Basketball

By Brian Hamilton, Sports Correspondent

Aliceville pulled away from Gordo in the Pickens County championship game to win their third straight county championship. It took overtime for the Yellow Jackets to get past Pickens County in the first round of the tournament, but things would be a bit easier in the championship, as Aliceville pulled away from the Greenwave late, 44-32.

By Brian Hamilton, Sports Correspondent

Gordo defeated Aliceville to win their second consecutive county championship, as senior Keionnie Prude went over 1,000 points scoring in the 50-48 win. The two rivals battled closely throughout, as neither team led by more than three points through the entire fourth quarter, however, the Lady Wave did just enough to come away with the win.

First year Gordo head coach Casey Fox believes it is a giant step for Gordo basketball for the Lady Wave to win back-to-back county championships.

By Brian Hamilton, Sports Correspondent

Aliceville got off to a slow start against Pickens County in the Pickens County Championship semifinal game, as the Lady Jackets held onto a narrow 7-6 lead after one quarter. Aliceville outscored the Lady Tornadoes 14-6 during the second quarter to take a 21-12 lead, en route to a 42-27 win to advance and face Gordo in the championship game.

By Brian Hamilton, Sports Correspondent

Pickens Academy fell behind 11-0 to Columbus Christian in the opening round of the Columbus Christian Christmas tournament and pulled closer throughout the game, but ultimately fell to the Rams 64-58.

“Missed layups, missed opportunities, that’s the kind of stuff that gets you beat,” Pickens Academy head coach Jeremy Pate said. “At this point in the season we’ve got to start making those count.”

By Brian Hamilton, Sports Correspondent

The Lady Pirates fell to Heritage Academy 42-27 in the opening day of the Columbus Christian Christmas Tournament. Pickens Academy stayed close with the Lady Patriots, trailing just 20-19 at halftime before ultimately falling to Heritage Academy. PA once again had trouble with the zone press, which the Lady Patriots applied for most of the game.

By Brian Hamilton, Sports Correspondent

Saying that Aliceville jumped on Greene County early would be an understatement. The Yellow Jackets came out hot from behind the arc and led the Tigers 11-0 after one quarter, and taking a 13-0 lead before Greene County got on the board in the second quarter. The Tigers would get in a groove during the second quarter, however, and take a lead to halftime they never relinquished, winning 49-33.

By Brian Hamilton, Sports Correspondent

The Aliceville girls survived a rough start to defeat Greene County Saturday night in Eutaw. The Lady Jackets trailed 14-3 at the end of the first quarter, but narrowed the deficit to just three at halftime before defeating the Lady Tigers 41-39.

“We came out really slow, but we hung in there and stayed the course and it worked out well for us,” Aliceville head coach Sebastian Shamery said.

BY BRIAN HAMILTON, Sports Correspondent

The Pickens Academy boys dropped two games in the Southern Christmas tournament last weekend, falling to Southern Academy 45-33 in the opener and then dropping the third place game to Marengo Academy 51-25 in the third place game Saturday morning.

BY BRIAN HAMILTON, Sports Correspondent

The Pickens Academy Lady Pirates took third place in the annual Southern Christmas tournament in Greensboro last weekend after falling to Southern Academy 36-35 in the opening game. PA wrapped up the tournament on Saturday morning with a 34-18 win over Patrician Academy.

“From the first game to this game, its only been three games, but I feel like we’ve gotten better every game,” Pickens Academy head coach Wade Goodman said. “Some of the girls are starting to get more confident with their shot.”

BY BRIAN HAMILTON, Sports Correspondent

Pickens Academy (1-1) kicked off its 2018-19 basketball season by finishing in third-place at the Nucor Thanksgiving tournament at Stillman College a couple weeks ago. The Pirates lost Banks Academy 68-54 in the opener, but came back the next night and defeated North River Christian 55-46.

Pickens Academy head coach Jeremy Pate said he was excited for his team to pick up its first win of the year, but said the team still has a long way to go.