Erin Nelson Sweeney
High school basketball
High school basketball has been rolling for a few weeks now, with many teams beginning to show signs of potentially putting together great campaigns. Others are still looking to get things moving in the right direction.
Here’s a broad look at the boys and girls programs at each of the 11 schools in the Starnes Media coverage area through Wednesday, Nov. 29. More in-depth weekly updates will begin soon.
Hoover
The Hoover boys and girls teams, fresh off Class 7A state championships, have challenged themselves in the early going of the season.
Hoover’s boys are 8-0, with in-state wins over Central-Tuscaloosa, McAdory, Huffman and Oxford. The Bucs also went to Illinois and picked up wins over St. Laurence (Illinois), Dale (Oklahoma), Washington (Illinois) and Gray (South Carolina).
The Lady Bucs have a talented, but unseasoned, team and are 3-2. The Bucs dropped the season opener to 7A favorite Bob Jones, before beating Huffman a few days later. They went to Tennessee and dropped a game to North Little Rock (Arkansas), but defeated host Bartlett. Their most recent outing was against New Manchester (Georgia) as part of the Hoops4Hunger event, a 66-64 win.
Spain Park
The Spain Park boys and girls squads are firmly in the building stage right now.
Spain Park’s boys have had encouraging signs amidst a 4-4 start. The Jags have knocked off Stanhope Elmore, Vestavia Hills, Dothan and Ramsay. But they have also accumulated a couple losses to Mountain Brook and also fallen to Helena and Clay-Chalkville.
Spain Park’s girls have been competitive at times under first-year coach John Hadder. The Lady Jags notched a win over Paul Bryant last week and are 1-8.
Homewood
The Homewood boys and girls teams have been solid so far.
The Lady Patriots are 9-2, with losses only to Chelsea and Moody. They have defeated Cornerstone, Pinson Valley, Ramsay, Fairfield, Midfield, Briarwood, Northridge, Calera and Oak Mountain in a busy opening stretch.
Homewood’s boys are 6-3, with all three losses coming by 10 or less. They fell to Cornerstone in the second game of the year and dropped games to Enterprise and Clay-Chalkville in the Rebel Classic. They have also defeated Ramsay, Briarwood, Northridge, Baldwin County and Oak Mountain.
John Carroll
The John Carroll boys are looking to put together another season as strong as last year's. The Cavs have been challenged in the early going, with losses to Minor, Hartselle and Parker. They have won two straight heading into December, though.
John Carroll's girls have earned wins over Holy Family, McAdory, Altamont and Leeds so far.
Mountain Brook
The Mountain Brook basketball teams have had promising starts to the season.
The boys team, coming off a Class 6A runner-up finish, won its first seven games of the year, beating Chelsea, Spain Park, Madison Academy and Thompson before winning the Spartan Turkey Jam. The Spartans won the tournament by defeating Theodore, James Clemens and Spain Park. They lost their first game last weekend, a one-point loss to Booneville (Mississippi) at the Lighthouse Classic.
The Lady Spartans have started 5-2. They fell to an unbeaten Chelsea team before reeling off wins over Cullman, Madison Academy and Thompson. At the Spartan Turkey Jam, they beat Orange Beach and Ramsay before falling just short to Clay-Chalkville in the final.
Hewitt-Trussville
The Hewitt-Trussville boys and girls teams have gotten off to solid starts.
The Lady Huskies won their first six games before running into some of the state’s top teams over the last two weeks. In that opening stretch, Hewitt beat Gadsden City and Pelham before winning the Saint James Tip-Off Classic with wins over Saint James, Catholic-Montgomery and Pell City. They also beat Douglas, before dropping two of three at Pleasant Grove’s Thanksgiving tournament. Huffman and Shades Valley took down the Lady Huskies, who then beat Vigor. Hewitt also fell to Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa earlier this week and is 7-3 on the year.
Hewitt’s boys are 7-2 in the early going. The Huskies’ losses are to Huffman and Albertville, but they have wins over Gadsden City, Pelham, Douglas, Curry, Hayden, Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Indian Springs.
Clay-Chalkville
Both of Clay-Chalkville’s boys and girls teams look extremely competitive to this point.
The Lady Cougars look like a really strong team in Class 6A, notching wins over Shades Valley, Pell City, Thompson, Mountain Brook and Spain Park already. Their only loss is to a good Minor squad. They have also beaten Springville, Gadsden City and Hueytown, and are 8-1.
The boys team is 6-3 so far and has earned wins over Homewood and Spain Park in recent days. The Cougars’ losses are to Gadsden City (by four), Sparkman (by three) and Oak Mountain (by five). They have also beaten Springville, Opelika, Shades Valley and Pell City.
Briarwood
The Briarwood boys and girls teams have started the season with identical 3-3 marks.
The boys team is progressing nicely under first-year head coach Jeremy Mears, as the Lions have been working to integrate a few football players into the basketball swing as well. After dropping games to Homewood, Gadsden City and Thompson to begin the year, the Lions have knocked off Prattville, Chelsea and Sylacauga to even up the record.
The girls team has had some turnover as well, but is winners of its last two games. The Lady Lions have notched wins over Columbia, Childersburg and Sylacauga. Their losses are to Homewood, Gadsden City and Fort Payne.
Chelsea
The Chelsea girls are off to a roaring start, currently sitting at 9-0 on the season. The Lady Hornets have only played one game decided by single digits to this point, with Tuscaloosa County and Mountain Brook providing the toughest tests. Chelsea has also notched wins over Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Pelham, Calera, Helena, Paul Bryant and McAdory.
Chelsea’s boys have had an uneven start, but the Hornets have played a challenging slate to this point. The Hornets’ wins are over Calera and Prattville, with tight losses to Pelham and Briarwood. They have also dropped games against Homewood, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Northridge and McAdory, and are 2-7 to this point.
Oak Mountain
The Oak Mountain boys and girls teams are have faced challenging schedules.
The boys have faced plenty of top-caliber opponents and are 3-5 so far. The Eagles’ wins have come against Oxford, Baldwin County and Clay-Chalkville. There are no bad losses on the slate, with defeats to Northridge, Austin, Thompson (in overtime), Mae Jemison and Homewood, all talented foes.
Oak Mountain’s girls are 0-8, having played just one home game to this point.
Vestavia Hills
Both Vestavia Hills teams appear to be contenders in the Class 7A ranks.
The Lady Rebels are the first team among these to reach 10 wins, as they are 10-1 to this point. They won both games at the Gulf Shores Tip-Off and won the Pelham Turkey Tip-Off with three straight wins, including one over Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa. Their lone loss is to Chelsea.
Vestavia’s boys won the Sneaky Pete’s Rebel Classic by beating Baldwin County, Mae Jemison and Sparkman over Thanksgiving week. The Rebels have also beaten Chelsea, Hartselle and Pleasant Grove, with their only loss coming to Spain Park.
