Photo by Erin Nelson. Starnes Media
Hoover’s Christian Bryant (4) dribbles the ball downcourt guarded by Oxford’s Aaron McFarland (4) during a game at Hoover High School on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021. Photo by Erin Nelson.
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
Last Monday, the Hoover basketball teams hosted Northridge. It was the Lady Buccaneers’ first home game of the season and they coasted to a 72-35 win over the visitors.
It took an extra period, but the boys team beat Northridge 78-72 in overtime. Hoover held a five-point lead after three quarters, but Northridge tied things to send it to an additional period. Hoover was led in scoring by TQ Richardson, who finished with 19 points. Salim London finished with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists on the night. Jarrett Fairley gave the Bucs three double-digit scorers with 10 points and 4 assists. Brodin Grady went for 9 points and 7 rebounds, Jaylen Carrington finished with 8 points and 4 assists, and DeWayne Brown had 8 points. Brandon Foster added 6 points and 7 rebounds.
Hoover’s boys were back in action on Tuesday and posted a 55-43 win over Oxford. With the game tied after three quarters, the Bucs outscored the Yellow Jackets 21-9 in the final frame. London and Richardson each scored 11 points to lead the team, pulling down a combined 9 rebounds as well. Grady and Christian Bryant each scored 9 points, with Grady grabbing 6 rebounds and Bryant knocking down a trifecta of 3-pointers in the second half. Foster added 4 points, 8 rebounds and 4 blocks.
Spain Park split Tuesday evening. The Lady Jags hosted Mortimer Jordan and suffered a 55-37 loss. Mortimer Jordan was led by Sarah Kanaday’s 15 points. Spain Park’s boys traveled to Clay-Chalkville and pulled out a 33-30 win in a defensive struggle. Colin Turner led the Jaguars with 14 points and Zach Gray added 8.
Hoover and Spain Park squared off on Friday night, with the Bucs winning both games. Hoover earned a convincing 73-34 victory in the girls games, while the Bucs won the boys game 54-49. For the Bucs, London had 15 points and 6 rebounds. Grady and Foster added 8 points each, with Grady adding 8 rebounds and 3 assists and Foster securing 6 boards. Gray led the Jags with 15 points, while Turner added 13 points. Chase James finished with 9 points and Josh Harrington scored 8.
WRESTLING
Last Tuesday, the Spain Park junior varsity wrestling team traveled to Thompson for the Over the Mountain Duals. Spain Park lost to Helena 42-41 and fell to Thompson 45-28. Angel Quiroz (138 pounds) won with two pins, Granger Scarborough (145) won with a pin and a major decision and Alexander Mancill (152) won with a pin and a decision.
Also on Tuesday, Hoover split a tri-match. The Bucs fell to Bob Jones 39-37 but beat Sparkman 51-30.
On Wednesday, Spain Park hosted a quad match with Huntsville, Mortimer Jordan and Tuscaloosa County. The Jags fell to Huntsville 40-36 in a match that came down to the last individual match. Spain Park then beat Mortimer Jordan 45-33 and knocked off Tuscaloosa County 57-24. Bradley Williams, John Robert Thompson, Jackson Mitchell, Will Conlon and Rayshod Burts were all unbeaten for the Jags.
On Thursday, Hoover won two matches in a quad match. Hoover took down Benjamin Russell 75-3, beat Moody 42-38 and fell to Mountain Brook 42-30.
Hoover finished second in the Catholic High School Duals in Louisiana over the weekend. Hoover beat East Ascension 48-36, beat Live Oak 60-15, defeated Jesuit 84-0, beat Dutchtown 63-18 and knocked off Catholic 42-28.
Over the weekend, Spain Park performed well at the Carrollton Trojan War Duals in Georgia. The Jags defeated Bremen (48-22), Carrollton (46-30), Newnan (57-21) and Pepperell (40-39) and lost to Trion (64-9).
SWIMMING AND DIVING
The Hoover and Spain Park girls swimming and diving teams competed in the state meet over the weekend. Spain Park finished eighth in the Class 6A-7A division and Hoover was 12th.
For Hoover, Lucy Beniot placed fourth in diving, while Owen Fuller finished fifth. All 10 swimmers that qualified for the state meet advanced to the championship round. On the final day of swimming, Lukas Fu earned the silver medal in the 200-yard individual medley. Leo Song, Fu, Ken Ning and Victor Song took the bronze in the 400 freestyle relay.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnesmedia.com.
