By Stephen Dawkins

Thorsby’s girls basketball team last week rebounded from its first loss of the season with its most important win of the season.
The Rebels (15-1, 5-0 area) earned the right to host the Class 2A, Area 9 tournament with a 42-21 win over area foe Shades Mountain Christian on Jan. 19.
The team with the best area record hosts the tournament.
Thorsby bounced back after losing its first game of the season—to Maplesville on Jan. 16 in the championship game of the county tournament—in its last outing.
“We played as well as I’ve seen us play,” coach Ab Argent said. “I was very pleased and proud with the way the girls responded after losing their first and then coming back to win this one.”
Thorsby’s Sharonda Cooper led all scorers with 20 points in the game, and teammate Ashlin Hilyer scored 10 points.
On Jan. 22, Thorsby’s girls struggled at times but eventually put away a gritty Billingsley team, 58-45.
Billingsley held an early 6-4 lead, but Thorsby gained a 12-10 advantage at the end of one period.
On the first possession of the second quarter, Cooper stole a pass and then layed it in. That play sparked an 8-1 Thorsby run, and Billingsley wouldn’t record a field goal for the first 3 minutes of the frame.
The Bears trailed 22-12 before Viola Tyus’s lay-up, but the hosts wouldn’t go easily.
Billingsley cut it to 26-21 in the second quarter on a Mary Beth Walker 2, but Thorsby led 31-22 at halftime and 45-30 after three quarters.
Lori Davis scored 19 points for Billingsley, and Viola Tyus had 12 points.
Cooper led all scorers with 24 points.
Hilyer scored 14 points, including going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to help ice the game.
Thorsby’s Amanda Hubbard scored 11 points.

Thorsby boys win two, drop one
Thorsby’s boys basketball team last week defeated both Billingsley (73-60) and Isabella (59-50) but lost to Class 2A No. 3 Shades Mountain Christian (50-41).
The Rebels trailed most of the game against Shades, on Jan. 19, but took a 31-29 lead in the third period before fading.
“The boys played really, really hard,” coach Corey Clements said.
Evan Bryan and Andrew Farris scored 13 points each.
Against Billingsley on Jan. 22, timely 3-point shooting helped the Rebels (5-9) to the win.
The game marked the first time the two schools, which are separated by about 20 miles, competed in basketball in several years.
The contest was close for most of the first period. With about 1 minute left, however, Bryan drained consecutive 3-pointers to give his team a 19-11 lead going into the second period.
Bryan is a regular contributor from beyond the arc, but the Rebels also got some long distance shots from an unexpected source.
“We got a big boost from Blake Elkins,” Clements said. “He hit three 3’s. He’s never done that before.”
Billingsley, meanwhile, went cold from long- and short-distance in the second half.
The Bears made one 3-pointer in 10 attempts in the half. They were 10-for-36 on regular field goals and were 7-for-18 from the free throw line for the game.
Marcus Bray posted 18 points and 15 rebounds for Thorsby. Farris also had a double-double-his read 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Bryan scored 16 points.
Raphael Brooks and Carlos Caver scored 16 points each for Billingsley.