Area Sports
Williams, Edwards make clutch plays as Saraland nips Murphy 47-46 to reach first state tournament
By JIMMY WIGFIELD MONTGOMERY — L.J. Williams was too good, Larry Edwards was too composed and Saraland was too determined to not let three earlier losses to Murphy ruin its season. The 6-8 sophomore Williams had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Edwards poured cement on the outcome with two…
Read MoreFreeman’s putback sends sharp comeback to NCAA tournament committee: Don’t count Auburn out yet
AUBURN, Ala. — The basket seemed about as tiny as a shot glass to Auburn Saturday night against Kentucky but the rear exit of Neville Arena and a loathsome invitation to the NIT (The Nobodies Invitational Tournament) was about to be kicked wide open. The Tigers missed 14 three-pointers and 17 layups and…
Read MoreTerry Curtis back home after successful open-heart surgery
By JIMMY WIGFIELD Former UMS-Wright coach Terry Curtis is recuperating at home from open-heart surgery after an 11-day hospital stay, most of it in intensive care. Curtis, 75, experienced trouble with his defibrillator on Feb. 9 and was immediately seen by his doctor, who performed a cardiac catheterization that revealed a blockage which was…
Read MorePrayers turn into roars as Bama edges Arkansas in classic
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Alabama’s Labaron Philon turned a lecture into rapture, a command to change his ways into a command performance. Nate Oats turned jeers into rhapsodical cheers reverberating off the hangar-style ceiling of Coleman Coliseum, where, at the end of Wednesday night’s double-overtime jousting with Arkansas, nobody could have heard…
Read MorePearl’s not panicking but hints at changes to stop Auburn’s slide
AUBURN, Ala. — In the aftermath of a third straight SEC loss Tuesday night, Auburn coach Steven Pearl repeatedly pressed his left index finger to his temple as he performed a painful self-examination. “People are going to be panicking right now,” he predicted after the Tigers led for only 20 seconds in an…
Read MoreSaraland QB Jamison Roberts narrows list to eight finalists, including Auburn, Ole Miss, Oklahoma
By JIMMY WIGFIELD Saraland quarterback Jamison Roberts announced his list of eight finalists on Monday, including Auburn, Ole Miss and Oklahoma. The other finalists are Arkansas, Kentucky, Duke, Northwestern and Iowa. “He’s playing the game at a level where it’s easy for all these decision makers to watch his tape and say, ‘Wow,…
Read MoreTide finds grit to cut its way through The Jungle and perhaps right its season
AUBURN, Ala. — Alabama’s 96-92 victory over Auburn on Saturday after it had been shoved to the precipice of a humiliating defeat, then refused to be packed up and sent back to Tuscaloosa in a sausage casing, might be a turning point for the Crimson Tide. Or it might be…
Read MoreSuper 7 in Mobile gets five days; Class 6A playoffs expand to 24 teams
By JIMMY WIGFIELD MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Class 6A football playoffs will expand to 24 teams this year and the Super 7 in Mobile will be conducted over five days in December, the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s Central Board voted on Friday. The Super 7 — which will be played in…
Read MoreTerry Curtis’ legacy is far from complete as he seeks win No. 362, which might be the biggest of all
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — When lifetime achievement awards are bestowed on coaches, there is a tendency to think they can do nothing more to make their profession and their sport better. Terry Curtis did not feel a door closing behind him Saturday upon receiving such a commendation, although his emotions leaked out when his…
Read MoreDo the math: Danny Powell is one of Alabama’s greatest coaches
____________________ “I am not trying to outsmart the other coach so much as outsmart his kids. As a coach, you may see what they’re fixing to do but you ain’t got time to tell those 11 kids in those five seconds.” Danny Powell _______________________________ By JIMMY WIGFIELD MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Danny…
Read More