By WESLEY HALLMAN / Sports Editor

NORTH SHELBY — Shelby County High School boys’ basketball coach Charles Dickinson drew up the same play eight times in the Wildcats’ 77-74 victory on the road at Briarwood Christian in a Class 5A, Area 7 contest Jan. 13.

His players finally executed it perfectly on the final play, setting up a game-winning 3-pointer by guard Jonathan Pennington from the left corner with 1.8 seconds remaining in overtime.

A half-court heave by Briarwood guard Devin Bowman missed the mark, sealing the Wildcats’ area win.

“That was the first time we went through with (the play),” Dickinson said. “I was glad to see (Pennington) shoot the ball like we figured he could shoot it.”

Tyler Madison led Shelby County (7-9 overall, 2-3 in Class 5A, Area 7) with 24 points.

Ty Lollar chipped in 22 points. Andrew Miller contributed 11 points. Jonathan Pennington finished with nine points, including the game-winning 3-pointer.

Tre Cohill added six points.

James Palmer led Briarwood Christian (18-5 overall, 2-2 in Class 5A, Area 7) with 21 points, including 17 points in the opening half.

Jason Laatsch added 19 points. Justin Bice finished with 17 points. Luke Collins contributed five points.

Bowman and Nathan Fincher chipped in four points each.

Briarwood led for most of the game before Lollar tied the game at 56-56 with 3:40 remaining in the fourth quarter. Pennington gave the Wildcats their first lead of the quarter, at 59-58, following his 3-pointer from the left corner.

The Lions led by four points with 15.9 seconds remaining before Madison scored on an offensive putback and Lollar hit a running layup at the buzzer to send the game into overtime.

Miller hit a 3-pointer to open the overtime session and Pennington hit the game-clinching 3-pointer to give Shelby County a much-needed area victory.

Dickinson said the Wildcats are taking the remainder of the area schedule game-by-game.

“We just want to talk about winning games,” Dickinson said. “The area will take care of itself.”

Chelsea drops area contest against Talladega

The Chelsea High School boys’ basketball team fell to Talladega 98-45 in a Class 5A, Area 7 contest Jan. 13.

D.D. Washington led the Hornets (9-11 overall, 0-4 in Class 5A, Area 7) with 14 points.

Jake Ganus added 11 points and six rebounds. D.J. Washington chipped in 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Vincent defeats Leeds

The Vincent High School boys’ basketball team defeated Leeds 51-46 on Jan. 13.

Ben McKinney led the Yellow Jackets (15-6) with 16 points. McKinney also grabbed eight rebounds and recorded three steals.

Keyon Wallace added 14 points to go along with a team-high 19 rebounds, seven blocked shots and three assists. Bruce Hamilton chipped in 10 points, 10 rebounds, four blocked shots and four steals.

Westminster falls to Holy Spirit in area game

The Westminster School at Oak Mountain boys’ basketball team fell to Holy Spirit 50-41 in a Class 1A, Area 8 contest Jan. 13.

Adam Gurley led the Knights (9-9 overall, 2-2 in Class 1A, Area 8 ) with 21 points.

Jake Doggett added 10 points in the victory. Jeffrey Stanford contributed five points.

Richard Robey, who scored two points, grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

Kingwood Christian edges Coosa Valley

The Kingwood Christian School boys’ basketball team defeated Coosa Valley Academy 52-47 on Jan. 13.

Jordan Myers led the Lions (11-8) with 18 points.

Ben Littrell contributed 15 points. Madison Webb led Kingwood Christian with a team-high 11 rebounds.

John Bullen led Coosa Valley (4-10) with 19 points.

Daniel Kennedy chipped in 11 points in the loss.

Cornerstone Christian falls to Ellwood Christian

The Cornerstone Christian School boys’ basketball team fell to Ellwood Christian 73-60 on Jan. 13.

Kendall Moore led the Chargers (2-8) with 29 points. Moore also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.

Chase Payne contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds. Hagan Joiner added 11 points and five rebounds in the loss.

Hope Christian defeats The Rock

The Hope Christian School boys’ basketball team defeated The Rock School 65-48 on Jan. 13.

Pete Thomason led the Eagles (6-7) with 18 points. Thomason, who dished out five assists, also grabbed a team-high 15 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

Terrance Moore added 12 points and six rebounds. Blake Thomas contributed 11 points and five boards.

Seth Burnham recorded eight points and 12 rebounds in the victory.

GIRLS

Chelsea falls to Talladega in area contest

The Chelsea High School girls’ basketball team fell to Talladega 60-22 in a Class 5A, Area 7 contest Jan. 13.

Allie Luster led the Hornets (6-13 overall, 0-4 in Class 5A, Area 7) with five points.

Coosa Valley defeats Kingwood Christian

The Coosa Valley Academy girls’ basketball team defeated Kingwood Christian School 50-38 on Jan. 13.

Lauren Archer led the Rebels (10-2) with a game-high 25 points. Archer added 14 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

Jordan Smiley added nine points and 13 rebounds in the victory.

Blair Holsombeck led Kingwood Christian (4-13) with 11 points.

Hope Christian edges East Central

The Hope Christian School girls’ basketball team edged visiting East Central 42-39 on Jan. 13.

Davina Drew led the Eagles (7-5) with 12 points. Drew also grabbed five rebounds and finished with six steals.

Hannah Rettig added seven points. Melinda Mahan and Christina Jones contributed six points each.

Leigh Wilson-Legg chipped in five points.