CEDAR BLUFF – It hasn’t been the best of boys basketball seasons at Cedar Bluff. The varsity Tigers had just four wins coming into Monday’s area game against visiting Coosa Christian.

But Monday wasn’t just about wins and losses or Xs and Os on the court. It was about helping your fellow man in a time of need.

About 40 minutes before the teams were supposed to play in Cedar Bluff, Amison received a call from Coosa Christian boys coach Eddy Norris. Norris informed Amison the Conqueror basketball teams (junior varsity boys and varsity girls were also scheduled to play Monday) were having bus trouble. They had broken down a couple of miles from Cedar Bluff’s gym, near local restaurant Jake’s By The Lake before crossing the bridge on Highway 9. Norris and the Conquerors were prepared to walk the rest of way to play.

But Amison wouldn’t hear of it.

Upon hanging up with Norris, Amison made a quick phone call to Cedar Bluff Principal Torey McDaniel, requesting to drive one of the Tigers’ own school buses to pick up the Conquerors so they could play. Following McDaniel’s approval, Amison was there in minutes getting the Conquerors loaded up for the remainder of the way to Cedar Bluff.

“There was really nothing to it,” said Amison, who shied away from talking about the incident. “It’s what you’re supposed to do. That’s the way I was raised.”

And that’s the way Amison is trying to raise his team.

Even though they haven’t had the success they would like to have this season, Amison knows there’s bigger things at play, like learning life lessons.

Monday was a particularly important lesson for them after what transpired last October during football season.

Just days after the Alabama High School Athletic Association handed down forfeiture penalties to the Coosa Christian football team for the use of ineligible players, the Conquerors embarrassed the Tigers on their home turf by the final of 94-7.

It’s a sting still felt by the Tigers – some of whom also play basketball.

“We talk about doing things the right way, that there’s a certain way you should do things, and I guess this is one of those examples,” Amison said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s somebody you might have a bad history with, it doesn’t mean that you can’t help them if they need it.

“There is some bitterness there (from football), and there probably always will be, but in those type of situations you just can’t leave somebody on the side of the road. It’s about the kids. It’s freezing outside, and you don’t want kids to be out on the side of the road when you can go help them out.”

It comes as no surprise to McDaniel that Amison dropped what he was doing to take charge and help the Conquerors out.

“That’s just Coach Amison,” McDaniel said. “He doesn’t have any hate or anything in his heart. He’s always going to err on the side of if I can help you I’m going to help you. That’s what he decided to do. It wasn’t anything big for him. He just said ‘Hey I’ve got this bus right here. I’m going to go get them and bring them right back.’ It never even crossed his mind to do anything differently.”

“Anybody who knows Johnny knows that’s what he’s about. That’s one of the big reasons why I wanted to bring Johnny back to Cedar Bluff when I became the principal here. I knew the kids look up to Johnny. A lot of community members know and love Johnny. That’s just who he is, and that’s what we’re trying to do at Cedar Bluff, not just with our coaching staff, but with our teachers and all the way down our faculty members – how you’re supposed to treat people because kids are always watching. I know Coach Norris appreciated it from Coosa Christian, but I also hope our players see that we’re going to do things a certain way. That’s just how we’re going to try and live our lives.”

For the record, Cedar Bluff’s varsity boys won 57-44. The junior varsity boys also won 49-27, and the Lady Tigers won 49-21.

But the scores of the games played on Monday won’t be what a lot of people from Cedar Bluff and Coosa Christian remember.