WEEKEND PREPS: Local track stars shine at state indoor; PCA girls, LAMP boys advance in area tourneys

COMBINED REPORTS

Several local track stars turned in quality performances at the Alabama High School Athletic Association state indoor track meet at the Birmingham CrossPlex on Friday and Saturday.

The teams competed in four divisiions and while no local teams finished among the top five in 1A-3A, 4A-5A, 6A or 7A, there were several noteworthy performances.

In Class 7A, Carver’s Maurice Conner set the state record in the 60-meter dash with a time of 6.82 seconds, earning all 10 points and a 12th-place finish for the Wolverines.

In 4A-5A, Julian Fenderson finished second in the 60-meter dash to help Brew Tech place seventh in the boys’ division. Fenderson’s teammate, Cameron Richardson, placed seventh in the 60-meter, while the Rams’ 4x200-meter relay team was second and its 4x400 team was fourth. Tallassee’s Marquese Griffin placed seventh in the 400-meter run.

In the 4A-5A girls, Catholic’s Haylei Mason won the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 9.10 seconds. Brew Tech’s 4x200-meter relay team was first with a time of 1:50.25, while Montgomery Academy’s group of MJ Brown, Isabella Arnett, Elle McBride and Elle Ingram was seventh with a school-record time of 1:51.11.

Ingram also placed eighth in the 800-meter run. Brew Tech’s 4x400 team was seventh and the Rams’ Joy Taylor was seventh in the 60-meter dash.

Bayside Academy won the 4A-5A state championship with 61 points. Brew Tech was tied for 12th, Catholic was 20th and Montgomery Academy was 24th.

In 1A-3A boys, Trinity’s John Thomas Mathison won the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:14.51 and finished eighth in the 800-meter run to singlehandedly help the Wildcats to 15th place.

Alabama Christian fared a little better, placing eighth with 23 points. TJ Merritt was first in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.17 and teammate AC Walters was eighth with a time of 7.53 seconds. David Ortiz-Ramirez placed second in the 400-meter run and the 4x200-meter relay team was fifth.

In the 1A-3A girls, Alabama Christian’s Autumn Jackson was second in the triple jump and fifth in the long jump to earn 12 points for the Eagles. Hayden Waldon was fifth in the triple jump, Zoey Varnum was second in the 60-meter dash and the Eagles’ 4x200-meter realy team was fourth.

Trinity’s Alex Reichert was seventh in shot put and St. James’ Aileen Mulligan was eighth in the 800-meter run.

BOYS BASKETBALL

LAMP 59, Tallassee 46

Ezekial Griffin scored 30 points to lead the Golden Tigers to a 59-46 win over Tallassee in the first round of the Class 4A Area 5 Tournament in the LAMP gym on Saturday afternoon.

LAMP (12-13) will advance to the tournament semifinals against top seed Booker T. Washington in the BTW gym on Monday at 7 p.m..

Tallassee led 12-9 before LAMP scored 15 points in the second quarter to take a one-point lead at the half and 21 points in the fourth quarter to extend a four-point lead at the start of the quarter.

Griffin was instrumental in both scoring runs, scoring 12 points in the second quarter and 14 in the fourth.

Ben Akwuba-Charles added 15 points after scoring just one point in the first half and TJ English added nine for the Golden Tigers.

Rowen Thornton led Tallassee with 16 points, followed by Sawyer Compton with nine and Jaiden Gordon with eight.

Saturday’s game marked the last in the eight-year tenure of Tallassee coach Kevin Mixson, who announced last week he would be retiring at the end of the 2024-25 season.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Prattville Christian 72, West Blocton 15

PRATTVILLE -- Prattville Christian blasted West Blocton for the third time in a month, advancing to the finals of the Class 4A Area 6 Tournament with a 72-15 victory in the PCA gym on Saturday.

PCA (20-9) extended its streak of 20-win seasons to eight and qualified for the state playoffs for the seventh consecutive year. The Panthers will play Bibb County in the tournament finals on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in the PCA gym.

Jenna McClendon led the Lady Panthers with 34 points and 12 rebounds. Kayden Carr added 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists, followed by Ally Blankinchip with nine points, five assists and five steals, Laney Little with four points and seven rebounds and Hannah Royal with three points. Kayleigh Arthur dished out five assists, Chelsea Cutler collected four steals and Christiana Franklin grabbed four rebounds.

PCA has now outscored West Blocton 207-34 in three meetings this season.