The Shelby County Wildcats are trying to rebound from, for what most of the players, is one of the most emotional times in their

basketball careers.

Following the death of teammate Cortez Cotton, the Wildcats took a week off before heading back out on the court.

Since then, the team has played inspired basketball, going 1-1 with a close loss to rival Calera on Dec. 6 and defeating Stanhope Elmore on Friday, 87-42.

Shelby County will wear armbands on their left sleeve to honor their late teammate, and the players have already expressed dedicating of this season to Cotton and his family.

The Wildcats traveled to Chilton County last night and are preparing for the Shelby County Tournament at Oak Mountain, which begins next Tuesday.

Kingwood 59, Meadowview 36:

The Kingwood Lions extended their unbeaten streak to 11-0 this season with a 59-36 victory over Meadowview Christian.

Kingwood jumped out to a 39-6 lead at the half with Adma Irbay and Cody Owens leading the charge. Irby finished with 15 points while Owens added 11.

Bessemer Academy 57, Shelby Academy 47:

Bessemer Academy pulled away from the Raiders in the second half Monday night, going on a 19-5 run to open the third quarter and eventually winning, 57-47.

Ronnie West led the scoring for Shelby Academy with 18 points while Colby Green added 11 in the loss.

Briarwood Christian 69, McAdory 64:

The Briarwood Christian Lions edged McAdory Saturday on the road, 69-64, hitting 7-of-9 three point tries in the victory.

Nate Carlson led the way for the Lions with a 29 point performance. Carlson added eight rebounds, was 11-of-15 shooting and sunk 7-of-8 free throws in the game.

Drew Faulk followed Carlson in scoring with 18 points and added five steals for Briarwood.

Oak Mountain 55, Spain Park 45:

The Oak Mountain Eagles moved to 7-1 on the season after defeating the Spain Park Jaguars Friday night, 55-45.

Justin LuQuire finished the evening with a team-high 14 points and 12 rebounds for the double-double while teammate Taylor Gallimore finished with 10 points.

Spain Park was led by Adam Mims, who finished with 11 points, and Jake Drum who had 10 points.

Hoover 61, Pelham 48:

Pelham’s Robert Hatcher netted 29 points against the Bucs Friday night, but it proved to be too little as the Panthers fell, 61-48, on the road.

Hoover had three players score in double figures to help outlast Hatcher’s effort.

Mountain Brook 65, Thompson 43:

The Thompson Warriors were unable to battle against three Spartans that finished in double figures, losing Friday night, 65-43.

Thompson was led by Gary Cunningham, who finished the game with 14 points.

Jefferson Christian 57, Coosa Valley 29:

The Coosa Valley Rebels could not penetrate a tough Jefferson Christian defense Friday night, falling 57-29.

The Rebels were out-rebounded, 59-20, in the loss, and were led by Corey Punseth in scoring with 20 points