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PAGE 3B March 2026
Plainview Girls Come Up Short in State Finals
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Hope
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back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to give the Bears their first lead, and teammate Annalee Shrader made a driving layup with 3:23 to go in the third quarter to make it 32-30. That’s when Davis seized control with her 11-0 run. “It’s just a lot of confidence my teammates and coaches put into me,” Davis said. “I couldn’t do it without my teammates sharing the ball.” Plainview stayed alive throughout the fourth quarter and cut the deficit 57-54 in the final minute. Good Hope made 6-of-6 free throws, four by Ella Gossett and two by Lexi Marshall. Davis, who was named the 4A state tournament MVP, finished with 18 points before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Sophie Konrad scored 14 points, Lucie Adams had 11 points, 17 rebounds and four steals, and Marshall finished with 10 points. “They battled. They played hard. They play the game the right way,” Aby said of his Raiders. “Their hard work paid off. I’m proud to see them bring home the Blue Map.” Plainview made only 14-of-40 from 3-point range. Anderson finished with 17 points, Bruce scored 15 points, and Hulgan added 13 points. Griggs praised his players and blamed himself for the loss. “Anyone with two eyes can see I didn’t do a good job of getting the girls ready. I let them down with the game plan.”
School’s Davis picked the perfect time to take control in AHSAA Class 4A state basketball tournament finals. Just Moments after Plainview took its first lead midway through Ella the third quarter, Davis scored on a driving layup to tie the game. She went on to score the Raiders’ next nine points. Thanks to her 11-0 scoring spree Good Hope pulled ahead and never trailed again, defeating the Lady Bears 59-54 to win this year's State Championship. “That’s a player making plays,” Good Hope coach Justin Aby said. “Ella is an elite basketball player. She wasn’t pleased with the way she played in the first half. She responded in the second half. That’s exactly what we needed.” Good Hope (29-6) won its second Class 4A girls state championship in the last three seasons and avenged last year’s championship- game loss to Trinity Presbyterian. It was heartbreaker for Plainview (34-3) as the Lady Bears fell one win shy of winning the school’s first girls basketball state title. Plainview also lost in the Class 3A final in 2024. “It’s a hard moment for us,” Plainview coach Luke Griggs said. Good Hope opened the game with an 11-0 run, but Plainview’s Piper Davis scored 17 first-half points to keep it close. The Raiders led 24-19 at halftime. Plainview’s Sawyer Kate Hulgan and Jaxson Bruce hit 3-pointers on
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Plainview Senior Piper Anderson in action during the AHSAA State Final Four.
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Plainview's Sawyer Kate Hulgan battles for the basketball during the Lady Bears 62-30 State Semifinal win over Jackson.
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Plainview's Annalee Shrader (#25)
The Alabama High School Athletic Association Central Board of Control (CBOC) has approved school alignments for the winter sports and spring sports for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. The CBOC’s unanimous action came during a virtual meeting held Friday, March 13. Fall sports alignments were approved in January. Winter sports alignments included basketball, bowling, indoor track, and wrestling. Spring sports alignments included tennis, golf, soccer, outdoor track & field, softball, and baseball. “I want to thank the Central Board and AHSAA staff for their dedicated effort and input,” AHSAA Executive Director Heath Harmon said. “As always, it was a difficult job, but everyone worked together to find the best solution as we move forward.” The CBOC also approved default dates for area tournament play for volleyball, voted to raise the fee for flag football officials, and heard a report concerning implementation of the shot clock for high school basketball and agreed to study the plan and vote on the implementation of the plan at the April meeting. Alignments for fall, winter and spring sports were based on the number of schools declaring to participate in each sport for the upcoming 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years and the student enrollment numbers used for reclassification of schools which were released earlier this year in January. The CBOC placed public schools in six classifications, and independent schools were placed in two classifications for the next classification period. Some sports may include two or more classes in a division based on number of declared participants. The alignments for each sport in a class are published in the online AHSAA Sports Book each year. Reclassification, according to the AHSAA Constitution and By-Laws, is conducted every two years by the AHSAA Central Board of Control. The new reclassification alignment data for each sport is available at online at the following link: https://www.ahsaa.com/ Schools/2026-2028-Classification-Alignments. Among the items discussed at the virtual meeting, the CBOC heard a detailed report from Executive Director Heath Harmon concerning implementing the shot clock for varsity basketball and agreed to study the plan and vote on implementation at the April meeting. The CBOC also approved accepting independent schools Hope Christian of Oxford, Snook Christian of Foley, and Kingdom Heights of Huntsville for the upcoming 2026- 27 school year. All three schools will be placed in the Independent Schools Class A classification. Additionally, the CBOC discussed the mercy rule for basketball and agreed to revisit that discussion at the April meeting. The board also approved default dates for volleyball areas to play their post-season area tournaments. If areas decide to not use the dates listed in the 2026-27 Sports Book, they must agree at the preseason area meeting to use the default dates and report that action to the AHSAA. The AHSAA will be increasing the fee for flag football officials from $40 to $75, which would make it equal to fees for sub-varsity boys’ football. A time change was approved for intermission at the Flag Football Championship contests. The time will go from 23 minutes (at the 2025 championships) to 15 minutes beginning next school year. Schools will continue to have five-minute intermissions during the regular season. The Board also discussed Cheer competition divisions for championship competition but did not take any official action. They also discussed the AHSAA state wrestling duals championships but did not take any official action. The next Central Board Meeting is set for April 15, 2026, at the AHSAA office in Montgomery. AHSAA Central Board Approves Winter & Spring Sports Alignments
Fort Payne's Naomi Wise (#5) brings the basketball up the court during the Lady Wildcats AHSAA Class 6A State Semifinal game against Park Crossing. Fort Payne concluded the season with a two point loss, falling to the Thunderbirds 48-46. Wise had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. She also had five steals. Teammate Zimri Craig led Fort Payne with 19 points. Carley Cash and Kinsley Worthey also had five steals each for the Lady Wildcats. Photo By Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger Fort Payne Falls in 6A Girls State Semifinals
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