Kyle Parmley
Spain Park's girls basketball team won the Husky Thanksgiving Tournament on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018.
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.
FOOTBALL
The Hoover football team was denied its chance to win a third straight state championship, as it fell 31-28 to Thompson last Friday night in the Class 7A semifinals. The Bucs ended the season with a 9-4 record.
BASKETBALL
Hoover
The Hoover basketball teams were in action over the week of Thanksgiving. The boys team played in a pair of tournaments, beginning with the Heritage Classic at Fairfield.
On Monday, the Bucs knocked off Jeff Davis 66-43 to begin the tournament. Ahman Ellington led the way with 24 points. DJ Fairley scored 15 points and CJ Melton posted a double-double, with 10 points and 14 rebounds. The Bucs fell to Wenonah 40-35 on Tuesday. Melton scored 15 points and Ellington was held to nine points.
The Bucs then traveled to Arkansas for the Rumble on the Ridge tournament. Hoover fell to Little Rock Hall 65-45 on Thursday, despite 21 points from Ellington. On Friday, the Bucs edged out Earle (Arkansas), 68-67. Ellington scored 33 points to lead the way, with 26 of them coming in the first half. Sam Warren chipped in 10 points as well. Hoover trailed by 13 in the second quarter but the cut the deficit to one at the half.
Hoover finished its long week with a 69-63 win over Southwind (Tennessee) on Saturday. Ellington had 33 points once again, while Melton posted a double-double of 13 points, 13 rebounds and five blocks.
Hoover’s girls basketball team played in the John Greer State Farm Classic in Lebanon, Tennessee, over the weekend and won all three games it played. The Lady Bucs played two games on Friday, opening with a 69-34 win over Webb (Tennessee). Joiya Maddox and Skyla Knight led the way with 15 and 10 points, respectively, and all nine players scored.
Later that day, the Lady Bucs beat Lebanon (Tennessee), 61-34. Hoover trailed 14-11 after the first quarter but outscored Lebanon 19-6 in the second and 23-5 in the third to put the game away. Knight scored 18 points to lead the way, while Maddox added 13 points and Miya Kimber scored 11. The Lady Bucs picked up a 79-31 win over Franklin (Tennessee) on Saturday.
This week, both Hoover teams host Ramsay on Thursday. The boys head south for the weekend, playing at McGill-Toolen on Friday and at Blount on Saturday. The girls face St. Francis (Georgia) in the Queens of the Hardwood Classic in Atlanta on Saturday.
Spain Park
For the third straight year, the Spain Park girls basketball team claimed the title at the Husky Thanksgiving Tournament powered by Trussville Gas and Water, hosted by Hewitt-Trussville. After opening the tournament with a 60-50 win over Sidney Lanier on Saturday, Nov. 17, the Lady Jags won on Monday and Tuesday.
On Monday, Spain Park edged Wenonah 47-45, behind 28 points from Sarah Ashlee Barker to lead all scorers. The Lady Jags followed that up with a 52-42 win over Hewitt-Trussville in the tournament final on Tuesday. That night, Barker led with 17 points, followed by Bailey Bowers, who scored 15, and Ahrielle Parks, who scored 11.
Spain Park also competed in the Encore Thanksgiving Classic at Hartselle on Wednesday, with the Lady Jags grabbing a 65-60 win over Sparkman, a Final Four team last year. Barker scored 28, Parks added 13 and Kristen McMillan chipped in 10 points.
This week, the boys team is back in action as well. On Tuesday, the girls visit Madison Academy while the boys head to McAdory. The boys play at Pelham on Friday.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.
