6A Area 8-9 Tournament Preview
This article previews the Area 8 and Area 9 Tournaments. Both ares are made up of teams from the Birmingham metro and surrounding areas. Helena, Chelsea, Calera, and Pelham are in Area 8. McAdory, Bessemer City, and Hueytown are in…
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Continue ReadingThis article previews the Area 8 and Area 9 Tournaments. Both ares are made up of teams from the Birmingham metro and surrounding areas. Helena, Chelsea, Calera, and Pelham are in Area 8. McAdory, Bessemer City, and Hueytown are in 9. Helena won a coin flip vs Chelsea to host Area 8. McAdory won Area 9 outright and will host.
Area 8
Helena (17-8): Helena finished 4-2 in area play and will host the tournament. The opportunity to have home court goes a long way in post season play. Caden Pierce (2020) is a combo guard that has lead the Huskies all season with his play. Nathan Andrews (2019) is a senior post that controls the paint for Helena. Both players will need big games in order to secure an Area Championship.
Chelsea (12-13): The Hornets also went 4-2 in area play. Chelsea is lead by 2019 prospects Matthew Lanzi and Daniel Washington. Lanzi is a skilled 6’3 wing who does a little bit of everything for the Hornets. Washington is a 6’5 physical post player who is hard to keep off the block and off the glass. These seniors need to be focused on the first round matchup and not looking ahead.
Calera (12-13): Calera holds a 2-4 area record. The Eagles have several games that were decided by 2-3 possessions. CJ Smith (2019) and Georgia St Football signee Cornelius Brown are two key senior perimeter players. Chad Chambers (2021) is a young player with loads of potential. Calera has enough talent to win the area tournament, but they have to play to their potential.
Pelham (14-11): The Panthers also hold a 2-4 area record. January has not been kind to Pelham, as the team has dropped several close battles. Forward Chris Brown (2019) is the team’s leader and has been on several D3 radars. A pair of 2021 prospects, Blake Floyd (PG) and Kendan Maddox (F), have been key pieces to Pelham’s success this season. The Panthers are matched up with Helena for a third time, and Pelham needs to play with nothing to lose.
Area 9
McAdory (19-5): McAdory won the area outright with a 3-1 record. McAdory has floated in/out of the Class 6A top 10 rankings. Jeremiah Littlepage is one of the states top 15 2019 prospects and leads the Yellow Jacket’s attack. Jeremiah is the key player defensively for McAdory as well. 2020 Sam Youngblood and 2019 Javian Sewell are two other prospects teams should get to know. The Jackets have the home court advantage and automatically hold one of the area’s state bids.
Bessemer City (13-6): The Tigers finished 2-2 in area play. Bessemer City has a roster that plays extremely hard. Kam Harris (2019) is the team’s best player and leader. Harris is a talented 6’1 combo guard who plays with a chip on his shoulder. Thad Williams (2020) and Zeke Spann (2021) are two other prospects to watch. This will be game No. 3 vs Hueytown. It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season, so the Tigers need to bring their A game.
Hueytown (15-7): Hueytown finished 1-3 in the area. The Golden Gophers have competed in every game. Hueytown lacks a true post presence, but has perimeter players that do not back down from the fight. Watch for the Golden Gophers to come out fired up for their matchup with Bessemer City. Anything can happen in Area Tournament play.