DON'T FORGET THE GIRLS
Class 3A
Madison Academy gets the girls' nod as the state's best team –
especially after handing top-ranked Class 6A Sparkman (18-1) its first
loss of the season on Jan. 3. The Lady Mustangs (18-2) are ranked No. 1
in the latest Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 3A girls high
school basketball rankings and are also ranked No. 20 in one national
poll. Sparkman, defending 6A state champion
Hoover (16-2) and
Bob Jones (Madison)
(14-4) are also ranked in some national prep polls.
The Mustangs
were selected No. 1 in the first ASWA Class 3A state poll of the 2008-09
season and this week's release marks the 22nd straight No. 1 ranking
for the Mustangs. However, Madison Academy has lost in the 3A state
finals to T.R. Miller (2009) and Sumter County (2010) the last two years
by identical 53-50 scores.
The Mustangs avenged an earlier loss
to Sparkman and also beat Class 6A third-ranked Bob Jones. Their other
loss was to Hoover in the season opener. They'll get another shot at
Hoover in the last regular-season game, hosting the second-ranked Bucs
on Feb. 8.
Erwin (Birmingham) can also stake its claim as the top
girls team after winning a big tourney in Memphis last week. The Eagles
(19-2) are currently ranked No. 1 in Class 5A.
Undefeated girls teams
include Class 4A
Cherokee County (Centre) (13-0), Class 3A
Montgomery Academy
(12-0) and defending Class 1A state champion
Shields (Beatrice) (12-0).
Shields has now won 41 games in a row dating back to the state finals of
2009. Coach Herbert Blackmon's Lady Panthers finished 30-1 that season
and 29-0 last year and have now won 71 of their last 72 games.
