South Alabama Sports

      TUSCALOOSA — Alabama experienced a nearly perfect expression of nirvana Saturday night, performing a thorough colonoscopy of Auburn for the first 25 minutes before the anesthesia wore off and hearing its fans pile upon Tigers coach Steven Pearl with taunts of “nepo baby” for the favor (favor?) his father did by ensuring he got the job. Thanks, dad, for the special treatment, something that might backfire miserably on both. Auburn is now in a surreal place: A…

      By JIMMY WIGFIELD Saraland’s Jamison Roberts committed on Saturday to Oklahoma, whose lineage of great quarterbacks was a major factor in his decision. Roberts (6-3, 205) — who has developed into a four-star prospect and is rated as the No. 1 quarterback in the state by Rivals and No. 21 nationally by 247 Sports — was sought by numerous elite national programs and announced his commitment during Future Freaks weekend in Norman, Okla. “I felt like it…

          By JIMMY WIGFIELD BIRMINGHAM — There are fantasies, there are dreams and there is reality. The fantasy, as it turned out, was the thought of a competitive state championship game between No. 1-ranked Saint James and No. 8 Mobile Christian on Friday, a notion that was quickly dispelled when Natalie Barton threaded a pair of 3-pointers on the Trojans’ first two possessions as easily as flipping on a light switch. “Once we stepped out on…

        By JIMMY WIGFIELD BIRMINGHAM — Alma Bryant’s girls knew they’d have to stick a lot of harpoons into the whale known as Hoover basketball to have any chance of sinking the best team in the state Thursday. The No. 8-ranked Hurricanes didn’t throw enough of them and the ones that got through were flung off by the dynastic Buccaneers with barely a blink in a 92-47 win in the Class 7A state tournament semifinals at Legacy…

          By JIMMY WIGFIELD BIRMINGHAM — Wenonah showed Wednesday night that a rattler can’t strike what it can’t catch and proved there may not be an antidote for its lethal transition game. The No. 2-ranked Dragons outscored LeFlore 41-21 off the fast break and routed the Rattlers 79-60 in the Class 5A state semifinals at Legacy Arena. “We stressed getting back on defense and stopping the fast-break points and I mean we just couldn’t get a…

        By JIMMY WIGFIELD BIRMINGHAM — No. 1-ranked Oxford shoved Saraland’s offense into a black hole in the second half Wednesday and the sun set on the best season in school history. But with sophomores L.J. Williams and C.J. Williams returning along with most of their teammates, the Spartans might be on the verge of a long-lasting sunrise. Saraland led for only 35 seconds early, missed 20 of its last 22 shots from the floor and faded…

    By JIMMY WIGFIELD BIRMINGHAM — No. 1-ranked Plainview didn’t need much from the nation’s all-time three-point artist Tuesday night. Instead, the Bears shattered Jackson early with a full-court press that made the Aggies feel as if they were walking barefoot on broken glass and razor blades. Junior guard Sawyer Kate Hulgan — who set the national record for career three-pointers in January with 589 triples — scored 23 points in just 15 minutes, most of them the old-fashioned…

        By JIMMY WIGFIELD BIRMINGHAM — The last two years, Jackson came to regard Legacy Arena as its second home, a place where it felt comfortable and enjoyed certain memories, from Micah Caster inundating the opposition with three-pointers to Isaiah Gladney banking a shot off the glass at the buzzer to win consecutive state championships. But on Tuesday night, a victorious coach not named Anthony Hayes limped to the postgame podium while the No. 1-ranked Aggies staggered…

        By JIMMY WIGFIELD BIRMINGHAM — Mobile Christian’s Hadley Kelly may not be able to sweep chimneys from the ground or knock cobwebs off the ceiling fan or replace light bulbs on streetlights without a ladder. If she is an intimidator, the spindly 6-foot-1 forward said it’s more with her words than her play. “If somebody wants to talk a little smack to me, I’ll talk it back,” she said. “I have a big mouth.” But she…

            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 foul shots as the last remaining sand in the hourglass trickled out and the Spartans shook off the trio of losses to the No. 5-ranked…