Photo by Todd Lester
Briarwood DB Cal Higdon (5) and Briarwood John Elliot (16) celebrate a turnover during a Class 5A quarterfinal playoff game between Bibb County and Briarwood on Friday, Nov. 22, 2019, at Lions Pride Stadium in Birmingham.
Over the course of the year, 280 Living will keep you up to date on the various local high school athletic teams. For previous weekly updates, click here.
FOOTBALL
The Briarwood football team earned another playoff victory on Friday night, holding off Bibb County to advance to the Class 5A semifinals. Click here for the recap of the game.
This week, the Lions will host Pleasant Grove in the semifinal matchup.
BASKETBALL
Briarwood
The Briarwood basketball teams began their seasons last Tuesday night, as the Lions hosted Trinity Presbyterian. The Lady Lions suffered a 43-30 defeat. Trinity’s Emma Kate Smith led all scorers with 15 points, while Maddie Vaughn led Briarwood with nine points. The boys, on the other hand, dominated to the tune of an 83-53 win. Four Lions posted double figures, with Hayden Lamey leading the charge with 23 points. Ryan Donohoo scored 20 points, Landon Nuyt added 15 and Chance Beard had a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds. Parker Hughes led Trinity with 23 points.
Briarwood swept Moody on Thursday night. The girls team won 45-19, as Vaughn and Kate Saunders led the Lady Lions with nine points each. The boys team pulled away with a 60-42 victory as well. Lamey led the offense with 19 points. Beard had 12 points, Donohoo had 11 and Nuyt added 10.
The girls team now holds a 1-1 record and the boys are 2-0. This week, the boys team plays a couple games at Wallace State Community College in the Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Bash on Monday and Tuesday.
Chelsea
The Chelsea basketball teams suffered a pair of tight losses at Homewood last Tuesday. Homewood’s girls picked up a 49-42 win, behind 16 points from Kassidy Schnoer and 11 from Caidyn Cannon. Pressley Rains led Chelsea with 10 points and Sophia Brown added eight. Homewood’s boys won a defensive struggle 42-38. Chelsea had the ball in the final seconds, but a missed shot allowed Pate Owen to sink two free throws and preserve the victory. Bo Barber led all scorers with 19 points and four rebounds. Trey Rouse and Owen each added seven points for Homewood. Holton Smith paced Chelsea with nine points.
Chelsea earned a sweep of Tuscaloosa County on Friday. The Lady Hornets rebounded from a loss to pick up a 59-41 win. Ellen Fleming scored 15 points to lead the way and Sydney Schwallie added 11. The boys game was much tighter, as the Hornets needed two overtimes to beat the Wildcats 51-48. Bryant Royster led the team with 13 points, scoring seven of them in the second overtime. Jacob Tierney scored 10 points and KJ Hall added nine points, all of them coming in the fourth quarter or later.
On Saturday, the boys team began play in Spain Park’s Jag Classic with a 37-36 win over Clay-Chalkville. Caleb Moore hit the game-winning free throw with three seconds to play, as the Hornets avenged a loss to the Cougars the previous week. Clay’s Donovan Shangase led all scorers with 11 points. Royster had 10 points for Chelsea and Moore finished with nine.
Chelsea’s girls are now 4-2 overall on the season and the boys are 4-4. The boys team will complete play in the Jag Classic on Monday and Tuesday, while the girls teams plays Monday through Wednesday in the Marble City Classic at Sylacauga.
Oak Mountain
The Oak Mountain basketball teams earned a split with Helena last Tuesday. The Lady Eagles earned a low-scoring 34-28 win, while the boys suffered a 47-45 loss in overtime in their season opener. Zane Nelson led Oak Mountain with 16 points and Brady Dunn added 11 points. Caden Pierce scored 18 for Helena.
Hewitt-Trussville swept Oak Mountain on Friday night. The Lady Huskies picked up an 83-24 win over a Lady Eagles team dealing with a handful of injuries. Amiya Payne led the way with 25 points and was followed by Jordan Hunter’s 17 points. April Hooks and Leah Harrison scored 10 points. The Huskies won 77-62 in the boys game. Oak Mountain’s Noah Young and Hewitt’s Cameron Glover each scored 15 points. Carter Hollis added 14 points for the Huskies and Nelson had 12 points for Oak Mountain.
The boys earned their first win of the season on Saturday, as they opened Spain Park’s Jag Classic with a 50-44 win over Gardendale. Nelson led the team with 18 points and Will Shaver registered 11 points. The girls fell to Austin 48-31 in the Encore Thanksgiving Classic at Hartselle.
The girls are now 2-4 overall on the season and the boys are 1-2. The boys finish play in the Jag Classic on Monday and Tuesday, while the girls return to Hartselle Tuesday and Wednesday.
Westminster-Oak Mountain
The Westminster-Oak Mountain girls basketball team suffered a 38-34 loss to Danville on Thursday. The Lady Knights’ three seniors led the way, as has become custom. Morgan White compiled 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals. Virginia Welch registered nine points, nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks and four steals. Megan Gache had eight points, five rebounds and a steal.
On Friday, the Lady Knights rebounded with a 46-24 win over Altamont. Welch posted a double-double with 10 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two steals. Gache was also in double figures, as she finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and four blocks. White had 10 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. Sophomore Reave Metcalf also had a strong game, going for nine points, two rebounds and two assists. Freshman Elizabeth Mann registered nine rebounds and three steals to go along with her five points.
BASEBALL
Oak Mountain senior pitcher Cole Sester committed on Wednesday to play college baseball at Birmingham-Southern.
BOWLING
The Oak Mountain bowling teams earned victories over area foe Calera on Wednesday afternoon. The boys improved to 4-1 overall and 3-1 in area play, while the girls had to come from behind to win 989-983 and move to 3-2 and 3-1.
SOCCER
Chelsea junior Mackenzie Titus committed to play college soccer at Mississippi State. Titus is also a member of the Lady Hornets basketball team.
WRESTLING
The Chelsea wrestling team opened the season on Thursday by splitting a tri-match. The Hornets fell to Mountain Brook 42-33 and beat St. Clair County 61-9. Oak Mountain fell to Ashville 53-27 on Saturday in the Moody Blue Devils Duals.
— What else would you like to see mentioned? For any suggestions, feel free to email sports editor Kyle Parmley at kparmley@starnespublishing.com.
