The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for Jan. 29, 2019

Clarke County's Claudia Covee Allen

13 YEARS AGO

JAN. 26, 2006

Hillcrest’s varsity boys are just two games away from posting a perfect record in area play this season, after adding wins over Opp and Geneva to its record last week.

Four Jaguars scored in double figures (against Opp) with Cleveland Knight getting 15 points on five three-pointers to lead the crew.

(Other players on Hillcrest’s team that year included Chris Hines, Nick Lovelace, Justin Holder, P.K. Riley, Nick Ackron, Richard Johnson, Derrell Simpson, Blake Bryant and Robert Thomas.)

With a perfect 4-0 standing in the area race, all the (Sparta Academy) Warriors needed was one more victory to clinch the regular season championship.

That victory came in the form of a 68-46 blowout of the visiting (Jackson Academy) Eagles that was keyed by Eric Talbot’s 21-point performance.

(Other players on Sparta’s team that year included Tony Raines, Michael Campbell, Will Ivey, Chris Cinereski, J.R. Williams, Jacob Patillo, D.J. Buckhault and Chase Brown. Russ Brown was head coach.)

Ashton Garner led Sparta Academy’s girls in a 57-43 win over Clarke Prep in Evergreen.

(Other players on Sparta’s girls team that year included Erin Brock, Erica Palmer, Mallory Kendrick, Susan Ann Cook, Morgan Harden, Kara Layton, Deanna Covin and Camarena Godwin. Russ Brown was head coach.)

28 YEARS AGO

JAN. 24, 1991

Members of the Sparta Academy boys and girls basketball teams that were named to the Monroe Academy Christmas Tournament held Dec. 14th and 15th were Tim Salter, Kimberli Griffin and Mark Watts.

Mike Bledsoe’s Sparta Warriors ran their season record to 11-2 with a sound 78-32 defeat of Catherine Academy. Leading scorers were Wayne Cook with 18 points, Steven Gall with 16, Mark Watts with 15 and Tim Salter with 13 points. Others scoring included Scott Brown with five points; McPherson Cook, four points; Terry Conway, three points; Chip Gibson, two points; and Sandy Salo with two points. Team member Richard Weaver is sidelined presently because of injury.

Saturday night the Warriors, led by Tim Salter with 29 points and Mark Watts with 16 points, defeated Mobile Christian, 65-60.

Friday night Sparta defeated Jackson Academy, 88-66. Leading scorers were Tim Salter, 31 points; Wayne Cook, 18; Steven Gall, 17; Scott Brown, 12; and Mark Watts had 11 points.

The Hillcrest High School Jaguars basketball team will host Calhoun High School this Friday night. There will be three games played and the first game will start at 5 p.m.

On Monday, Hillcrest will host T.R. Miller and on Tuesday Monroe County High School will play at Hillcrest. All games will start at 5 p.m.

43 YEARS AGO

JAN. 22, 1976

Evergreen downed archrival Conecuh County High of Castleberry Friday night by the score of 78-54. Evergreen is riding an eight-game winning streak.

The Aggies leading scorer was Ronald Fantroy with 22 points. Leading the Aggies in rebounds was Edward Rankin with 12, playing in his best game of the season.

Sparta finished third in the Crenshaw Academy Tournament, losing to Morgan Academy, 75-64, on Friday night and downing Autauga, 76-53, in the consolation game Saturday night. Ronnie Pugh was named to the all-tournament team.

Against Morgan scoring was led by Pugh with 33 points, and Jerry Peacock and Bobby Johnson had 10 each; Walker Scott, six; and Joe Andrews, five. Johnson with 23 and Pugh with 20 led the win over Autauga, and Andrews had 12; Peacock and Scott, six each; Hugh Bradford, four; Woody Register, three; and Gray Stevens, two.

Conecuh County High School of Castleberry will host the Conecuh County Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week. Varsity and B teams will be participating.

Varsity action begins Thursday with Castleberry and Repton meeting at 6:30 and Evergreen and Lyeffion playing at 8:00.

73 YEARS AGO

JAN. 24, 1946

It Had To Happen In Clarke County: Clarke County, down in Southwest Alabama, is a county with plenty of deer and turkey – and lots of stories about them. Credit Sports Editor Buzz Walker of The Mobile Register with this one, which appeared in the form of a letter in his column from Mrs. Tommie Allen of Jackson.

“Thursday morning when I got up and looked out the door there was a big buck standing by our gate. He had come up with our cows.

“I turned and told my husband, and he got his gun and stood in the bedroom door, in his sleeping clothes and shot the deer.

“That was really something – and the last day of the season at that. The buck had only three points, but he was certainly a fine, fat buck and big, too.”