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PAGE 8 March 2026 E-Edition
Albertville Falls to Hoover in Regional Finals
By Brandon K. Pierce The Sports Ledger
JACKSONVILLE - The Albertville Lady Aggies goal of reaching the AHSAA Final Four this year fell one game short, as the program fell to Hoover 74-46 in the Class 7A finals on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at Jacksonville State. Hoover's Khloe Ford was the difference, as the Lady Aggies had difficulty stopping her. Ford recorded a double-double with 32 points and 15 rebounds. Albertville had three players reach double-digits in the season finale. Mississippi State commit Lani Smallwood led the Lady Aggies with 17 points. Millie McBee scored 11 points and Mylie Butler added 10 points. In the subregional game It took the Albertville Lady Aggies three quarters to warm up, before a 24-point fourth quarter led the team to a 54-35 victory over Vestavia Hills. Albertville led by only two points, 10-8, at the first break and at halftime it was still a two-point game at 21- 19. The Lady Aggies gained a little momentum in the third quarter, outscoring Vestavia Hills 9-5 to go up 30-24. Despite keeping the game close, Vestavia Hills never led, and the 24-point fourth quarter by Albertville propelled the Lady Aggies into the tournament championship game, where the program fell to Hoover. Smallwood paced Albertville with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists, and seven steals. She made 10-of-20 two baskets and was 3-of-8 from three-point range. Alabama’s All-Star Boys’ and Girls’ teams have been selected for the 36th annual Alabama-Mississippi All- Star Basketball Classic set to be played in Mississippi on Saturday, March 14. The two teams were announced by J.T. Lawrence, Director of the AHSAA’s Alabama High School Athletic Directors & Coaches Association (AHSADCA) today. The teams, consisting of 12 boys and 12 girls, were selected from coaches’ nominations by the AHSADCA All-Star Selection Committee. “I think the selection committee did a phenomenal job going through one of the most talented pool of basketball athletes our state has ever seen,” said Lawrence. “We had a lot of nominations and a lot of talent to choose from thanks to our member school coaches for nominating so many deserving players.” Alabama girls are being coached by Blake Smith of Trinity Presbyterian School and Capriee Tucker of Athens High School. Tammy West of Cullman High School is Alabama’s administrative coach. The Alabama Boys’ all- star coaches are Scott Ware of Hoover High School and Anthony Hayes of Jackson High School. Saraland’s Dru Powell is the boys’ administrative coach. Among the top players on the Alabama girls’ roster are Albertville’s Lani Smallwood and Hoover’s Khloe Ford. Ford, who is joined on the All-Star squad by teammate Aaliyah Blanchard, was a member of the Bucs’ 2025 State Championship team, which claimed the school’s fifth straight title in a row under coach Krystle Jonson’s direction.
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, Alabama Ledger
Ella Crace Stricklin led Vestavia Hills with ten points. Olivia Hunsburger and Lila Kelley scored seven points each. Evie Black had four points and Ella Kate Miller scored three points.
Albertville teammate Whitley Booker scored nine points, and had four rebounds, five blocks and two steals. Butler scored eight points, McBee had seven points, and Gracyn Roberson chipped in three points.
Lani Smallwood Selected for All-Star Classic Smallwood, who is coached by her mother Natasha Smallword, plans to attend Mississippi State University, and Ford will be heading to the University of Missouri. Two South players, Hannah Smith of Montgomery- Catholic, and Maliyah Meeks of Park Crossing are heading to Troy University. Alma Bryant’s Madi-Marie Grayson, who is heading to William Carey University, has led the Hurricanes to next week’s State Basketball Championships Class 7A semifinals for the first time in school history.
Ware and Hayes both coached their teams to state titles last season with the Bucs winning in Class 7A for a third consecutive year and the Aggies winning the 4A state title for the second straight season. They will be coaching a team led by big men Jackson Sheffield of Hoover, a 6-foot-10 center who is headed to Vanderbilt University, and 6-9 Oklahoma commit Gage Mayfield of Hale County. Enterprise forward Tucker Wadsworth and Haiden Harper of Lee-Scott Academy are both heading to Troy University, and Oxford guard Jaylen Alexander is headed to Belmont. Jackson’s Joseph Taylor, who is uncommitted, helped lead the Aggies to the 4A state title last season, and has guided them back this year to the 2026 State Basketball Championships next week. Twelve of the all-stars selected, seven girls and five boys, will be participating with their teams in the 105th AHSAA State Basketball Championships at the BJCC Legacy Arena in Birmingham next week, March 2-7. Alabama swept the series last year with Alabama’s girls beating Mississippi 81-71, their eighth straight win.
Photo by Brandon K. Pierce, The Sports Ledger
Albertville's Lani Smallwood in action against Hoover in the Northeast Regional Finals.
Photo Courtesy of Amanda Chastain Photography
The Guntersville Wildcats won the 2026 Class 5A Northwest Regional Boys' Championship with a 68-60 victory over East Limestone. Six Guntersville players scored in the game. Grayson Moon led the Wildcats with 20 points. Kobe Brothers scored 14 points and Hudson Duvall netted 12 points. Turner Hammond and Westin Hammond scored nine points each. Rylan Wilson chipped in four points. To reach the championship game, Guntersville defeated Boaz 66-37 in the Regional Semifinals. With the Regional Championship victory, Guntersville advanced to the AHSAA Final Four in Birmingham. The Wildcats open the state tournament at 4:30 p.m. on March 4 against Sylacuga. The winner will play either LeFlore or Wenonah in the Class 5A state championship game, which is slated for 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, March 7. Class 5A Boys Northwest Regional Champions
• REEL 1 - Fort Payne's Zamri Craig (#11), Zaria Craig (#25), Head Coach Steve Sparks, and Naomi Wise (#5) pose for a picture after their Northeast Regional Press Conference at Jacksonville State University. • REEL 2 - Crossville recently visited Collinsville for a girls soccer match. Collinsville defeated the Lady Lions 4-2. • REEL 3 - The Ider Hornets baseball program traveled to Pisgah on February 20, 2026. The Hornets fell the Eagles 14-4. • REEL 4 - Oxford's Jalen Alexander (#0) was named the Class 6A Northeast Regional Tournament MVP. HIGHLIGHT PHOTO REEL
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