By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Sports Editor 

Boys

Oak Mountain 47, Hoover 54

For the second time in the last two weeks, the Oak Mountain Eagles found themselves with a strong lead in the third quarter against No. 3 ranked Hoover, but were unable to close the game out.

The Buccaneers overcame a 10-point deficit in the third quarter and a close game in the final minutes to pull ahead for a 54-47 victory to remain unbeaten in area play. The Eagles fell to  15-8 overall this season, but are 2-2 in area play and still look like a very dangerous team moving forward. 

Spain Park 18, Mountain Brook 71

It wasn’t Spain Park’s night on Friday, as the Jaguars couldn’t get anything going on either side of the floor which led to a dominant 71-18 victory for the No. 1 ranked Spartans. Spain Park is now 5-19 overall and 1-3 in area play.

Pelham 34, Chelsea 30

Points were difficult to come by for both teams in this contest, but the Pelham Panthers were able to do just enough to pull off their first area win of the season and end Chelsea’s undefeated start to area play.

The Panthers improved to 13-10 overall with the win and are now 1-3 in area play. Chelsea is now 11-1 overall and 3-1 in area play as the Hornets still sit atop the area.

Calera 84, Helena 55 

After starting area play 0-2, the Calera Eagles have bounced back with two strong wins, including a dominant 84-55 effort against the Helena Huskies.

The Eagles are now 12-10 overall and 2-2 in area play as they have all of a sudden turned into a dangerous squad after two heartbreaking losses to start area play. Helena, however, is also 2-2 in the area and sits at 14-7 overall.

Briarwood 63, Ramsay 68  

A fun, competitive game between these two saw Ramsay hold on to edge out their second win against Briarwood in the last two weeks to stay perfect in area play.

The Lions are 10-10 overall and 1-3 in area play, but have plenty of talent this season. Moving into the area tournament, this is a team that will have a strong shot to make the playoffs.

Shelby County 60, Montevallo 59 

The Shelby County Wildcats have continued to improve this season and moved to 11-7 overall with a thrilling one-point victory against the Montevallo Bulldogs in a county rivalry.

The Wildcats, who are already 4-0 in area play, have had some growing pains at times, but have looked solid at times this season. Montevallo fell to 8-10 overall, but still sit at 3-2 in area play after the non-area contest.

Vincent 52, Altamont 49

The Vincent Yellow Jackets are starting to roll after winning their fourth area game in a row to improve to 4-0 in their area and 11-8 overall with a 52-49 victory against Altamont. A team that should be able to make a postseason run, it’s important for their confidence to continue to grow.

Girls 

Spain Park 51, Mountain Brook 43

After becoming the first team in the county to 20 wins, the Spain Park girls improved to 21-4 overall and 4-0 in area play with a 51-43 victory against Mountain Brook.

It was closer than the Jaguars wanted it to be, but having played a difficult schedule and already won 21 games to just four losses, this team looks like another that will try to make a run at a state championship.

Oak Mountain 20, Hoover 67

It was a tough night for the Oak Mountain Eagles as they fell to 0-4 in area play and 11-11 overall with a difficult 67-20 loss to Hoover. The Eagles are still looking for some confidence in area play, and if they can find it, they’ll make a push to the postseason.

Chelsea 38, Pelham 27

The Chelsea girls basketball team continued to impress with a 38-27 victory against the Pelham Panthers which pushed them to 4-0 in area play. With the loss, Pelham fell to 7-12 overall and 1-3 in area play. 

Calera 57, Helena 56 

A thrilling finish ended in favor of the Calera Eagles as they took down Helena 57-56 to enact some redemption after falling to the Huskies last week.

The Eagles are now 10-11 overall and 2-2 in area play, while the Huskies fell to 1-3 and area play and sit at 9-8 overall.

Briarwood 16, Ramsay 54 

The Lions fell to a very good Ramsay team to even their overall record at 7-7 and fall to 0-4 in area play, while the Rams remained perfect in area play this season. 

Shelby County 74, Montevallo 21

An unbelievable season from the Shelby County Wildcats continued to get better on Friday night as they became the second county team to 20 wins with the 74-21 victory against Montevallo.

More impressively, the Wildcats have lost just one game and that one loss came to 7A No. 3 McGill-Toolen by two points at the buzzer. Now 20-1 and 4-0 in area play, they have proven themselves as one of the best teams in the state. 

Vincent 38, Altamont 46

After picking up their first area win of the season, the Vincent Yellow Jackets gave a strong effort against Altamont but were unable to make it two in a row in a 46-38 loss as they fell to 1-3 in area play.   

Westminster OM 36, Cornerstone Schools of Alabama 26 

One of the hottest teams in the county aside from Spain Park and Shelby County is Westminster at Oak Mountain, who improved to 12-7 overall and 6-0 in area play with a 10-point win against Cornerstone.