From STAFF REPORTS
Area tournaments are finished, hardware has been handed out, and several Marshall County squads are still dancing. Albertville, Boaz and Guntersville headline a strong postseason showing as regional play tips off this week.
Lady Aggies take area to reach Sweet 16; boys ousted by Sparkman
The No. 2 Albertville Lady Aggies (27-4) claimed back-to-back Class 7A, Area 7 titles this week with a dominant 72-39 win over Sparkman. Albertville surged ahead 26-4 after one quarter, stretched it to 42-15 at halftime and 62-28 entering the fourth.
In her final home game, Mississippi State signee Lani Smallwood delivered a triple-double — 25 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. The Lady Aggies reached the championship with a 55-26 semifinal win over Huntsville.
Albertville advances to the Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State University, where it will face Vestavia Hills. Tipoff will be 9 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 23.
The No. 5 Albertville boys (25-6) ended their season with a tough 55-52 loss to No. 7 Sparkman in the opening round of area tournament play despite 13 points each from McKennon Thompson and Isaiah Faulks, 12 from Taliq Saint and 10 from Keandre Yancey.
Boaz VB capture area crown, advance to Sweet 16
The Boaz Pirates (20-11) captured their first area title since 2022 with a 70-64 overtime victory over Sardis. Landon Cannady paced Boaz with 23 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. Logan Williams added 17 points, four rebounds, three assists and four steals. Tyson Hamilton contributed nine points, six rebounds and six assists, while Jaxxon Taylor had six points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Sardis’ Lucas Montgomery poured in 35 points — including a buzzer-beater to force overtime — in the title game.
Sardis later fell 78-65 to Lawrence County in sub-regional play.
Boaz topped West Point 62-46 in the sub-regional round at Pirate Gym on Saturday. The reward: a Sweet 16 matchup with Guntersville at Wallace State Community College on Thursday.
Sardis VG win Area, fall in sub-regionals
On the girls side, No. 10 Sardis defeated Boaz 53-40 for the area crown behind 23 points from Vada Willmore and six each from Jacee Holcomb and Mya Glass. Braylee Hogue led Boaz with 16.
Sardis fell to Russellville 72-62 in sub-regionals, while Boaz was eliminated by West Point.
Guntersville sweeps Area 14 titles
Both Guntersville Wildcats squads are Sweet 16 bound.
The boys edged Arab 68-65 to win the 5A Area 14 championship. Grayson Moon led with 21 points, Kobe Brothers added 17, Turner Hammond scored 11 and Nic Pike chipped in 10. Guntersville reached the finals with a 91-33 rout of Fairview.
In sub-regional play, the boys rolled past Priceville 80-45. Moon scored 19, Westin Hammond added 18 and Brothers had 17.
The Lady Wildcats (29-4) rallied past Scottsboro 56-51 for the area title. Kenna’D Buie was dominant with 28 points and 10 rebounds, adding a steal and a block. Addison Hammond scored 15. Guntersville erased a first-quarter deficit and pulled away late.
In the sub-regional round, Buie exploded for 34 points, five rebounds, two assists, four steals and a block in a 65-38 win over East Limestone. Bristol Cook added 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks.
The Guntersville girls will face Russellville in the Sweet 16 at Wallace State, while the boys meet Boaz.
Geraldine advances to Sweet 16; Asbury ends season
The Geraldine Bulldogs earned the Class 3A Area 13 title with wins over Sylvania (60-31) and Collinsville (46-38), then punched their Sweet 16 ticket with a 67-29 victory over Randolph. Geraldine will face Whitesburg Christian at Wallace State.
Asbury’s boys fell 64-45 to Westbrook Christian in sub-regional play after finishing runner-up in the area tournament. The Asbury girls also saw their season end with a 50-34 loss to Glencoe.
Albertville cheerleaders and fans swarmed the court to help the Lady Aggies celebrate the cinch as the team claimed its second straight Class 7A Area 7 title with a win last Wednesday over Sparkman. SPECIAL TO THE LEADER
