By John Goolsby, Prep Sports Editor
Hewitt-Trussville
Boys: The 17-7 (3-1) Huskies defeated Chelsea this past week and will face Oak Mountain and Spain Park this week.
“It is always crazy to me how fast the seasons fly by, but here we are with four games to play,” said Husky head coach Jeremy Monceaux.
“I think our team has done a good job learning and growing from our losses, but until the final buzzer sounds, our focus will continue to be on improving as a team.”
“We have been able to execute well on both ends late in games, and that has allowed us to win some close ones here as of late, and I hope it is giving us some confidence as we close out and win big games,” he said.
“We have had a couple of losses that we thought we could have played better or a little harder, but 17-7 to this point with only one returning player with any real varsity experience, I am, for the most part, happy about where we are, but teams are always judged by how they finish, and that is our focus right now.”
Girls: The fourth-ranked Lady Huskies, 20-5 (4-0), defeated eighth-ranked Chelsea last week.
Hewitt takes on Oak Mountain and Spain Park this week.
“I knew going into the season we were going to be young and inexperienced at the same time and we really never experienced this in our program,” said Hewitt head coach Tonya Hunter.
“This team is such a coachable team that it didn’t take us long to figure what works,” she said.
“They play extremely hard for each other and it’s a joy to watch.”
“We have three games left on our schedule and we will have our post season playoffs upon us.”
“We will continue to remain focused and take one game at a time,” she said.
Clay-Chalkville
Boys: The 6A seventh-ranked Cougars, 18-7 (2-0), defeated Center Point last week.
Clay takes on 6A 5th-ranked Pinson and Mortimer Jordan this week.
“We are on a six game winning streak going into our third area game at Pinson tomorrow,” said Cougar head coach Chris Richardson.
“We are trending in the right direction at the right time. We are playing an exciting brand of basketball right now,” he said.
“We have multiple guys that are capable of reaching double figures each night. That shows that we are playing selfless & full of confidence.”
Girls: The 4th ranked Lady Cougars are 21-2 (2-0) after defeating Center Point 87-17.
The Lady Cougars take on Pinson Valley Tuesday and 3rd-ranked Mortimer Jordan Friday.
“I couldn’t be prouder of our girls,” said Cougar head coach Kevin Conner”
“We are in the middle of the toughest part of our schedule and just went 3-0 vs teams ranked in the top 5.”
“Our schedule doesn’t get any easier with a rematch against Mortimer Jordan on Friday and a road game at Mountain Brook next Tuesday.”
“We will definitely be battle tested going into post season,” Conner said.
Shades Valley
Boys: The 13-10 (2-2) Mounties lost to Pell City last week.
The Mounties host area foes Mountain Brook, ranked third in 6A, and Woodlawn this week.
“It has been a season of ups and downs and injuries have played a part in our season,” said Mountie head coach Audwin Howard.
“We will persevere over it all and are growing up and making strides to obtain our team goals.”
“These young guys are growing up,” he said. “We just have to keep believing in one another and keep pushing.”
Girls: The Lady Mounties stand at 9-12 (4-0) on the season after defeating Fairfield and Pell City last week.
Valley, the winners of five straight, takes on Mountain Brook and Woodlawn this week. A win over the Spartans tonight will give Valley the area title and they would host the area tournament.
Center Point
Boys: The Eagles remain winless at 0-20 after falling to Woodlawn and Clay last week.
The Eagles play Huffman and Gardendale this week.
Girls: The Lady Eagles are 3-15 after losing to Huffman and Clay last week.
The Lady Eagles face Huffman and Gardendale this week.