HANCEVILLE – Over the last 22 years, the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) has rolled out the welcome mat for the Northwest Regional Basketball Tournament with several teams from Cullman County as part of the festivities.
But in 2016, the 23rd year of the tournament event, no team in the county will be playing at Wallace State's Tom Drake Coliseum.
Between Monday and Tuesday evening, 10 teams were defeated in the AHSAA Sub-Regional round. A victory was needed here for the locals to move into the format of the "Round of 16" in their respective classifications.
Very solid competition created a winless slate with 10 teams, six varsity boys’ and four varsity girls’. This is the first time the regional will take place without a Cullman County team in the spotlight.
While Cold Springs took it hard with a 94-91 overtime loss in Florence to Mars Hill Bible School, and the Lady Eagles were defeated by the Lady Panthers 58-51, five other teams failed to produce on Tuesday night, with Cullman and Holly Pond both seeing the season end on their own campuses.
The Bearcats were behind early and unable to catch up to Jackson-Olin from Birmingham, losing in the 6A Sub-Regional 68-60. Since Jan. 12 in a home loss to Austin, the Bearcats were just 4-3.
Holly Pond's 10-game winning streak at Felton Easterwood Gymnasium was ended Tuesday night by West Morgan 89-74. This will be the second straight year the Rebels have come to Holly Pond and then gone on to Hanceville for the Northwest Regional.
St. Bernard, who had a fine season with 17 straight wins and a No. 5 ranking, was undefeated at home before the Saints lost the 1A, Area 11 title in overtime to Meek 70-64. Tuesday night, the Saints were done in by Decatur Heritage 53-38 after leading on the road at halftime 23-22. Their third season under Greg Boatright concludes at 21-3.
Hanceville was toppled by Madison Academy 67-41, and West Point suffered a 57-43 defeat in Huntsville to Columbia.
Teams sometimes don't have the complete package together, and unfortunately, on Feb. 16, seven programs in the county were unsuccessful.
Despite no local teams playing at Wallace beginning on Thursday, some outstanding teams will be back as they have established a tradition of setting the goal to get to Tom Drake Coliseum and be greeted by passionate fans from the area.
Those that have made a name for themselves on a regular travel basis to the regional include (Girls’) Austin, Athens, Red Bay, Tanner, Lauderdale County, Madison Academy, Deshler, Danville, Lawrence County and Wenonah.
Some outstanding varsity teams that will visit in 2016 include Lee-Huntsville, Muscle Shoals, R.A. Hubbard, Tanner, Mars Hill, West Morgan, Winfield, Madison Academy, Cordova and Ramsay.
The games will start on Thursday with Class 6A at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:30 p.m. The 1A teams take to the floor for 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. games.
Classes 7A and 2A will be in the spotlight Friday with the 3A and 5A to play their semis on Saturday. Class 4A will get a few days to rest before they come to the Coliseum on Monday.
The championships will run through the 24th, with the winners of the Northwest Regional then heading to Birmingham for the AHSAA Final Four.
