Class 6A Area 16 Tournament Preview: Matchups and Players to Watch
Area tournaments are upon us, with most teams tipping off tonight, February 5, 2019. The teams in Class 6A Area 16 will begin play tonight at Lee-Huntsville High School, beginning at 6:00 pm, followed by another game at 7:30. The teams in Area 16 include Lee-Huntsville, Mae Jemison, Buckhorn, and Hazel Green. The finals will take place on February 8, 2019, at 6:00 pm. This is a really good area, so you can expect some great basketball.
Area 16:
Lee-Huntsville Generals: The Generals have had a really good season, with an overall 20-6 record and a 6-0 area record, they are currently ranked #2 in the state for Class 6A. At one point in the season, Lee-Huntsville was on an 11-0-win streak, including a win over Columbia, who is currently ranked #1 in the state for Class 6A. Of their 6 losses, 3 of them came in a row, when they lost to Columbia, Sparkman (currently ranked #4 in the state in Class 7A), and Wright (New Orleans, LA).
Players to watch out for from the Generals are Kobe Brown and Mason Ellison. Brown is currently ranked #3 by Prep Hoops Alabama in the Class of 2019 and has committed to Texas A&M. He put up 31 points against Buckhorn in January and was honored at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Prep Classic at the beginning of the year. Ellison is currently ranked #21 by Prep Hoops Alabama in the Class of 2019 and has committed to Alabama A&M. He put up 17 points in an 83-62 win against Eufaula earlier this season. This has to be one of the best duos in the Huntsville area.
Lee-Huntsville will play Hazel Green at 6:00 pm on February 5, 2019, at Lee-Huntsville High School.
Mae Jemison Jaguars: The Jaguars have had a very impressive season, finishing the regular season with a 16-8 overall record and a 4-2 area record. The Jaguars are currently ranked #3 in the state for Class 6A, just behind Lee-Huntsville. Jemison lost twice this season in the area, both to Columbia by a total of 6 points, losing once by 2 and again by 4. They took down Sparkman earlier this season, who is ranked #4 in the state for Class 7A, beating them 86-73. This proves that they can play competitively with anyone.
The players to watch out for from Mae Jemison are Brandon Nicholas and Tony Toney. Nicholas is ranked #15 by Prep Hoops Alabama in the Class of 2019. In a game against Huntsville High School at the Huntsville City Classic, he had 38 points and had 5 rebounds and 3 steals. Toney is ranked #16 by Prep Hoops Alabama in the Class of 2020. Toney had 26 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Columbia earlier this season.
Mae Jemison will play Buckhorn at 7:30 pm on February 5, 2019, at Lee-Huntsville High School.
Buckhorn Bucks: The Bucks have put together a pretty good season with an overall record of 24-5, but have struggled in area play with a 2-4 area record. Buckhorn is in a very competitive area, with 2 teams ranked top 3 in the state in Class 6A. Buckhorn lost to Lee-Huntsville twice, once by 16 points and once by 20 points. They also lost twice to Mae Jemison, by 13 points and 9 points. The Bucks were able to defeat Hazel Green, twice, 61-59 and 66-60. The Bucks will no doubt be looking to avenge their regular season losses in the area tournament.
The players to watch out for from Buckhorn are Kuran Garner and Brandon Davis. Garner is ranked #31 by Prep Hoops Alabama in the Class of 2019. He put up 52 points earlier this season against Huntsville High School. Davis put up 14 points for the Bucks in a game against Brainerd (TN) this season. This is a good team who is going to be looking to make some noise in Area 16.
Buckhorn will play Mae Jemison at 7:30 pm on February 5, 2019, at Lee-Huntsville High School.
Hazel Green Trojans: The Trojan’s have had a really rough year, with an overall 3-26 record and a 0-6 area record. Hazel Green has a new head coach and is caught in a rebuilding year amongst a really good area. They lost to Lee-Huntsville two times, 58-38 and 80-47. They were also defeated twice by Mae Jemison, 64-54 and 61-38. They played two close games with Buckhorn, losing by a total of 8 points, once 61-59 and again 66-60, but couldn’t pull out a win. The Bucks will be looking to avenge a tough regular season in area tournament play.
There doesn’t really seem to be one particular player to watch out for from Hazel Green. The Trojans are going to be looking at the area tournament as a fresh start, and are gonna come out giving it everything they’ve got. Any player could go off on Tuesday night and make some major noise, that’s the great thing about basketball.
Hazel Green will play Lee-Huntsville at 6:00 pm on February 5, 2019, at Lee-Huntsville High School.