All-Area standouts

By Staff
Priceville’s Bedwell and Hartselle’s Drake headline this year’s teams
Justin Schuver, Hartselle Enquirer
It was another strong year for local high school basketball, with three girls teams making the regional tournament and three boys teams reaching at least the sub-region level. Several players made the All-State team and there were numerous exciting stories during the season — the rivalry between Hartselle and Brewer’s girls’ basketball teams; the turnaround of the Hartselle boys; the leap Priceville’s teams made from Class 2A to Class 4A.
These stories and more helped make for an interesting season and while every athlete played a part, there were a few whose exceptional ability and performance stood out. Those 10 athletes and two coaches are the 2007 Hartselle Enquirer All-Area basketball team.
Boys Player of the Year — Josh Bedwell, Priceville
For the second straight season, Priceville’s sharpshooting guard is the Enquirer’s Player of the Year. Although the senior Bedwell is perhaps well known for his scoring ability, that is only one facet of his all-around game.
Bedwell averaged 24.8 points per game to lead the Bulldogs in scoring, and also led the team by averaging 8.2 rebounds per game. He also led the team in assists, with 88 in 33 games, and finished second on the team in blocks with 27 (fellow senior Robert Varner led with 31).
Bedwell also had a stellar season at the free-throw line for Priceville, leading the team with an 88.3 percent (158 of 179) performance.
In March, Bedwell was named to the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s All-State Class 4A team, the second straight season he has been an all-state team member. He is committed to play at Division-I Samford.
Boys Coach of the Year — Johnny Berry, Hartselle
After finishing the 2005-06 season with just two wins, expectations were rather low for the Hartselle Tigers. Under coach Johnny Berry and the rest of the Hartselle coaching staff, the 2006-07 season proved to be a tremendous turnaround.
Hartselle finished the year with a record of 20-13, an Area 13 championship and the school’s first Morgan County championship since 2003. The Tigers advanced through the area tournament with ease, defeating Cullman 49-46 in the final. Although Hartselle struggled in the sub-region round, losing 63-17 to Muscle Shoals, Berry and the Tigers still deserve credit for achieving the goal of their season-long mantra — “from two to 20.”
Girls Player of the Year — Lauren Drake, Hartselle
Hartselle’s Drake was the unquestioned leader on a Lady Tigers team that had an outstanding season. The senior post player led the team in numerous categories and was recognized statewide by being the first Hartselle girls player named to the Class 5A All-State team since 1988.
Drake nearly averaged a double-double for the season — she averaged 13.8 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game. She also led the team in several defensive categories — she had 68 blocks and 104 steals, both team highs. When she would get double-teamed in the post, Drake found the open teammate, finishing with 90 assists in 35 games.
A four-year starter, Drake finished her career with 1,733 points and 1,119 rebounds. She was also a strong student, ranking fifth of 179 with a 4.14 GPA.
Girls Coach of the Year — Greg Adams, Hartselle
Adams’ Hartselle team finally got over the hump, advancing past the regional round and reaching the Final Four for the first time since 1988. The Lady Tigers were ranked as high as No. 2 in the state during the regular season, and had several notable wins. At December’s River City Classic, Hartselle gave Class 6A Carver-Montgomery its first loss of the season and the Lady Tigers also finished 3-0 against Athens, a team ranked in the Top 5 in Class 5A for most of the season. Hartselle ended Athens’ season for good in the sub-region round, and continued its strong play through the regional tournament with a 55-42 win over Pleasant Grove in the first round and a 47-35 win over Wenonah in the final.
The Lady Tigers lost to eventual champion Ramsay 44-31 in the state semifinals, but still finished the season with a strong 28-7 record.
Boys First Team
The boys first team was an example of sharing the wealth, as all five area high schools are represented on the team, with Priceville’s Bedwell leading the group.
Also making the team is Falkville senior Heath Alford, who led the Blue Devils in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 21.5 points per game and 11.4 rebounds per game. A three-year starter, he averaged 21.7 per game over his career and never failed to score at least 10 points in any of his 80 varsity games. Alford was named to the Class 2A All-State team as an honorable mention.
Danville senior Zack Orr averaged a double-double for the season — he scored 22 points per game and pulled down 10 rebounds per contest. He shot 71 percent from the free-throw line and was named to both the All-County Tournament and All-Area Tournament teams.
Hartselle’s Jackson Holmes led the Tigers in scoring with 12.1 points per game. He was also the team’s leading rebounder, averaging five boards each contest. Holmes was especially strong on the offensive side of the glass, grabbing a team-high 69 offensive rebounds in 32 games. A senior, Holmes was a key component of the Tigers’ turnaround season in 2007.
Rusty Boyd. A 6-7 post player, was a two-starter for Coach Sam Brown’s Brewer Patriots. As a senior he led his team in scoring (17.0 points per game), rebounding (6.5 per game) and blocked shots (3.1 per game). He made 81% of free throws attempted and 43% of field goals attempted. He was a all-county and all-area selection and is being recruited as a college prospect.
Girls First Team
Drake is joined on the team by Hartselle teammate Jessica Andrews. Andrews, a senior point guard, was a lethal shooter from behind the three-point line, knocking down a team-high 87 three-pointers and shooting 39 percent from behind the arc. She made 211 three-pointers in her four-year career and also led the team with 173 assists this season (an average of 5.1 per game).
A pair of Brewer seniors made the team in Andrea Crawford and Courtney Scott. Crawford was the offensive leader for the Lady Patriots, scoring 13.5 points per game and also averaging 5.2 assists per contest. She was Brewer’s leading free-throw shooter, shooting 77 percent at the line.
The center Scott helped to give Brewer a dominating presence inside. She averaged 12.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game and shot 56 percent from the field. Scott broke her foot her junior season and played in just four games, but came back to finish her career with a strong senior season for Brewer. The Lady Patriots ended the year ranked No. 9 with a record of 23-8.
Filling out the first team is Danville’s Lauren Simmons. A senior and two-year starter for the Lady Hawks, Simmons averaged a double-double for the season with 10.2 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game. She was especially strong in area games, averaging just over 14 points and 12 rebounds in Danville’s eight area contests.
Simmons was also named to the Class 3A All-State team as an honorable mention and helped lead Danville to the Northwest Regional where the Lady Hawks lost to eventual champion Sheffield.