The Birmingham News j Saturday, February 28, 2009 j 4C GAME BALL Le’, Parker High School y The Parker senior dazzled in the brightest BJCC spotlight Friday. He dodged foul trouble and sank seven of his FINAL FOUR BOYS 11 shots for 17 points in a huge 52-39 upset of nationally ranked LeFlore. He added nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in only 22 minutes.

Ballplayers score with new attitudes after brawl TODAY’S GAMES CLASS 3A FINAL he world knows about the fines to $100 per incident. are four students at Valley for 10 days. There were also of their compliance with an 11 a.m. Carver-Montgomery and The fine — to be paid through awaiting a verdict on that. 15 fans disciplined. There AHSAA-mandated penance, Madison Academy (29-5) TValley High. They’ve athletic gate receipts — now “We have some students were four out of those 29 who the players will perform sev- vs. Leeds (26-9) checked tape, read headlines, totals $3,900. that have some charges,” Val- had previous disciplinary is- eral hours of community serv- ley Principal Larry McQuiston sues at school. Those students ice in the backyard of the seen photo galleries and According to Hall, Carver- CLASS 6A FINAL thought the worst. Montgomery’s initial fine was said. “At this point I can only got 20 days at New Directions. players they fought with. Some used words that trade $2,000. The AHSAA then tell you what they have told There was one of the 29 with a When both teams speak to 3 p.m. in ignorance like “animals” added the $300 for each of the me. They are waiting to hear longer discipline history who’s the middle school kids in Vestavia Hills (26-8) back from authorities as to spending 45 days at New Di- Chambers County, they will and “savages” describing the six players who were in the vs. Bob Jones (29-8) youth who traded blows. brawl. That was initially whether they have a court rections. have the same voice. Those are not the young $3,800, but the same com- date. I don’t even think these Hall said the students he’s “This happened at a basket- men that Carver and Valley pleted character education kids’ parents know what they disciplining have been recom- ball game,” Cooper said. CLASS 5A FINAL know. Those are not the youth courses dropped the fine are facing yet.” mended to attend alternative “Let’s just say that this hap- 7p.m. school. That decision — along pened at a convenience store I’m getting to know. down to $2,600. There will be 29 students Butler (34-3) According to Chambers disciplined by the Chambers with any length of stay — has over a disagreement and “There were seven players vs. Parker (28-5) County Assistant Superinten- who didn’t leave their bench County school system. It yet to be determined by his somebody got shot. Or cut or dent George McCulloh, at could have been 28. superintendent. anything like that. Just learn through it all,” Hall said. “Our Where: All games at the least five of the Valley players community has reached out “One came forth yesterday,” not to do it. Learn to walk “were National Honor Society to those kids who did the right McCulloh said. “He felt guilty Good from the bad away. We all should have Birmingham-Jefferson and Beta Club” types. Carver thing. I can think of five differ- because he was on the floor. walked away.” Convention Complex. There is good starting to Valley will write a letter as a Principal Gary Hall shared ent sources that have offered He saw everyone else being take hold from all the bad. stories there were several punished for their actions and team and send it to the news- Tickets: $10, one session to donate money to take those The healing started on Feb. 19 paper in its community to ex- honor students involved in it, he knew he was out there, today. kids out to eat for doing the at the AHSAA offices in Mont- press its remorse. Carver- too. right thing.” too.” gomery. The kids showed up That was a Valley football Montgomery’s players will ap- Valley player Eric Cooper Hall expects no sanctions of in shirts and ties. Jackets were pear in a television commer- BEST OF THE DAY was on the bench during that his coaching staff. Valley said player who was not caught by optional. Most wore jackets the video evidence. cial aimed at young people Best guard combination: Par- Feb. 17 Alabama High School they are still deliberating as a anyway. with anti-violence messages. “His actions show these ker may have the best point Athletic Association Central system whether any discipli- There were tears. But a lot “These children are sorry kids are ready and willing to regional semifinal at Alabama nary measures are needed to- more hugs and understand- for this,” Hall said. “If they guard in the AHSAA Final Four State University. He has a 3.6 ward its coaches. take responsibility for their ac- ing. When the teams reported were perfect we wouldn’t in Eric Bledsoe, but no team grade point average. He tions,” McCulloh said. to the state office, the room need teachers and principals. can match the backcourt from scored a 20 on his ACT. Charges pending Carver’s got its own tale. was divided by team. These kids would just soar Butler. Point guard Justin Pride “Our team is the total oppo- Hall met with his staff soon The players were soon in- Both schools said there are through life. But they are not. and shooting guard Trevor La- site of what the perception is,” after the incident and checked structed to move. Carver play- still legal charges pending in It’s our job to educate them to cey combined for 17 assists in said Cooper, who will go to the video. They found name ers sat next to Valley players the civil courts system. Ala- get them to the next level as the Rebels’ 90-75 win over Tal- Auburn to major in computer after name to punish for their one-by-one. Those who an adult.” programming. “We feel we’ve bama State pressed charges actions. traded blows sat next to one ladega in the Class 5A semifi- against those involved. There Hall’s doing what any credi- got great guys and real intelli- “Must have stayed up until another. They were told to ble educator would out of nals Friday. Butler recorded 28 gent young men. But in the JEFF 11 that night,” Hall said. “We shake hands. They wound up this. He’s teaching. assists, many of them on no- heat of the moment we really went to school the next day hugging. “This can be the best learn- look passes from Pride and La- made some bad decisions. I SENTELL ready to seek out those who Questions were asked. Why? ing lesson for the state of Ala- cey, on 35 made field goals in made the worst decision of had went out on the floor. How? The answers were hon- bama,” he said. “We’re weak- the win. Pride and Lacey are my life.” Turns out we didn’t have to. est. ened through this. The public cousins and both are nephews Valley was initially fined Those kids came to us.” “Most shared stories from image of our schools has been of former Butler and Vander- $2,500 by the AHSAA and then The entire 14-person Valley home,” McCulloh said. “About hurt, but this terrible thing bilt University star Howard $300 each for each player that team was disciplined. Those how their parents told them can and will be a tool to teach came out on the floor. That that did not have a previous what they did was wrong. people in our state so this Pride. Today’s Class 5A boys fi- ran up to $6,700. Those play- office referral for disciplinary Their parents did not teach never happens again.” nal will feature a great guard ers completed a character ed- action have been sent to New them to act that way.” matchup as Bledsoe goes ucation course that dropped Directions Alternative School That’s the first step. As part E-MAIL: [email protected] against the duo. Best shooting performance in a loss: Talladega shooters hit CLASS 5A SEMIFINAL BUTLER 90, TALLADEGA 75 14 3-pointers, the most by a team this week in the AHSAA Final Four, against Butler in the Class 5A boys semifinals. It’s too bad the Tigers’ shooting went unnoticed due to the Re- bels’ dominant performance, which included 72 percent shooting from the floor. Talla- dega hit 14 of 31 3-pointers in the loss, including five by Dar- nell Tuck. Best move in blue: During the fourth quarter, an animated discussion developed between fans of Parker and LeFlore in one end of the BJCC Arena. Bir- mingham police quickly moved in, ran the instigator out of the building and prevented others from following him up the aisle. No arrests were made and things quickly went back to normal. Best dunks: Well, maybe not the best, but they were good enough for Huffman’s Devarez Williams and Ed Daniel of Woodlawn to advance to to- day’s finals. NEWS STAFF/LINDA STELTER They beat Justin Williams of Talladega’s Justin Fuller stretches to regain control of the ball as Butler’s Justin Pride tries for a during Friday’s boys Class 5A semifinal. Pleasant Grove and Pinson Val- ley’s Coty Clarke, respectively, to move to the final to be held at halftime of Saturday’s Class 6A boys championship that be- gins at 3 p.m. Butler returns to 5A title game Best time for the biggest crowd: The spectators spilled By WESLEY HALLMAN Ervin knew he would play a beat them inside,” Ervin said. added 11 points and 10 as- second quarter with a double- into the BJCC’s second level News staff writer big part. His career-high 31 “I knew they couldn’t stay sists. technical. Assistant coach for the first time this week Melvin Wilson took over and Butler junior Ryan points led the defending Class with us. Just get me the ball in Darnell Tuck and Justin during Class 5A No. 4 Parker’s 5A champions back to the the paint.” kept the Tigers in the game, Ervin got excited when his Fuller led No. 10 Talladega 52-39 win over No. 1 LeFlore. championship game with a with his team closing the gap coach Jack Doss gave the Re- Carlos Clayborn added 23 (28-7) with 22 points each. The Thundering Herd may 90-75 win over the Tigers. to 82-70 with 2:31 remaining bels a game plan against Tal- points as the top-ranked Re- Tyler Mosley added 12 points. before the Rebels sealed the have held the Rattlers ladega in the AHSAA Class 5A Butler plays Parker, which bels (33-3) shot 72 percent After the Tigers trailed win. scoreless in the second quar- boys semifinals at the Bir- defeated LeFlore 52-39 on Fri- from the floor. Ervin and Clay- 36-15 following the first quar- “They could have laid ter and won going away, but mingham Jefferson Conven- day. born combined to make 23 of ter, Talladega coach Chucky down, but they fought back the energy in the arena tion Complex Arena. “The game plan was just to 29 field goals. Trevor Lacey Miller was ejected early in the and stayed in it,” Wilson said. throughout gave the 5A semi- final the best atmosphere yet. GAME SUMMARIES CLASS 4A ANNISTON 79, DORA 49 THEY SAID IT “It’s kind of like herding cats to Class 5A Boys get our kids to run the right play Parker 52, LeFlore 39 PARKER 52 (28-5) sometimes.” Eric Bledsoe 17, Neko Mosley 11, Perry Kelvin 11, Tommy Bivins 5, Chris Vance 4, Courtney Freeman 4. Anniston rolls Dora — Butler boys coach Jack Doss LEFLORE (29-3) Marlon Ford 12, DeMarcus Cousins 7, Gerald Watkins 5, By PAUL BEAUDRY And when Anniston didn’t con- following the defending Class Darryl Woods 5, Denzel McDaniels 4, Kentari Nettles 2, 5A champion Rebels’ 90-75 win Kelly Vail 2, Josh James 2. For The Birmingham News trol the inside behind Lorenzo Halftime: Parker 52, LeFlore 39. Rebounding: Parker Blair’s 15 rebounds, it hit outside over Talladega, a game in (33) Bledsoe 9; LeFlore (39) Cousins 10. 3-point goals: This time, there were no buzzer- Parker (2) Mosley 1, Kelvin 1; LeFlore (4) Ford 2, beating heroics off a missed shot. with Marquez Safford and Milton which his team led by as many McDaniels 1, Watkins 1. Assists: Parker (12) Bledsoe 5; Curry each knocking down three as 28 points. LeFlore (9) Ford 3. For Dora, there was only missed opportunity against an opponent 3-pointers to help with 7-of-14 “I’ll take Richard Hendrix.” shooting behind the arc in the first Butler 90, Talladega 75 that was long on the boards and — when asked BUTLER (33-3) lean on giving up baskets. half. Ryan Ervin 31, Carlos Clayborn 23, Trevor Lacey 11, C.J. to compare DeMarcus Cousins Steele 11, Dallas Jones 7, Green Azaria 3, Justin Pride 2, Anniston stormed out to an “It surprised me,” said Burns. Marlin Clemon 2. “We knew we’d have to stop Blair with Richard Hendrix, who TALLADEGA (28-7) 18-point first quarter lead and kept Darnell Tuck 22, Justin Fuller 22, Tyler Mosley 12, Sidney on going to win its first Class 4A and we put pressure on him and Barkley publicly felt was not Reynolds 6, Arnold Greene 6, Domonique Garrett 4, tried to front him. But Curry hit ready for the NBA when he Semaj Roberson 3. boys basketball championship since Halftime: Butler 53, Talladega 32. Rebounding: Butler 2002 with a 79-49 win at the BJCC some big shots. Their first half was came out of Athens High (22) Ervin 4, Lacey 4, Azaria 4; Talladega (22) Greene 5. outlandish.” 3-point goals: Butler (2) Steele 2; Talladega (14) Tuck 5, Arena on Friday. School and flirted with the Mosley 3, Fuller 2, Garrett 1, Roberson 1. Assists: Butler From the first putback with just Sixth-ranked Dora (30-5), mean- idea of turning pro at that (28) Lacey 10, Pride 7; Talladega (16) Reynolds 4, Fuller while, struggled to hit its first shot 17 seconds gone, Anniston was able time. 4. and had a hard time getting re- to control the inside game. From its “I sat down and thought about it. first 3-pointer 40 seconds later, it bounds. By the time Dora was able Class 4A Boys Final If I keeled over tomorrow, no held the advantage outside. Sev- to stop Anniston from pulling away, Anniston 79, Dora 49 one’s going to take care of my ANNISTON (27-6) enth-ranked Anniston (28-6) picked it was 27-9 and matching basket for Milton Curry 25, Quintario Hutchinson 13, Marquez basket wasn’t going to cut into the family. My parents have health Safford 13, Lorenzo Blair 12, Brent Tolson 11, Quinton off 25 rebounds in the first half Birt 3, Darius Cottingham 2. when it mattered and 44 overall to score. issues and no one would take DORA (30-5) Dora’s 12 and 27. In all, Anniston Curry led the way with 25 points, care of them. So I mellowed. I let Jo Jo Walls 15, Keegan Tarver 12, Jamichael Swain 12, Bryant Smith 4, Whit Forest 2, Christian Wade 2, Jerian outscored No. 6 Dora 24-5 on sec- Quintario Hutchinson and Safford them play. It’s called maturity of McLemore 2. ond-chance points. had 13 points, Blair had 12, and Halftime: Anniston 40, Dora 21. Rebounding: Anniston the coach.” (44) Blair 15, Tolson 8; Dora (27) McLemore 6, Swain 6. NEWS STAFF/HAL YEAGER “Our defense didn’t make many Brenton had 11. Jo Jo Walls led 3-point goals: Anniston (8) Curry 4, Safford 3, stops,” said Dora coach Heath Dora with 15 points, Keegan Tarver — Parker coach Maurice Ford Hutchinson 1; Dora (2) Tarver 1, Walls 1. Assists: Dora’s Bryant Smith (24) fouls on how his coaching style and Anniston (21) Tolson 5, Safford 5, Curry 5, Hutchinson 5; Anniston’s Brenton Tolson on a shot Burns. “Our offense didn’t do a bad and Jamichael Swain had 12 points Dora (10) Tarver 4, Walls 4. job. It was tough getting in our sets, each. Tolson, Safford, Curry and by extension, his team, has All-Tournament Team: Milton Curry (MVP), Marquez attempt during Friday’s Class 4A boys Safford and Lorenzo Blair, Anniston; Keegan Tarver and but when we did, we executed Hutchinson had five assists each become more under control in Jo Jo Walls, Dora; Nico Johnson, Andalusia. championshipgame. well.” while Blair had fiveblocks. the last two seasons.