAA announced the new classifications for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years last week. Click here to see how the changes affect the local schools.
FOOTBALL
Spain Park hired its next football coach, naming Tim Vakakes to lead the Jaguars' program. Click here to read about the hire.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.