You know where you are?

You’re in the jungle, baby.

Sorry about that. You’re actually on the oanow sports blog, probably reading it from the comfort of your living room or something while I’m here at Troy for Smiths Station’s girls against Dothan and Central’s boys against Baldwin County.

About 15 minutes to tip, and it looks like about 15 people have braved the (extremely) early morning wake-up call and made their way to Trojan Arena.

I’ll be at Huningdon later today to catch Lee-Scott’s girls going for the AISA title against Taylor Road.

So stay tuned as I cover my 15th, 16th and 17th basketball games in the past four days. See how long it takes for the delirium to set in.

9:14 a.m.: End of the first here and the score is knotted at 11.

DeJah Heard is showing signs of breaking out of her slump. She had 6 in the quarter, including a 4-point play. Erika Jones has 4 points and six boards already, but Dothan’s Jasmine Cantlope is doing a good job making things tough for her down low.

9:28 p.m.: It’s halftime and Dothan leads, 23-18.

Heard has 8 points, but she still looks a little tentative on the offensive end. Almost like she’s still not entirely sure of herself. She’s getting her hands in the passing lane on defense, though.

Jones has 4 points and 11 rebounds, and the Tigers are doing a phenomenal job double- and triple-teaming her. She needs to either start going up stronger and drawing more fouls, or learning to find her open teammates when everyone collapses on her.

The Panthers are also missing a lot of putbacks. What should be easy points are turning into missed opportunities. They are shooting 25 percent from the floor and have turned the ball over nine times.

Charmaine Ward has 7 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Tigers, and Brittany Walker has 6. And Cantlope deserves some sort of award for the work she’s doing on Jones.

Ben Lee is playing on the PA system, and that’s the way I like it. That’s the way I like it. Third quarter about to start.

9:50 a.m.: End of the third and Smiths is up 30-29.

Jones made a putback off a missed Heard free throw to give the Panthers the lead. Achaia Cobb provided a viable third option for Smiths in the quarter, scoring 7. And Heard is slowly regaining that offensive swagger. She has 9, and Jones has 8 with 14 rebounds.

9:55 a.m.: Smiths is back to playing Smiths basketball.

Heard is running the break, Jones is dominating the paint, and all of them are putting intense pressure on the ball on defense.

The Panthers are out to an 8-0 run in the quarter and have a 38-29 lead with 5:57 to go until Birmingham.

10:04 a.m.: 1:34 to go and Smiths is up 41-31.

The Panthers are running the stall very well, milking valuable seconds off the clock on each possession. Ward just fouled Heard hard and had to be cooled down by her coach. Am I doomed to witness a fight or near-fight every game I go to?

10:09 a.m.: Smiths Station wins 44-33 and they’re off to Birmingham.

The difference was the first two minutes of the fourth quarter. Smiths went on an 8-0 run playing the up-tempo, high-pressure style that had eluded them for the rest of the game.

Oh, and Steve Savarese is my shadow. He was at ASU yesterday and is standing on the court here at Troy as we speak.

Heard, Peterson and Jones made the All-Tournament team, with Jones winning MVP.

10:44 a.m.: End of the first quarter at the Central-Baldwin County boys’ game, and Central leads 10-6. A lot of missed shots and not a whole lot else to report. Baldwin County is 3-of-17 from the field. That percentage wouldn’t even stand up as a batting average.

10:55 a.m.: The Tigers have scored two quick baskets to cut the Red Devils’ lead to 18-16 with 2:55 to go in the half.

Tons of turnovers for Central early. Antonio King looks a little off. But Joseph Thompson is doing his thing down low. If only he could make some free throws…

11:05 a.m.: It’s halftime and the Red Devils are up 23-19.

Ugly, ugly game. Central has 10 turnovers and is shooting 36.8 percent (7-of-19) from the FREE-THROW LINE. Baldwin County is shooting 25.8 percent from the field. Woof.

Darren Daniel is leading Central with 8 points and nine rebounds. He also seems to be getting to the hole at will, though he’s not trying very often. Thompson has 7 points and five rebounds. Central has 0 assists to its 10 turnovers. Not a good sign for a usually solid passing team such as the Red Devils.

Micheal Stanley has 5 for the Tigers.

I’m expecting a final in the 50-46 range. I won’t say which team gets which…

11:23 a.m.: Central is winning 31-25 with 2:03 to go in the third.

May I just pause right now and say something? Joseph Thompson is a man. He has six blocks right now, including two on consecutive shots on the last possession.

11:29 a.m.: End of the third and Central has opened up a little breathing room: 35-27.

Daniel has a double-double with 10 and 10. ***TRIPLE DOUBLE ALERT*** Thompson has 11 points, eight rebounds and eight blocks (and all of them have been pretty sick).

11:35 a.m.: 5:38 to go in the game, and Central leads 39-29.

Thompson is up to 13 points, nine rebounds and eight blocks. He also has two assists. And I think I saw him save a kitten from a tree earlier today.

11:41 a.m.: 3:25 to go and Central is up 46-37.

Thompson just put in a kind of crazy spin move to bank in his 15th point. He’s been some kind of special today.

And to think this team went out in the area tournament last year…

11:47 a.m.: 1:42 to go and Central leads 47-40.

Ruben Butler has been keeping the Tigers in this. He has nailed three 3s this quarter, shots of the swish variety. He has 9 of the Tigers’ 13 points this quarter.

11:52 a.m.: 37.5 seconds to go and Central is up 49-42.

Thompson has 17, but is only 1-of-7 from the free-throw line. Something tells me Bobby Wright won’t mind that much in the grand scheme of things.

11:55 a.m.: Baldwin County just pulled a Chris Webber and called a timeout when it didn’t have one.

King to the line for the free throws with his team up 52-42 and 24 seconds to go. I’m thinking the Red Devils are going to Birmingham.

12:05 p.m.: Game’s over. Central wins 57-42.

Thompson was a beast and got MVP. Daniel and him made the All-Tournament team.

5:19 p.m.: A change of venue and a panini later, I’m sitting at Huntingdon College awaiting the AISA AAA title game between No. 1 Lee-Scott and No. 7 Taylor Road.

Both teams had to go through nailbiters in order to get here, and now both teams are about a half hour away from tipoff.

The Tigers should have a lot of fans here tonight, with the fact that they’re from just outside Montgomery and their boys are also playing in the title game afterward. But Lee-Scott has also showed it travels really well. Let’s hope former head ball coach Tuberville is here again.

The “psyche up” mix at Catherine Dixon Roland Arena continues to surprise, in good ways and bad.

And I’ve just realized I’m wearing a sweater that is a dangerously close shade of green to Taylor Road’s uniforms. I hope the Lee-Scottians will forgive my wardrobe choice.

5:48 p.m.: About 10 minutes to tip and Lee-Scott is running some complicated military maneuver that is also serving as a layup drill. It makes me wonder how long it took them to get this down without running into each other a lot.

6:05 p.m.: 5:33 to go in the opening quarter and Lee-Scott has already started releasing all that pent-up aggression. The Warriors lead 8-0, with Jessie Washington regaining her lights-out form and swishing two 3s. And she dished to Melissa Maddox for the other bucket.

6:15 p.m.: End of the first and Lee-Scott is up 16-11. The Warriors ran out to a 16-6 lead and looked like they were running Taylor Road out of the building. But Washington missed her last two shots and the Tigers have put together a little run to make it a two-possession game.

6:32 p.m.: It’s the end of the half, and Lee-Scott leads 31-21.

Even though the Warriors are up by 10, they haven’t blown the Tigers out of the building yet. They’ve had their chances, going up by as many as 14 points, but Taylor Road keeps sticking around.

Washington stopped scoring for a little while, probably got bored, so Melissa Maddox decided to start. Then Washington got unbored and started scoring. She has 18 on 5-of-11 shooting and Melissa Maddox has 9.

I mean this in the best possible way, but Olivia Maddox might just be insane when she’s on the basketball court. She gets this look on defense like she wants to rip off the face of whoever she’s guarding. Luckily, she hasn’t. Yet. And she’s absolutely tireless. She has a hurt knee, but you can only tell from a slight hitch when she’s walking. When she’s running, it’s full speed. And it’s all over the place. She has 3 points, three assists and two steals - one of those “intangibles” nights.

Lay Watts is getting some big points for Taylor Road inside against the undersized Warriors. She has 10 and four rebounds.

Well, Lee-Scott made it past their Final Four hurdle. And they’re 16 minutes from that ring. Or whatever they give kids for state championships nowadays. iPods?

6:46 p.m.: Lee-Scott up 38-27 with 6:01 to go in the third. Both Maddoxes have three fouls and are sitting. This is when Pike Liberal Arts made their run yesterday…

6:49 p.m.: Washington won’t stop making shots. She has 24 now and the Warriors have matched their biggest lead at 41-27. It doesn’t matter that both Maddoxes are sitting when Washington is this “on.“

6:56 p.m.: Lee-Scott is ratcheting up the intensity. And I thought it couldn’t go any higher.

Olivia Maddox used her crazy eyes to get a steal, a bucket and a foul, then got her own missed free throw and found Ashley Leonard, who got fouled and made her free throws. Warriors up 48-32 with 2:45 to go.

7:04 p.m.: It’s a shame Lee-Scott doesn’t have a second scoring threat.

Oh wait, Melissa Maddox had 14 points that quarter and is up to 23 on the game.

Lee-Scott is up 58-35 with 8:00 to go. Somehow, I can’t see this one getting away.

7:15 p.m.: 3:24 to go and Lee-Scott is up 71-46.

Chad Prewett is subbing his starters out one at a time so they can each get their own ovation from the loud and creatively chanting Warriors fans. That’s kind of cool.

7:23 p.m.: Lee-Scott wins 71-48.

They finally got that title after coming so close each of the past two years. As soon as the buzzer sounded almost the entire student section flooded onto the court. I don’t know how safe that is, but I love the enthusiasm.

Washington will be MVP. Unless Dewey defeats Truman.

And she is.

Adventures in (somewhat) live blogging

I’m here at the “historical campus” of Huntingdon College for a day of AISA Final Four basketball. We’re minutes away from the start of the No. 2 Lee-Scott boys (23-5) vs. top-ranked Tuscaloosa Academy (31-2). So, yeah, it should be a good one.

Check back periodically for updates…

12:54 p.m.: It’s the end of the first and Lee-Scott trails 7-11. Oh, thank Heaven?

The Warriors’ cheering section is full, and really loud to boot. And this guy’s in it.

Lee-Scott is frigid from the field early, shooting 3-of-13. On to the second.

1:03 p.m. Warriors coach Chad Prewett mentioned the Knights’ Tevin Moore to me yesterday, but he should have probably been more worried about Omari Horne. The Knights’ forward has 9 points and seven rebounds with 2:06 to go in the half. Tuscaloosa has opened up a 23-12 lead.

1:09 p.m.: The first half has been a war of attrition. Winston Churchill would be proud.

There’s been a lot of passing around waiting for the right shot, and then missing that shot when it comes. Lee-Scott is shooting 6-of-22 (27.3 percent), and Tuscaloosa is slightly better at 44 percent (11-of-25). This is why they’re leading 23-14.

Horne almost had himself a double-double in the first 16 minutes, with 9 points and nine rebounds, and Alex Layson is leading the Warriors with 8 points.

The rebounding bug has continued to hit the Warriors, just as mucus is currently attacking my lungs. Sorry for that image. The Knights are outrebounding the Warriors 19-11 right now. Flashbacks to Prattville Christian’s 46-25 drubbing on the boards last week?

The Tuscaloosa coach keeps stomping his foot on the floor to get his players’ attention. It’s very effective because it’s very loud. I worry about his metatarsals.

1:25 p.m.: Not much has changed here. Tuscaloosa still leads 29-20 with 3:18. They had a 13-point lead a second ago, but Lee-Scott scored two quick buckets to get it back to single digits. The rebounding margin is 26-17 still.

The Knights are running the stall well on offense, and the Warriors’ offense is looking a little panicky.

1:34 p.m.: It’s the end of the third and Tuscaloosa still leads, 37-28.

Tucker Carl has come off the bench and hit a couple of 3s to keep the lead under 10, but Chris Gaines has been lethal for the Knights, both off the dribble and hitting jumpers. He has a game-high 14 right now, and he has yet to turn back into Garth Brroks. Bad joke? Yes. Start of the fourth.

1:41 p.m.: There’s 5:30 left in the fourth quarter, and probably in Lee-Scott’s season. The Warriors are down 40-28 and not showing many signs of life on offense. They’re shooting 28.9 percent from the field and getting outrebounded 32-19.

Here’s some coachspeak for you: “When you shoot 28.9 percent and get outrebounded 32-19, you’re not gonna win a whole lot of ballgames.“ Add “against the No. 1 team in the state” if you wish.

1:49 p.m.: 3:29 to go and Tuscaloosa still leads 46-33. The storylines are still there: 29.5 percent shooting and a minus-11 margin on the boards.

1:56 p.m.: 1:28 to go and it’s desperation time. Lee-Scott is down 50-39. Two Knights have double-doubles: Horne (15 and 13) and Moore (11 and 12). And Gaines has 18. Those three have just been too much. 37-25 rebounding margin.

2:01 p.m.: It’s all over but the crying. 53-41 Tuscaloosa with 52.6 seconds to go. We had a little chippy moment between two players on the court, but cooler heads prevailed.

2:03 p.m.: So this is interesting. Gaines got called for a personal foul on a 3 and a technical foul. This could be as much as an 8-point play for Lee-Scott.

2:06 p.m.: Shane Corbett hit all 5 of his free throws, but Carl’s 3 on the ensuing possession was blocked. Tuscaloosa 55-49 with 21 seconds to go.

2:09 p.m.: Game’s over. Tuscaloosa wins 58-49.

2:39 p.m.: End of the first here at the girls game between No. 1 Lee-Scott (26-2) and No. 5 Pike Liberal Arts (17-9) and the score is 8-8.

The Warriors have looked out of sync so far, shooting only 3-of-16 from the field. Their pressure defense has also led to eight fouls already. Olivia Maddox picked up her second about two minutes into the game and had to sit the rest of the quarter. But she’s back now and so am I. And Jessie Washington picked up her second as I was typing. They’re going to have to tread carefully.

3:00 p.m.: Lee-Scott is struggling majorly and trails 20-14 at the half.

The Warriors have not shot well, going 5-of-25 (20 percent) from the field and 3-of-8 from the line. They have not defended particularly well for them, as they have committed 12 fouls along with the 11 turnovers they’ve caused. And they have not handled Pike’s press very well, committing 10 turnovers themselves, eight coming from the big three of Washington, Maddox and her sister Melissa.

Two Warriors players have three fouls (including Melissa Maddox), and two have two (Olivia Maddox and Jessie Washington).

Something’s got to give. This is character time for the Warriors. But I bet Prewett is putting it a little more colorfully in the locker room right now.

3:13 p.m.: This looks more familiar. We’re only 1:28 into the third quarter and Pike has committed three turnovers and taken no shots. Lee-Scott, meanwhile, has turned in 4 points and cut the lead to 20-18.

And Washington just sunk a 3 to put the Warriors ahead. But Olivia Maddox picked up her third foul.

3:25 p.m.: And there’s that suffocating defense we’ve been talking about.

Lee-Scott leads 29-22 at the end of three. Pike scored 2 points in that quarter. They didn’t get a shot off until 4:00 in, and only got off five all quarter.

They turned the ball over 14 TIMES. Yikes.

3:36 p.m.: Pike is showing some life. They cut the lead down to 2, but two free throws and a breakaway layup from Melissa Maddox has put the Warriors’ lead back up to 6.

Both Maddoxes have four fouls, and the Patriots made their run with them off the court. So they might be a little reserved on defense in the last 2:52.

3:38 p.m.: Never mind. Melissa Maddox just fouled out. 2:36 to go.

3:46 p.m.: 44.3 seconds to go and Lee-Scott leads 38-34. Washington just dribbled around for awhile and wasted a lot of clock. And poor Rebecca Farrar had to chase her all over trying to foul her.

Washington is stepping to the line to shoot a one-and-one.

3:47 p.m.: Washington missed the front end and Josie Griffin sprinted down the floor for a layup to cut the lead to 2. Griffin has 16 for the Patriots. 35 seconds to go.

3:51 p.m.: Lee-Scott, barring a bench-clearing brawl, is going to tomorrow’s championship game. Up 42-36 with 13.9 seconds to go. The fans are doing the FSU chant. I approve.

3:53 p.m.: Ballgame. Lee-Scott moves on 42-36 to take on Taylor Road.

4:41 p.m.: Guess who’s back? Back again? Me!

I know, bad payoff, right?

So, I just finished getting interviews and eating in time to see Glenwood’s Nehemiah Horace break a team oh-fer with a 3 at the halftime buzzer. Those 3 were the only points the Gators (14-17) scored against No. 3 Taylor Road (21-3) in the second quarter, as the Tigers turned a 2-point game into a 30-16 halftime lead.

Justin Hudson (he of the exquisite flat top) leads Taylor Road with 11 off the bench, while Deante Thomas has 5 for the Gators.

I might be leaving here soon for the Acadome, to see Poka vs. Talladega Co. Central in a little. So I hope you’re not too emotionally invested in this.

5:31 p.m.: Now I’m at the Acadome watching Loachapoka leading the No. 1 team in the state, Talladega County Central, 20-11 with 6:01 to go in the first half. Glenwood was down big when I left Huntingdon.

The wireless connection might have changed, but my blogging will not.

5:51 p.m.: So, Poka is up 40-15 at halftime. ON THE NUMBER ONE TEAM IN THE STATE.

The Indians went on a 13-0 run over 4:10 in the second to build a ‘uge lead, kind of like they did against Holy Spirit a couple of days ago. This is kind of big.

Jontavious “Don’t Call Me Quez” Willis leads Poka with 12 points, Quindravius Richardson has 11 and Tommy White has 8.

The Indians are shooting 68 percent (13-of-19) from the field.

Sixteen more minutes…

6:07 p.m.: The Tigers are hitting a couple of shots now, putting together a little run. But they’ve still got a long way to go down 44-21 with 4:38 to go in the third.

6:12 p.m.: That little flicker of life from TCC is over now. Poka has responded and is leading 50-21, their biggest lead of the game. Looks like Terry Murph is taking his kids to Birmingham…

6:22 p.m.: Party time. Poka is up 56-23 at the beginning of the fourth. “Turn My Swag On” is playing. And here I thought Soulja Boy only had one song.

6:30 p.m.: 5:05 to go, and TCC’s coach calls a timeout for some reason. Poka is up 59-32 and its fans are singing some song that I can’t quite make out the lyrics to.

Sorry for the shorthand on the team names, but my fingers are tired.

6:36 p.m.: OK, the singing has spread to an entire section. And everybody knows the song. Did they have rehearsals or something?

Poka up 63-38 with 2:27 to go.

6:45 p.m.: The inevitable has happened. Poka wins 67-49, and they’re celebrating as if they just won on a last-second shot.

TCC’s only four losses before this had been to 5A teams. Pretty cool.

Setting the Regional Final field

I had to use Bobby Wright. I love the man’s style.

Here are all the region final matchups as they stand right now. I’ll be updating during the day. And don’t forget, Lee-Scott’s boys and girls and Glenwood’s girls will be playing in the AISA state semifinals tomorrow. And I’ll be there…

Boys
Class 6A (all games Sat. at 10:40 a.m. unless noted)
South: No. 7 Baldwin County (25-3) vs. No. 5 Central (23-4), at Troy
Central: Sidney Lanier (21-8) vs. Lee-Montgomery (21-6), at Alabama State
Northeast: Vestavia Hills (24-8) vs. No. 2 Shades Valley (25-5), 10:45 a.m., at Jacksonville State
Northwest: Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (19-12) vs. No. 3 Bob Jones (27-8), at Wallace State Community College, Hanceville

5A (all games Fri. at 10:40 a.m. unless noted)
South: No. 2 Eufaula (30-1) vs. No. 1 LeFlore (28-2), at Troy (this is going to be a barnburner, if you couldn’t tell by the rankings)
Central: No. 10 Talladega (28-6) vs. Nobody (see previous post…)
Northeast: No. 6 Woodlawn (25-7) vs. No. 5 Parker (26-5), 2:30 p.m. at JSU (again…barnburner)
Northwest: No. 9 Lee-Huntsville (24-10) vs. No. 3 Butler (30-3), at WSCC

4A (all games Sat. at 2 p.m. unless noted)
South: No. 1 Andalusia (25-2) vs. No. 9 B.C. Rain (19-5), at Troy
Central: Ramsay (14-17) vs. No. 4 Midfield (28-6), at ASU
Northeast: Alexandria (24-3) vs.No. 7 Anniston (24-6), 2:15 p.m. at JSU
Northwest: No. 6 Dora (28-4) vs. Fayette County (20-8), at WSCC

3A (all games Sat. at 5:20 p.m. unless noted)
South: Central-Hayneville (20-9) vs. Abbeville (21-11), at Troy
Central: LaFayette (21-8) vs. No.9 LAMP (25-5), at ASU
Northeast: Piedmont (23-10) vs, No. 2 Leeds (24-9), 10:45 a.m. at JSU
Northwest: No. 1 Madison Academy (28-5) vs. No. 7 Hamilton (23-5), at WSCC

2A (all games Fri. at 2 p.m. unless noted)
South: No. 1 Barbour County (25-5) vs. No. 4 Houston County (30-5), at Troy
Central: Keith (10-19) vs. R.C. Hatch (16-13), at ASU
Northeast: Sand Rock (22-5) vs. Fyffe (22-6), 5:45 p.m. at JSU
Northwest: No. 7 Cherokee (24-7) vs. No. 6 Tanner (24-7), at WSCC

1A (all games Fri. at 5:20 unless noted)
South: No. 5 J.F. Shields (18-10) vs. Brantley (22-10), at Troy
Central: Loachapoka (19-8) vs. No. 1 Talladega County Central (26-5), at ASU
Northeast: No. 6 Parkway Christian (22-10) is through to Birmingham
Northwest: No. 2 Phillips (30-4) vs. Decatur Heritage (19-11), at WSCC

Girls
6A (all games Sat. at 9 a.m. unless noted)
South: Dothan (25-3) vs. Smiths Station (28-4), at Troy
Central: No. 6 Murphy (23-5) vs. No. 4 Davidson (31-4), at ASU
Northeast: No. 5 Gadsden City (25-4) vs. No. 3 Hoover (28-5), 9 a.m. Fri. at JSU
Northwest: No. 2 Bob Jones (30-3) vs. No. 1 Sparkman (31-1), at WSCC (see Eufaula-LeFlore, Woodlawn-Parker)

5A (all games Fri. at 9 a.m. unless noted)
South: No. 2 Faith Academy (28-2) vs. No. 3 LeFlore (22-2), at Troy
Central: No. 1 Talladega (29-2) vs. Carver-Montgomery (17-8), at ASU
Northeast: Arab (18-12) vs. No. 9 Fort Payne (26-7), 12:30 p.m. at JSU
Northwest: No. 4 Brewer (29-2) vs. Fairfield (19-13), at WSCC

4A (all games Fri. at 12:20 p.m. unless noted)
South: Thomasville (18-5) vs. No. 7 Andalusia (24-3), at Troy
Central: No. 10 Ramsay (15-10) vs. No. 1 Midfield (28-6), at ASU
Northeast: No. 4 DAR (25-5) vs. No. 2 Anniston (29-3), 12:30 p.m. at JSU
Northwest: No. 9 Priceville (21-10) vs. Deshler (23-9), at WSCC

3A (all games Sat. at 3:40 p.m. unless noted)
South: Slocomb (15-13) vs. No. 7 T.R. Miller (23-2), at Troy
Central: Greene County (23-6) vs. Sumter County (23-5), at ASU
Northeast: No. 2 Glencoe (28-4) vs. No. 6 Altamont (23-3), 9 a.m. at JSU
Northwest: No. 3 West Morgan (27-4) vs. No. 1 Madison Academy (28-5), at WSCC

2A (all games Fri. at 12:20 p.m. unless noted)
South: Houston County (12-17) vs. No. 7 Barbour County (23-3), at Troy
Central: R.C. Hatch (13-14) vs. No. 9 St. Jude (25-6), at ASU
Northeast: No. 3 Section (24-6) vs. No. 2 Ider (25-5), 4 p.m. at JSU
Northwest: No. 1 Cold Springs (31-1) vs. No. 4 Clements (28-5), at WSCC

1A (all games Fri. at 3:40 unless noted)
South: No. 4 J.F. Shields (28-0) vs. No. 1 McIntosh (26-0), at Troy
Central: Akron (18-9) vs. Sunshine (20-5), at ASU
Northeast: No. 9 Gaston (24-5) is through to Birmingham
Northwest: No. 6 Belgreen (24-3) vs. No. 3 Hazlewood (25-5), at WSCC

It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

I’m sure images like the one above are familiar to basically everyone by now. And I’m sure you’ve all been informed ad nauseam of the vagaries of high-school basketball players by message boards, sports blogs and experts on CNN.

Let’s take a step back, though, and call this what it was: an isolated incident. Yeah, it started with the players on the floor, and yeah, it went nuts, but this is by no means a reflection of Valley, Carver, athletes, basketball players, or Alabamians as a whole. At no point while I was standing on press row and watching isolated skirmishes break out (literally) all around me was I shaking my head and thinking, “Man, this is just another sign that basketball players are a bunch of thugs.“ I was thinking, “Man, it’s a shame what happens sometimes when people go a little bit crazy.“

Read more about the fight here, and read more about the aftermath (which is still far from over) here.

Also, the AHSAA made the absolute right decision. There is no way to separate culpability based on which side was involved more, because both sides were complicit. And, knowing what I know of Steve Savarese these immediate sanctions will be the least of the schools’ worries. The man was a head high school football coach for 23 years. He understands what it takes to get through to high school athletes, and he and the board will come up with something that is fittingly punitive while also being instructive against future incidents. At least this is my hope…

Now, let’s talk about some basketball shall we?

Smiths Station’s girls and Central’s boys moved on in the South Regional at Troy yesterday, while Loachapoka’s boys cruised to the 1A final in the Central Region at ASU.

Smiths’ girls nearly blew a 21-point lead, but held on to beat Robertsdale, 53-49. Erika Jones was a monster for them, scoring 29 points and grabbing 20 rebounds. She had a double-double less than 10 minutes into the game, netting a 3-pointer with 6:10 to go in the first half to give her 12 points and 10 boards. Vannessa Peterson also must have done her boxing-out drills last week, because she pulled down 19 rebounds to go along with her 8 points. Jones and Peterson by themselves outrebounded the Bears by five. And the Panthers won with leading scorer DeJah Heard hampered by foul trouble and an off shooting night. She scored only 7 points, all on free throws.

Central’s boys also seemed destined to give their game away to Daphne, squandering an 8-point, third-quarter lead and trailing by as much as 5 with 3:10 to go. Then Darren Daniel kind of took over. He hit a 3 on one possession, then drove into the lane, drew contact (but no foul) and maintained his balance to hit a short jumper in the lane and tie the game up. Then, he made the two free throws on a one-and-one that proved to be the clinchers in the 47-45 win. And Joseph Thompson’s block on an open 3-pointer with less than three seconds to go might have saved Central’s season. Red Devils coach Bobby Wright said Thompson has been a “giant” for them. He meant literally his height (6-foot-4), because Wright said he is used to so many shorter players at Central. But I think he also meant in the figurative sense. Thompson is the Red Devils’ interior defense. And he plays a lot bigger than 6-4 out there.

Poka’s boys were in a tight game with Holy Spirit. For about five minutes. Then the Indians went on a 30-3 run to put them up 38-11 at the beginning of the third quarter. The Titans could not match the Indians’ size. Tommy White pulled a Joseph Thompson out there and played well above his 6-foot-1 frame, going for 23 points and 10 rebounds. I didn’t get a look at their region final opponent, Talladega County Central, but from the way they played yesterday, the Indians could be Birmingham bound.

And, Trez Hutchinson, if you’re reading this, I’ll get that certificate mailed to you as soon as I can.

UPDATE: I was just perusing my ASWA 1A boys state rankings and it turns out Talladega County Central is the No. 1 team in the state. So, Poka might have its work cut out for it…

Fists Thrown at the Central Regional playoffs

With 6:23 to go in the 5A Central Regional semifinal boys game between Valley and Carver, a fight broke out on the court under Carver’s basket.

Players from both teams were heavily involved in it, as were many fans on both sides, who rushed onto the court. It looked like the fight started around the free-throw line after some physical play between Carver’s No. 52 Roquez Johnson and Valley’s No. 4 Enrique Florence Fans were also throwing food and drinks on the court, notably a big batch of nacho cheese that splattered all over one of the officers’ shirts. Police came out and helped clear the court, but the fighting then went into the stands.

Police ran up into the stands as some fans on both sides tried to keep order. I saw one cop with a taser and at least six people were led away in handcuffs. None of the players, just the fans. Paramedics were called in to treat someone who was injured, but I can’t tell to what extent.

The building is cleared right now and has been for about 10 minutes. It is unclear whether they will go on playing or not. I talked with Valley AD Roger McDonald and he said a police officer told him Carver “should have to forfeit,“ but he wasn’t sure if that will be the case or not.

Carver was leading 52-37 at the time of the fight.

Word has come from the assistant director of the AHSAA Joe Evans that this game is over as it stands. Carver “wins” 52-37.

The official reason given by Evans is, “Valley does not have any players eligible to participate.“ It is not clear right now how many (if any) Carver players will be suspended for the region finals.

Valley coach Marshon Harper declined comment on the fight or his team’s forfeit.

Click here for Cliff Williams’ slide show of the altercation, both on the court and in the stands.

OK, so the outcome of the game is “tentatively” a Carver win, but that is pending the review of the tape.