Photo courtesy of Hoover Basketball
The Hoover High School boys basketball team won the Big Orange Classic on Dec. 30, 2020.
Over the course of the year, the Hoover Sun will keep you up to date on the various Hoover and Spain Park high school athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.
BASKETBALL
The Hoover boys basketball team hosted the Big Orange Classic last week. On Monday, the Bucs began the tournament with a 70-49 win over Clarke County. In the victory, DJ Fairley notched a double-double, leading the way with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. Chip Culpepper added 16 points and eight rebounds, while Colby Carter chipped in 13 points and five boards.
Spain Park’s boys hosted the Spain Park Invitational last week as well. The Jags took down Helena 71-36 on Monday, led by Zach Gray, who knocked down five 3-pointers on the way to a 15-point performance. Braden Diclemente was also in double figures, scoring 10 points. Deacon George and Blake Floyd scored six points each as well.
The Hoover and Spain Park girls played in the BallN Prep Holiday Invitational at Hazel Green last week. On Tuesday, Spain Park fell to Pleasant Grove 43-41, while the Lady Bucs won a pair of games. Hoover first beat Carver-Montgomery 53-33 behind 20 points from Reniya Kelly. Aniya Hubbard scored 17 points as well. In the nightcap, Hoover beat McGill-Toolen 58-46. Kelly led the way with 21 points, followed closely by Hubbard, who had 19. Hubbard also scored her 1,000th career point in the game.
The boys scored a 74-58 win over Central-Tuscaloosa on Tuesday to advance to the Big Orange final. In the win, Culpepper exploded for 30 points and four rebounds. Carter knocked down five 3-pointers and scored 17 points. Fairley added 10 points, five rebounds and six assists.
Spain Park’s boys also notched a win, beating Chelsea 56-39. Diclemente led the Jags with 11 points, with Cam Crawford joining him in double figures with 10 points. Colin Turner and Floyd each scored eight points and Blake Hay had seven.
Hoover and Spain Park’s girls finished play in the BallN Prep Holiday Invitational on Wednesday. Spain Park earned a 37-20 win over Lee-Huntsville and Hoover picked up a 58-20 win over Pleasant Grove. For the Lady Bucs, Kelly scored 14 points, Jada Knight had 11 and Kristen McMillan scored 10 points.
Hoover’s boys went on to win the Big Orange Classic with a 66-49 victory over Mountain Brook. Fairley led the charge with 22 points, six rebounds and three assists in the win. Culpepper contributed 16 points, six boards and three blocks, while Brodin Grady finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists.
Spain Park’s boys finished up the Spain Park Invitational with a 44-34 win over Tuscaloosa County. The Jags were led by Turner, who scored 17 points. Crawford scored 11 points and Floyd added six in the victory.
In a battle of the state’s top two teams, the Hoover girls outlasted Hewitt-Trussville 60-58 on Saturday afternoon. The Lady Bucs were led by Hubbard, who registered 21 points and scored the game-winning basket on a putback. Kelly added 16 points as well.
WRESTLING
The Spain Park wrestling team competed in the Dolphin Scramble last Wednesday. Bradley Williams, John Robert Thompson, Max Milazzo, Jackson Mitchell, Will Conlon, Carson Ray, Gage Hughes, Brandon Fortenberry and Rayshod Burts all won in their individual class.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.
