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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Billingsley High School’s varsity girl’s basketball team fell in the Sweet 16 of the AHSAA Class 1A state basketball playoffs after a huge bounce back year for the program. The Bears lost 45-34 to Calhoun High School on Feb. 14 at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham that ended their turnaround season.

“I am very proud of the girls, the accomplishments and progress we have made,” head coach Angela Jones said. “The bar is definitely higher for Lady Bears basketball. We may have lost the game, but the process of change and building a program, a loss is a learning experience.”

Derrica Motley led Billingsley in scoring with 14 points and added five rebounds and three assists. Alana Jones followed by bagging a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Amber Johnson grabbed a team high 16 rebounds.

Billingsley finished 16-7 overall in the 2023-2024 season, and was unbeaten in AHSAA Class 1A Area 7 play including winning both the regular season and tournament championships.

“Like I tell my girls all the time, ‘We have to be able to move on’,” Jones said. “That’s what we will do, and we will be back.”

The Bears improved by 11 wins from last season, and won more games this season than the previous five seasons combined in Jones’ second season leading the program.