Thompson boys basketball surges into top five in latest rankings, Helena boys, Chelsea girls ranked
Published 5:00 am Thursday, January 25, 2024
- The Thompson Warriors moved up five spots to No. 5 in the latest boys basketball rankings while Helena boys basketball and Chelsea girls basketball remained in the top 10 of their classifications. (File)
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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor
After a massive win over the Hoover Buccaneers in area play, the Thompson Warriors boys basketball team was the biggest mover in the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s latest basketball rankings on Thursday, Jan. 25.
They joined the Chelsea Hornets girls basketball team and Helena Huskies boys basketball team in the rankings, while the Montevallo Bulldogs boys basketball team dropped out of the top 10.
The 17-7 Thompson Warriors surged up five spots to No. 5 in the Class 7A boys basketball rankings.
Much of that was because of the Warriors’ 10-point win over Hoover on Friday, Jan. 19, which was the first win over the Bucs at Warrior Arena in three years.
In addition, Thompson beat Tuscaloosa County on the road on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to improve to 3-2 in area play ahead of its area finale against Vestavia Hills on Friday, Jan. 26.
Chelsea held on to its No. 8 spot in the Class 7A girls basketball rankings after the Hornets went 2-1 since the last rankings.
Chelsea defeated Oak Mountain 56-19 on Thursday, Jan. 18 and Spain Park 50-15 on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to earn a pair of area wins, but the Hornets also lost to No. 5 Hewitt-Trussville for the second time this season in a 39-22 defeat.
The Hornets will close out area play with a rematch against Oak Mountain on Friday, Jan. 26.
Helena also stayed put in the Class 6A boys basketball rankings at No. 8. The Huskies wrapped up the regular season area title and a spot in sub-regionals by beating rival Pelham 66-49 on Tuesday, Jan. 23
Before that, the Huskies closed out the regular season series against Briarwood with a 57-43 win on Friday, Jan. 19 to sweep the two-game set with the Lions.
Helena will face Pelham again on Friday, Jan. 26, this time on the road to finish its regular season area slate.
The only team to drop out of the rankings was Montevallo, which lost its No. 10 spot in the Class 4A boys basketball rankings.
The Bulldogs picked up a pair of crucial area wins against Bibb County and West Blocton as well as a victory over Class 5A Shelby County, but a two-point overtime loss on the road to Corner prevented them from a perfect 4-0 week.
To see the full rankings, read more below:
GIRLS
CLASS 7A
- Bob Jones (22-3)
- Sparkman (16-7)
- Hoover (19-6)
- Vestavia Hills (22-4)
- Hewitt-Trussville (21-5)
- Davidson (21-6)
- Daphne (19-3)
- Chelsea (22-4)
- Auburn (18-4)
- Prattville (16-5)
Others nominated: Enterprise (20-4), Foley (13-7).
CLASS 6A
- Hazel Green (23-4)
- Clay-Chalkville (22-2)
- Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (19-7)
- Park Crossing (23-1)
- Mortimer Jordan (20-3)
- Huffman (19-6)
- Pike Road (19-4)
- Hartselle (14-5)
- McGill-Toolen (19-7)
- Homewood (21-4)
Others nominated: Briarwood (13-9), Fort Payne (17-9), Lee-Huntsville (14-10), Minor (16-9), Oxford (13-11), Parker (15-6), Pelham (15-9).
CLASS 5A
- Jasper (19-4)
- Pleasant Grove (17-7)
- Southside-Gadsden (20-5)
- Gulf Shores (22-6)
- Selma (19-0)
- West Point (18-3)
- Arab (19-5)
- Moody (22-2)
- Scottsboro (17-6)
- Madison Academy (12-9)
Others nominated: Carroll (15-7), Sardis (17-8), St. Paul’s (16-5), Vigor (12-11).
CLASS 4A
- Prattville Christian (19-5)
- Good Hope (22-2)
- Deshler (19-5)
- Jackson (24-2)
- Priceville (13-10)
- Handley (20-6)
- Anniston (22-4)
- Hale County (18-5)
- Geneva (15-6)
- UMS-Wright (20-6)
Others nominated: Cherokee County (19-4), Dora (17-4), Hamilton (16-5), Jacksonville (13-12), Orange Beach (14-13), St. Michael (15-4), Talladega (17-7), T.R. Miller (15-4).
CLASS 3A
- Lauderdale County (21-0)
- Plainview (23-4)
- Clements (16-7)
- St. James (21-4)
- Trinity (17-5)
- Susan Moore (18-4)
- Southside-Selma (13-6)
- Monroe County (14-1)
- Midfield (12-9)
- Glencoe (15-9)
Others nominated: Ashford (12-6), Childersburg (16-6), Northside Methodist (16-6), Providence Christian (16-7), Straughn (16-6).
CLASS 2A
- Mars Hill Bible (12-5)
- Cold Springs (21-3)
- Decatur Heritage (20-3)
- Locust Fork (16-3)
- Lanett (15-4)
- Sulligent (13-1)
- Ider (16-8)
- Sand Rock (18-7)
- Abbeville (19-2)
- Pisgah (13-8)
Others nominated: Cottonwood (14-4), Horseshoe Bend (16-4), North Sand Mountain (14-7), Ranburne (14-3), Samson (15-5).
CLASS 1A
- Spring Garden (24-1)
- Skyline (14-6)
- Belgreen (19-5)
- Elba (18-4)
- Shoals Christian (16-6)
- Winterboro (13-3)
- Marion County (11-12)
- Cedar Bluff (17-9)
- A.L. Johnson (9-3)
- Brilliant (17-7)
Others nominated: Autaugaville (8-7), Athens Bible (10-6), Georgiana (11-8), Hackleburg (10-4), Keith (10-8), Kinston (17-7), Waterloo (15-9).
AISA
- Glenwood (22-5)
- Edgewood Academy (24-3)
- Hooper Academy (12-7)
- Sparta Academy (19-3)
- Lee-Scott (14-7)
- Southern Academy (13-2)
- Lakeside (10-12)
- Springwood (13-6)
- Fort Dale Academy (NA)
- Lowndes Academy (NA)
Others nominated: Abbeville Christian (7-11).
BOYS
CLASS 7A
- Huntsville (24-1)
- Austin (20-4)
- Central-Phenix City (22-5)
- Fairhope (18-4)
- Thompson (17-7)
- Auburn (21-4)
- Hoover (21-3)
- Baker (20-7)
- Vestavia Hills (18-5)
- Mary Montgomery (20-4)
Others nominated: Albertville (21-6), Dothan (16-8), Enterprise (18-4), Hewitt-Trussville (17-8), JAG (19-4), James Clemens (15-7).
CLASS 6A
- Buckhorn (19-5)
- Mountain Brook (19-6)
- Northridge (21-2)
- McGill-Toolen (19-5)
- Clay-Chalkville (19-7)
- Paul Bryant (17-4)
- Pinson Valley (15-10)
- Helena (19-5)
- Fort Payne (23-2)
- Cullman (16-8)
Others nominated: Athens (13-7), Homewood (19-6), Pelham (21-6).
CLASS 5A
- Fairfield (21-2)
- Valley (13-1)
- Madison Academy (21-4)
- Sardis (22-2)
- Williamson (20-6)
- Vigor (20-5)
- Eufaula (19-5)
- East Limestone (16-4)
- Scottsboro (13-7)
- Ramsay (15-8)
Others nominated: Alexandria (18-6), Carroll-Ozark (16-6), Charles Henderson (14-10), Guntersville (14-6), Jasper (17-5), Russellville (12-5), Selma (14-4), Springville (17-8), West Point (14-8).
CLASS 4A
- Jackson (19-2)
- White Plains (18-8)
- Jacksonville (20-6)
- Anniston (14-7)
- Hale Co. (12-8)
- Andalusia (15-7)
- Fultondale (11-7)
- Escambia Co. (13-7)
- American Christian (18-6)
- Brooks (16-4)
Others nominated: Geneva (17-8), Good Hope (15-8), Montevallo (15-6), Wilcox Central (14-6).
CLASS 3A
- Sumter Central (15-3)
- Houston Academy (20-3)
- Midfield (16-8)
- Plainview (21-5)
- Providence Christian (17-5)
- Geraldine (16-5)
- Carbon Hill (18-5)
- Cottage Hill (17-8)
- Oakman (11-2)
- Danville (15-6)
Others nominated: Glencoe (12-7), Hillcrest-Evergreen (19-4), Montgomery Academy (18-7), Piedmont (12-9).
CLASS 2A
- LaFayette (16-5)
- Red Bay (17-5)
- Mars Hill Bible (14-2)
- Pisgah (9-6)
- Collinsville (16-8)
- Zion Chapel (18-6)
- Tuscaloosa Academy (13-4)
- Tanner (11-6)
- B.B. Comer (14-4)
- Gaston (17-6)
Others nominated: Ariton (13-6), Chickasaw (16-7), Decatur Heritage (10-9), North Sand Mountain (11-10).
CLASS 1A
- Covenant Christian (17-8)
- Georgiana (19-2)
- Marion Co. (18-5)
- Spring Garden (19-3)
- Skyline (16-4)
- McIntosh (20-3)
- Woodville (19-5)
- Florala (17-6)
- Pleasant Home (15-9)
- Keith (13-8)
Others nominated: Addison (15-4), Belgreen (13-6), Lynn (12-4), Red Level (10-7).
AISA
- Bessemer Academy (18-1)
- Springwood (18-4)
- Glenwood (19-8)
- Valiant Cross (19-4)
- Escambia Academy (14-2)
- Lee-Scott (19-5)
- Abbeville Christian (16-7)
- Patrician (16-1)
- Wilcox Academy (13-2)
- Evangel Christian (11-9)
Others nominated: Banks Academy (10-6), Fort Dale Academy (9-6), Lowndes Academy (13-3).