High school notes
- Updated: January 26, 2018
Wellborn girls win coin toss for Class 3A Area 9 top seed; Cleburne County, Pleasant Valley athletes take next step
By East Alabama Sports Today
Katessa Carter’s steal and free throw in the final six seconds of the game Thursday night was an impact play for the Wellborn girls basketball team in itself, but its true significance wasn’t felt until the next day.
Carter’s play sealed the Lady Panthers’ 60-58 victory over Weaver, produced a tie for the Class 3A Area 9 regular-season title and forced a coin toss for all the things that go with it.
Wellborn won the coin toss with Weaver Friday. That means the Lady Panthers are the No. 1 seed in the area, the area tournament hosts and because they play in a three-team area have an automatic spot in the sub-regional round of the state tournament.
“I’m delighted as a coach to have the No. 1 team in the area,” Wellborn coach Shanese Morgan said. “It’s a real honor. I don’t think we have (been the No. 1) in a long time. I have never been the 1 (seed) here.”
Weaver head coach Gary Atchley called tails on the toss and it came up heads. Atchley won the coin toss with Weaver last year. Morgan said she would have called heads.
“I thought tails never fails,” Atchley said.
The Lady Panthers will now play the Weaver-Ohatchee winner on Feb. 9 for the area title. Weaver and Ohatchee play the elimination game Feb. 7.
As for the game that created the tie, Weaver rallied from a 59-54 deficit to make it 59-58 with six seconds left. Carter then came up with her steal and was fouled driving the line with two seconds left. She hit one of her two free throws to make it a two-point game. Weaver threw a full-court pass that went out of bounds and Wellborn inbounded to run out the clock.
In the Class 3A Area 10 girls tournament at Glencoe, Pleasant Valley will play Piedmont on Feb. 5 with the winner playing Glencoe Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. In the boys tournament at Piedmont, Glencoe and PV will play Feb. 6 with the winner playing Piedmont Feb. 9 at 7 p.m.
PV’S FAUCETT TAKES BRONZE: Pleasant Valley’s Rachel Faucett finished third in the 1A-7A Pentathlon at the Last Chance Indoor Meet at the Birmingham Crossplex. Faucett scored 2831 points, finishing behind Pelham’s Erin Long (2875) and Hoover’s Genesis Jones (2852). Her best events were the long jump (5-2.25/712 points) and 800 (2:34.74/635).
Cleburne County’s Nick Dunston signed to play with Wallace-Selma Friday. Dunston is one of three Tigers who have signed baseball scholarships this year. He batted .351 as a sophomore and .312 last season.
Pleasant Valley’s Anna Bryant, flanked by her parents softball coach David and volleyball coach Dana, signs to play volleyball with Jacksonville State. Anna courageously returned from a horrific head injury in softball to have an all-star career and earn her scholarship.
Cleburne County catcher Chelsea Parker (front row, center) is flanked by her parents as she signs to play softball with Central Alabama CC, where next year she’ll rejoin her sister pitcher Amber as a battery again. “They will be a tough combo,” Lady Tigers coach Todd Gable said. On the back row are Gable, Amber, CACC coach Greg Shivers and sister Lauren.
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