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By Carey Reeder | Staff Writer

The 2022-2023 Chilton County basketball regular season had its final few games this week across all 14 area high school teams. Area brackets are set, but these games serve as a last chance to fix some things prior to the postseason.

Thorsby High School’s varsity boy’s team picked up two wins in their last week of action, knocking off Holtville High School on Jan. 31, 51-47. The Rebels followed that win up with another on Feb. 2 taking down Billingsley High School 54-30.

Thorsby had not found its stride after the Chilton County tournament in January, but these two wins have boosted its confidence heading into the area tournament.

“We have been so close to winning so many games this season,” Thorsby varsity boy’s coach Russell Ricks said. “It has come right down to the end, but the biggest thing recently is we are shooting the ball better here recently from 3-point land.”

Thorsby’s varsity girl’s team also took home a win on Feb. 2 over Billingsley 40-24, but fell to Holtville 51-41 on Jan. 31.

The aforementioned Billingsley squads played Verbena High School in their other games this week on Jan. 31. The Bears’ varsity boy’s team took down Verbena 52-45 behind Eli Manning’s 26 points on 11-for-18 shooting. Landon Jones posted nine points and 11 rebounds, and Billingsley knocked down six 3-pointers in the win.

Landon Jones led Billingsley in scoring against Thorsby on Feb. 2 with 10 points. Kyle Boice had eight points.

Billingsley’s varsity girl’s also won against Verbena, 30-20. Alana Jones posted a game-high 11 points and nine rebounds to lead the Bears, and Lisa Smedley contributed seven points and eight rebounds. Caydin Green pulled down 12 rebounds.

Alana Jones led the way for the Bears against Thorsby on Feb. 2 as well with eight points.

The Billingsley games on Jan. 31 were Verbena’s only action of the week, and their final regular season contests of the year.

Chilton County High School’s varsity teams swept Elmore County High School on Jan. 31 at home. The varsity boy’s posted their highest scoring output of the season, thrashing Elmore County 96-41.

The varsity girl’s won 62-14 over Elmore County led by Trinity Pulliam’s 20 points and 26 rebounds. Iasia Anderson posted a quadruple-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds, 12 steals and 10 assists. Tyonna Booker had six points and 11 rebounds.

The Tigers followed that win up with a 58-49 triumph on the road at Oak Mountain High School on Feb. 2, Chilton County’s last regular season game of the year. Anderson had 19 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and nine steals, and Trinity Pulliam had 16 points, 27 rebounds and 18 blocks.

The win gave CCHS their 10th win in a row dating back to the Chilton County tournament on Jan. 6.

“We can only control how we play,” CCHS varsity girl’s coach Rickey Pulliam said. “We are working on the things that I know we can get better at, and if we do that I think things will take care of themselves.”

Chilton County’s varsity boy’s team lost their Feb. 2 matchup with Oak Mountain 86-66.

Maplesvile High School’s varsity boy’s team added an additional win to their season total on Jan. 31 knocking off Isabella High School 48-14. Johnathon Wilson led the Red Devils in scoring with 12 points, followed by Aidan Abbott with 11 points.

“Our main goal all year long has been focused on our defense,” Maplesville varsity boy’s coach Undra Rush said. “They are starting to buy in and understand the whole system we are trying to put in.”

The Red Devils’ varsity girl’s team fell to Isabella on Jan. 31, 52-26. Isabella’s varsity girl’s had a three-game week between Jan.31-Feb. 2, including a matchup with AHSAA Class 7A Thompson High School on Feb. 1. The Mustangs fell to Thompson 53-39, but Amelia Fjeldstad tallied 21 points. Lexi Higgins posted nine points on three 3-pointers.

Isabella ended its week and regular season facing 20-win Holtville on Feb. 2, but lost 70-59.

“We wanted to play some stiff competition to try and get better,” Isabella varsity girl’s coach Jared Day. “They played really hard … Defensively we were really good, and we just had a few little possessions where we got nonchalant. Overall, they played really well.”

Isabella’s varsity boy’s team compounded their loss to Maplesville on Jan. 31 coming up short to Holtville 84-44.

Jemison High School’s varsity boy’s team fell short on the road at Montevallo High School on Feb. 2 by a score of 61-28. The Panthers have hit some bumps along the road this season, but Jemison coach Christian Goodwin has been pleased with his team’s unwavering focus.

“We have some really good leadership on this team,” Goodwin said. “It may be coming from guys who do not get a lot of minutes, but we have guys that realize the long-term effects of what being a true leader is.”

The Panther’s varsity girl’s team dropped a close game at Montevallo on Feb. 2 as well losing 65-56.