Sarah Finnegan
Vestavia VS Hoover Boys Basketball
Action from a basketball game between Vestavia and Hoover on January 17, 2017 at Vestavia High School.
Hoover High School traveled to Thompson on Friday night and came back home with a pair of Class 7A, Area 5 wins.
The girls opened the proceedings with a 56-30 win over the Lady Warriors, as 10 players scored for the Lady Bucs.
Joiya Maddox and Melanie Hall scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, to lead Hoover, who scored 41 points combined in the second and third periods to effectively put the game away.
Eboni Williams and Jennifer Andrew each added eight points for the Lady Bucs.
The Hoover boys (21-4, 4-0 area) also won by double digits, winning 68-50. Thompson was within nine to begin the final quarter, but the Bucs put the Warriors away and sealed the game, hitting 9 of 11 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Jamari Blackmon led the way with 23 points, while Marion Humphrey also reached double digits with 16 points. Ahman Ellington scored eight.
Drew Thomas led Thompson with 14 points.
The Bucs return to action next Tuesday, as they host Tuscaloosa County.
JAGS SWEEP
The Spain Park High School basketball teams notched a pair of wins over Oak Mountain on Friday night, as both Jag teams improved to 4-0 in Class 7A, Area 6 play.
To begin the evening, the Lady Jags coasted to a 63-25 victory, behind a big night from Barrett Herring. The junior forward scored a game-high 17 points, including eight in the first quarter.
Spain Park held a 35-16 lead at the halftime but put the game completely out of reach with a blistering 29-point performance in the third quarter.
Two other Lady Jags also reached double figure scoring, as Claire Holt scored 12 points and Ahrielle Parks added 11.
Oak Mountain was led by six points from Jacoby Sims. Clara Fuller scored five points.
The boys game was much tighter, as the Jags escaped with a 49-46 win. Spain Park jumped out to a 15-7 lead after a quarter of play, but the Eagles tightened the gap in the second quarter and kept the game essentially within a basket or two the rest of the way.
Jamal Johnson kept up his phenomenal play for Spain Park, as he poured in a game-leading 26 points. He scored half of his points at the foul stripe, knocking down 13-of-14 from the charity stripe.
Will Stephenson led the Eagles with 15 points on the night, as he knocked down four 3s on the evening. Kris Hutchins followed with eight points, and Chris Mayweather added six points.
For Spain Park, Xavier Blanchard scored eight points, while Gordie Stewart added seven.
Both teams return to area play Tuesday, as Spain Park visits Huffman while Oak Mountain hosts Mountain Brook.
OTHER AREA ACTION
In the other Area 5 matchup, Vestavia Hills traveled to Tuscaloosa County. The two teams split the set of games, with Tuscaloosa County's girls winning 48-22, and the Vestavia boys picking up a solid 49-42 victory.
In Area 6 action, Mountain Brook and Huffman also split. The Lady Vikings pulled away in the final quarter to win, 58-48. The Spartans recovered and won the boys game, 64-54. You can read about each of those contests here.