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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

It’s been a fun season to follow boys basketball in Shelby County thanks to many unforgettable performances and elite players.

While the obvious headlines were Chelsea and Montevallo claiming their respective area titles and making deep runs into the playoffs, the Hornets to the Sweet 16 and the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight, plenty of teams made their mark on the season.

From the incredible turnarounds at Calera and Westminster OM to the dynamic attacks of Oak Mountain and Briarwood Christian and so many more moments in between, the year wasn’t short on great moments.

Each of those great moments came from the work of many great players, and now, it’s time to recognize those players on the All-County Team.

 

First Team

Guard: Drew Mears, junior, Briarwood Christian. Mears was once again one of the most reliable and electric scorers in the region, averaging 19.4 points per game while shooting 41 percent from the field and 36 percent from deep. He also cemented his legacy as the all-time leading scorer at Briarwood and made the Class 5A All-State Second Team while also averaging 3.6 assists and three rebounds per game.

Guard: Dylan Heald, senior, Indian Springs. Heald put Springs on his back throughout the season thanks to his headline-grabbing performances from around the court. He averaged 21.6 points per game to lead the county and earned 7.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 45 percent from the field, 40 percent on 3-pointers and 82 percent from the free throw line. However, his biggest performance came in the area semifinals when he scored 24 of his team’s 44 points to beat Pleasant Grove and punch Indian Springs’ ticket to the 4A sub-regionals.

Guard: Chase Lamey, senior, Oak Mountain. One of the best shooters on one of the best offensive teams in Shelby County, Lamey capped off his career with a strong senior campaign where he averaged 14.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. The Berry signee was great from all areas of the court, shooting 44 percent on field goals, 42 percent on 3-pointers and 76 percent on free throws.

Forward: Aiden Owens, senior, Chelsea. Owens broke out in his senior season as a dynamic scoring threat who now stands as the Shelby County Player of the Year. He averaged 16.5 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game while also making an impact on the defensive end with 36 blocks and 67 steals. Owens was also a Class 6A All-State Second Team selection as the Hornets returned to the Sweet 16 with a second-straight area title.

Forward: Dee Cutts, senior, Montevallo. Cutts frequently stepped up when his team needed to on both ends of the floor and powered the Bulldogs’ transcendent run to the Elite Eight in their first year in Class 5A. The All-State Honorable Mention averaged 17.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, but his county-high 106 steals and 42 blocks helped shift the momentum on the defensive end and enable a strong transition offense.

 

Second Team

Guard: Daeshaun Morrissette, junior, Thompson. Morrissette was limited to just 13 games of action but made the most of them, averaging 15.9 points off 44 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game to go with 32 steals. One of his biggest performances came in the Thompson Thanksgiving Tournament when he dropped 38 points in an overtime win over Helena.

Guard: Jordan Garcia, sophomore, Chelsea. In his first year as a full-time varsity player, Garcia broke out in a big way as he averaged 13.4 points and 2.6 rebounds per game while shooting 39 percent on field goals and 31 percent from deep as just an underclassman.

Forward: Carson McKenney, junior, Thompson. The big man for the Warriors was one of the most reliable presences this season. He averaged 10.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game to help power Thompson in all aspects.

Forward: Joseph King, senior, Helena. King stepped up in a big way for the Huskies as he emerged as the team’s leading scorer after losing multiple big scoring threats last season. The 6-foot-6 senior. finished with an average of 10.1 points off 52 percent shooting down low, and he also used his height to average 5.8 rebounds an outing.

Center: Camari Keller, senior, Vincent. Keller came close to averaging a double-double in a senior season where he was once again the workhorse in the post for the Jackets. On the defensive end, he finished with a county-high 51 blocks to go with 46 steals, and he averaged 11.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game to earn a pair of scholarship offers.

 

Third Team

Guard: Skyler McCrimon, senior, Vincent. McCrimon was Vincent’s premier shooting threat from outside the paint and eclipsed 1,000 points for his career. He finished with an average of 15.1 points per game off 38 percent shooting from the field as well as 2.3 rebounds a game, 2.1 assists per game and 48 total steals.

 

Guard: Buck Ross, junior, Montevallo. Ross’ hustle on both ends of the floor made him a force to be reckoned with. He finished with 105 steals, just one behind his teammate Cutts for the county high, and averaged 12.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 41 percent from deep.

Guard: Kegan Johnson, freshman, Calera. Johnson led the Eagles on the floor as a freshman with his dynamic two-way play. He averaged 12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game and totaling 57 steals while shooting 44 percent from the field to fuel Calera’s incredible turnaround from five wins a year ago to the playoffs.

Forward: Phoenix Maxwell, senior, Vincent. Maxwell played a key role in the Jackets offense in his final season in the black and gold, finishing the year with an average of 7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as well as 32 total steals.

Center: Drew Davis, junior, Helena. Davis continually made his presence known under the basket as the 6-foot-5 center averaged 8.8 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while making 59 percent of his shots.

 

Honorable Mention: Eli Stubbs, Briarwood Christian. Brayden Robertson, Briarwood Christian. Denton McDonald, Helena. Kevin Pinkard, Helena. Torrey Ward, Helena. Nahjear Russell, Montevallo. Chris Kunard, Oak Mountain. Will Patterson, Oak Mountain. Gray Plaia, Oak Mountain. Egypt Daniel, Pelham. Jacob Gibbs, Pelham. Eli Lewis, Pelham. Andy Olds, Pelham. Kendall Smith, Pelham. Sam Tolbert, Pelham. Tyson Duncan, Shelby County. Andre’s McGinnis, Shelby County. Sutton Reed, Shelby County. Tommy Morrison, Spain Park. Harrison Stewart, Spain Park. Riley Bryant, Thompson. Ethan Hudson, Thompson. Cameron Pritchett, Thompson. Taye Robertson, Vincent. Currin Carter, Westminster OM. Clayton Conner, Westminster OM. David Sellers, Westminster OM. Sam Lipperd, Westminster OM. Thomas Fleming, Westminster OM.