By BAKER ELLIS / Sports Editor

The newest ASWA basketball rankings were released late Wednesday, Jan. 13, and were the first updated rankings since Dec. 17. There were a few changes related to Shelby County teams, but only one team that was ranked in the previous rankings was not ranked in the latest poll.

In this most recent poll, there were two No. 1 teams selected from Shelby County, the boys’ teams from Spain Park and Vincent. Spain Park remains at the top of class 7A, to the surprise of no one, while Vincent moved up from the No. 2 slot in 2A. The Jaguars beat previous 7A No. 2 Mountain Brook by 12 points on Jan. 8, and have won their last five games by an average of 20 points. The Yellow Jackets were 16-4 as of Jan. 14, and all four of their losses have come against schools much larger than themselves. Vincent was 8-2 in its 10-game stretch between rankings, with those eight wins coming by an average of 16 points, and includes wins over 4A frontrunner Montevallo and perennial 2A power Fyffe.

Montevallo is the next-highest rated team in the county, coming in as the No. 3 team in 4A. The Bulldogs were 17-5 as of Jan. 14 and have one of the more potent offenses across the state in the class, and seem to be rounding into form at the right time.

Pelham (12-7 as of Jan. 14) dropped four spots from the last ranking to land at the No. 8 slot in 6A, and has gone 5-4 since the last rankings were released. The Panthers ran into some tough competition at the Steel City Classic and the Hoover Big Orange Tournament over Christmas break, which played a part in its less-than-stellar record over the last month.

Thompson (12-8 as of Jan. 14) fell from the 7A rankings after posting a 5-4 mark over the last month while Oak Mountain (14-8 as of Jan. 14) went 8-2 between the ranking release dates and received consideration in the latest 7A poll.

The girls’ teams from Thompson and Coosa Valley remained the only two ranked teams on the ladies side. The Lady Warriors (16-4 as of Jan. 14) fell five spots to No. 8 in class 7A after going 6-3 over the last month with losses to Hoover, Tuscaloosa County and Arab. The Lady Rebels stayed steady as the No. 8 team in the AISA.

Briarwood and Montevallo were the two girls’ teams to receive consideration. The Lady Lions were 13-6 as of Jan. 14, and have posted a 5-3 record over the last month. The Montevallo Lady Bulldogs received consideration for the first time this season, and were 16-5 as of Jan. 14.