Was this year's Hillcrest boys basketball team the greatest in Conecuh County history?

Hillcrest head coach Chenson Griffin, squatting, and Plainview coach
Robi Coker lead teams in 'one of the greatest games' in the 96-year
history of the Alabama state basketball tournament.

“The game will go down as one of the greatest games in the 96-year tournament history of the AHSAA State Basketball Championships.”

That’s how Alabama High School Athletic Association officials described Friday’s Class 3A state championship basketball game between Hillcrest and Plainview. When you think about it, that’s a pretty strong statement, and something that Hillcrest’s players and coaches should be proud of, especially when you think of all the great teams and players who have played in the state tournament over the years.

I was just as disappointed as anyone else to see how the game turned out, but Hillcrest’s team has nothing to hang its head about. To lose on the road on a last-second shot in overtime to the No. 1-ranked team in the state does not mean that Plainview had the better of the two teams. Not to take anything away from Plainview, but even though they won the game, I’m not so sure that they had the better team.

I’ve heard several people say during the past week that they think that this year’s Hillcrest team is the best overall team in Conecuh County history. That sort of thing is hard to prove, but it’s fun to debate. Conecuh County has produced many fine teams over the years and more than a few could claim to be the best.

Those of you who bought a program at Friday’s game in Birmingham may have noticed a number of Conecuh County teams among the past state champions listed on pages 54 and 55. Those teams included the Hillcrest boys team that won the 4A state title in 2006, which also makes a strong claim toward being the best team in county history.

On the girls side of the ledger, Conecuh County Training School’s girls teams won state titles in 1952, 1954, 1956 and 1957 while competing in the Alabama Interscholastic Athletic Association, which was the governing body for Alabama’s black high schools until the AIAA merged with the Alabama High School Athletic Association in 1968. According to the game program, the AIAA hosted its own state tourney at Alabama State University between 1940 and 1968.

I’ve seen references to these CCTS championship girls teams in old newspapers, but I’ve never met any of the ladies who were a part of those teams. It’s very possible that some of them are still living, and they would probably now be between 77 and 84 years old. I think it would be cool for some type of reunion to be held for these former players, who really were pioneers when it comes to local sports.

Of course, no discussion of local basketball titles would be complete without mentioning the five girls titles that Sparta Academy has won over the years. The Alabama Independent School Association crowned its first girls champions in 1973 and Sparta’s girls won their first title in 1996. They also won the Class A title in 1997 and 1998 and followed that with state titles in 2003 and 2009. Sparta’s boys captured the AISA’s Class A title in 1997.

In the end, I think there is no doubt that Conecuh County has produced some fine basketball talent over the years, and it’s fun to debate who might have been the best. If you’ve got a team you’d like to nominate or have any information about any of the surviving members of Conecuh County Training School’s girls championship teams, please let me know.