Turning The Page From Winter To Spring

By: Tim Lambert

Basketball has wrapped up for most of our local teams so far; baseball and soccer are getting their starts with other spring sports close behind. First of all, congratulations are in order: James Clemens track coach Drew Bell was named as the NFHS South Section Girls’ Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year. James Clemens also placed second in Super Varsity Division I at the Universal Cheerleaders Association National High School Cheerleading Championship in Orlando. Athens was third in Super Varsity Division II.

Highlights since last month:

Ardmore: Basketball teams swept Lindsay Lane and Tanner. The Lady Tigers topped West Limestone. Area tournament eliminations came at the hands of Madison Academy.

Athens Bible: The boys’ basketball team overcame St. Bernard, Gaylesville, Shoals Christian and Waterloo; the girls got wins over Whitesburg Christian and Cherokee. First-round area tournament victories came against Oakwood Academy (boys) and Whitesburg Christian (girls). Both teams were stopped by Lindsay Lane in season-ending losses. ABS baseball edged Elkmont.

Athens High: On the basketball courts, the Golden Eagles eclipsed Ardmore; the Athens girls got by Muscle Shoals, Austin and Columbia. Both teams beat Russellville. Both teams lost to Muscle Shoals in the area tournament, but the girls advanced to the sub-regional tournament as runner-up. They got past Cullman before falling to Carver in the regional semi-finals. At the state indoor track meet, Hamilton Pressnell was fourth in the boys’ 6A 60-meter hurdles. Baseball wins came against Austin and North Jackson. Soccer teams notched victories against Elkmont. The Golden Eagles also defeated Westminster.

Clements: Boys’ and girls’ basketball teams defeated East Lawrence. The Colts overshadowed Wilson. The season ended for boys and girls with losses in the area tournament to Lauderdale County and Lexington.

East Limestone: Varsity basketball teams recorded regular season wins over Ardmore, Clements, and James Clemens; the Lady Indians defeated West Limestone and Decatur. The boys and girls also claimed Limestone County basketball tournament championships, defeating Tanner and West Limestone. At the area tournament, both teams eliminated Madison County. The Indians won the tournament, beating Madison Academy. They got by Russellville in the sub-regional before losing to Fairfield in the regional semi-finals. The girls were runners-up to Madison Academy and came up short to West Point in sub-regional play. The boys’ bowling team got to the second round of the state tournament before being eliminated by Oak Mountain.

Elkmont: Basketball teams prevailed over Westminster. The Lady Red Devils claimed a victory over Danville. Teams were taken out of the area tournament by Brooks and West Limestone. The girls’ soccer team chalked up wins over Hazel Green and Tanner.

James Clemens: Basketball teams defeated crosstown rival Bob Jones. Area tournament eliminations came with losses to Austin. Shateaya Ligon and Audriana Blakely were first and second in the girls’ long jump at the High School JV track meet. Blakely was also second in the 400-meter dash and third in the 60-meter hurdles, while Ligon finished third in the 60-meter dash. At the state indoor meet, Cadence Huntsinger won the girls’ 7A triple jump, and Ligon finished third in the girls’ long jump. On the baseball field, the Jets turned back Scottsboro and Moody. The girls’ third-ranked soccer team defeated St. John Paul II.

Lindsay Lane: The boys’ basketball team won over Geraldine, R.A. Hubbard, and Lexington; the Lady Lions held off Colbert Heights. Both teams took ABS out of area tournament play and won area titles over R.A. Hubbard. The Lions topped Woodville in the sub-regional and then lost in overtime to Jacksonville Christian; the Lindsay Lane girls were defeated by Valley Head in the sub-regional.Tanner: Basketball sweeps came against Sheffield and Elkmont. Area tournament action saw the Rattlers defeat Colbert County and the girls come out on top of Tharptown. The Tanner boys slipped past Sheffield for the area crown, while the Lady Rattlers advanced to the sub-regional despite a loss to Hatton. The boys eliminated Sulligent and the girls beat Addison. Both teams fell in the regional semi-finals to Vincent (boys) and Cold Springs (girls).

West Limestone: Boys’ and girls’ basketball teams denied Elkmont and Tanner; the boys turned back Ardmore and East Limestone. In the area tournament, the West girls eliminated Elkmont and were runners-up to Brooks before losing to Rogers in the sub-regional. The Wildcats also were area runners-up to Brooks and came out victorious after three overtimes with Deshler in the sub-regional. A regional semi-finals win against Haleyville set them up with a rematch with Brooks in the finals.
By: Tim Lambert
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