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By Carey Reeder | Managing Editor

Maplesville High School outlasted Francis Marion High School on their home court 49-46 in the final of the Class 1A Area 7 Basketball Tournament on Feb. 3. It is the first area championship for Maplesville’s varsity boys program since 2002.

After beating Billingsley High School 41-34 in the semifinals to advance to the sub-regionals, the Red Devils gave themselves home court advantage in the next round with their win in the tournament final.

“Winning the area is big for our program, and we are ahead of schedule,” Maplesville head coach Undra Rush said. “The guys have been fighting hard all year long after getting a late start.”

Nehemiah McCary was a force, posting a triple-double with 17 points, 16 rebounds and 10 blocks to lead Maplesville. Jakobe Nix followed with 12 points, three steals and two 3-pointers, and Chris Simon had 11 points, four assists and three steals.

“This shows our program is going in the right direction faster than I thought it would, but that is a good thing,” Rush said. “The community has bought into the program, the school has bought into the program and that shows us we are doing some good things at Maplesville.”

The win sets up a Chilton County rivalry in the sub-regionals as Verbena High School travels to Maplesville on Feb. 8 at 1 p.m.