Staff Reports

The Spring Garden girls and boys basketball teams are off to undefeated starts to their respective seasons. As a result, both teams have lofty rankings in the first Alabama Sports Writers Association basketball poll of the 2024-25 season, which was released early Thursday morning.

The two-time defending Class 1A state champion Lady Panthers (10-0) begin the season at No. 1, while the Panther boys (8-0) come in at No. 4.

In Class 2A, the Sand Rock Lady Wildcats (11-2) are ranked fifth, while the Wildcat boys (8-5) are at No. 8.

In Class 4A, the Cherokee County Warriors (2-2) come in at No. 10.

Other area teams nominated for the first poll of the season include the Cherokee County Lady Warriors (9-1), the Cedar Bluff Lady Tigers (9-4), Collinsville’s boys (7-3) and girls (5-3), and the Piedmont Bulldogs (4-2).

This week’s complete rankings are listed below, beginning with the girls. The next rankings will appear Jan. 9.

GIRLS
CLASS 7A
1. Hoover (11-2)
2. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (16-0)
3. Vestavia Hills (12-1)
4. Auburn (13-2)
5. Foley (14-0)
6. Bob Jones (10-4)
7. Hewitt-Trussville (11-3)
8. Daphne (9-4)
9. Albertville (13-2)
10. Central-Phenix City (10-1)
Others nominated: Davidson (9-6), Dothan (9-4), Enterprise (6-6), Fairhope (7-4), Huntsville (8-6), James Clemens (8-8), Prattville (12-3), Sparkman (7-7).

CLASS 6A
1. Park Crossing (15-0)
2. Hazel Green (11-4)
3. Chelsea (9-4)
4. Mortimer Jordan (9-4)
5. Hartselle (13-2)
6. Mountain Brook (11-4)
7. Buckhorn (9-6)
8. Fort Payne (12-2)
9. McGill-Toolen (8-5)
10. Gardendale (8-4)
Others nominated: Benjamin Russell (12-4), Blount (10-5), Central-Tuscaloosa (10-5), Cullman (9-7), Helena (7-6), Northridge (11-3).

CLASS 5A
1. Scottsboro (11-1)
2. Ramsay (11-3)
3. Moody (5-2)
4. Guntersville (8-5)
5. Wenonah (16-3)
6. West Point (12-2)
7. Sardis (13-2)
8. St. Paul’s (13-1)
9. Selma (6-1)
10. Priceville (8-5)
Others nominated: Andalusia (6-1), Briarwood (7-7), Carroll (8-3), Jacksonville (11-3), UMS-Wright (11-3).

CLASS 4A
1. Good Hope (10-2)
2. Trinity (9-3)
3. Pleasant Grove (14-3)
4. Plainview (14-3)
5. Deshler (8-4)
6. Madison Academy (14-1)
7. Prattville Christian (9-4)
8. Jackson (4-2)
9. Geneva (10-4)
10. Danville (12-2)
Others nominated: Cherokee Co. (9-1), Dora (10-5), East Lawrence (9-3), Madison Co. (9-4), Opp (5-3), Wilson (13-2).

CLASS 3A
1. Lauderdale Co. (11-0)
2. St. James (13-1)
3. Hale Co. (11-5)
4. Mars Hill Bible (7-3)
5. Glencoe (10-3)
6. Midfield (11-2)
7. Holly Pond (11-4)
8. Locust Fork (7-2)
9. Vinemont (9-3)
10. Wicksburg (11-2)
Others nominated: Colbert Co. (7-2), Collinsville (5-3), Clements (5-7), T.R. Miller (4-0).

CLASS 2A
1. Decatur Heritage (12-3)
2. Winston Co. (11-0)
3. Lexington (9-2)
4. Cold Springs (7-5)
5. Sand Rock (11-2)
6. Belgreen (12-2)
7. Lanett (6-4)
8. Abbeville (10-0)
9. Sulligent (7-3)
10. Pisgah (7-3)
Others nominated: Cedar Bluff (9-4), Luverne (10-5), North Sand Mountain (9-5), Providence Christian (7-3), Vincent (6-2), Washington Co. (7-2), Westminster-Oak Mountain (5-5).

CLASS 1A
1. Spring Garden (10-0)
2. Ider (13-1)
3. Winterboro (10-1)
4. Kinston (13-0)
5. Marion Co. (9-4)
6. Keith (10-2)
7. Elba (2-0)
8. R.C. Hatch (9-2)
9. Brilliant (8-3)
10. McIntosh (7-2)
Others nominated: Georgiana (5-5), Hackleburg (8-4).

AISA
1. Springwood (8-0)
2. Fort Dale Academy (5-1)
3. Macon East (6-3)
4. Hooper (8-3)
5. Ezekiel Academy (11-2)
6. Evangel-Montgomery (7-3)
7. Edgewood Academy (6-5)
8. North River (9-2)
9. Lowndes Academy (NA)
10. Chambers Academy (6-4)
Others nominated: None.

BOYS
CLASS 7A
1. Hoover (13-0)
2. Huntsville (14-0)
3. Central-Phenix City (11-3)
4. Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa (12-2)
5. James Clemens (11-5)
6. Austin (10-3)
7. Baker (11-3)
8. Dothan (13-1)
9. Auburn (13-3)
10. Enterprise (8-1)
Others nominated: Bob Jones (8-7), Fairhope (9-2), Florence (9-3), Hewitt-Trussville (10-3), Oak Mountain (13-2), Vestavia Hills (8-3).

CLASS 6A
1. Clay-Chalkville (10-5)
2. Huffman (13-3)
3. Cullman (12-1)
4. Oxford (10-4)
5. Mountain Brook (11-3)
6. Buckhorn (8-4)
7. Pinson Valley (10-4)
8. Hazel Green (9-4)
9. Jemison-Huntsville (10-4)
10. Northridge (10-4)
Others nominated: Athens (10-2), Fort Payne (8-3), Hartselle (8-5), Helena (8-4), Jasper (8-4), McAdory (8-6), McGill-Toolen (7-5), Minor (9-3), Murphy (9-3), Paul Bryant (9-5), Pelham (9-7), Saraland (11-2).

CLASS 5A
1. Ramsay (10-5)
2. Wenonah (10-5)
3. Williamson (9-2)
4. Guntersville (8-3)
5. Selma (7-0)
6. LeFlore (7-4)
7. Carroll-Ozark (9-3)
8. Leeds (10-3)
9. Andalusia (5-2)
10. Brewer (11-1)
Others nominated: Briarwood (8-5), Charles Henderson (8-5), East Limestone (9-4), Russellville (4-2), UMS-Wright (7-4).

CLASS 4A
1. Fairfield (13-1)
2. Madison Academy (8-4)
3. Plainview (10-4)
4. Good Hope (11-1)
5. Jackson (1-1)
6. BTW-Tuskegee (12-1)
7. Alexandria (7-1)
8. Hokes Bluff (9-2)
9. New Hope (8-4)
10. Cherokee Co. (2-2)
Others nominated: Central-Florence (8-1), Deshler (7-4), Escambia Co. (6-4), Randolph (9-4), Tarrant (9-4), Wilson (11-3).

CLASS 3A
1. Midfield (8-4)
2. Montgomery Academy (9-1)
3. Hale Co. (9-5)
4. Hillcrest-Evergreen (10-4)
5. Mars Hill Bible (8-1)
6. Lee-Scott (13-1)
7. Southside-Selma (6-1)
8. Sumter Central (6-3)
9. Glencoe (12-3)
10. Wilcox Central (9-4)
Others nominated: Carbon Hill (10-1), Colbert Co. (7-3), Collinsville (7-3), Geraldine (8-4), Houston Academy (1-1), Lauderdale Co. (7-4), Piedmont (4-2), Whitesburg Christian (6-6).

CLASS 2A
1. Section (9-2)
2. Pisgah (5-1)
3. Providence Christian (9-1)
4. Abbeville (10-1)
5. Decatur Heritage (5-5)
6. Red Bay (10-4)
7. Tuscaloosa Academy (4-0)
8. Sand Rock (8-5)
9. North Sand Mountain (4-7)
10. G.W. Long (10-3)
Others nominated: Vincent (5-4), Westminster-Oak Mountain (4-5).

CLASS 1A
1. Skyline (10-2)
2. Oakwood (10-4)
3. Georgiana (7-2)
4. Spring Garden (8-0)
5. Pleasant Home (9-0)
6. Florala (7-1)
7. R.C. Hatch (6-2)
8. McKenzie (5-1)
9. Coosa Christian (6-1)
10. Sumiton Christian (9-1)
Others nominated: Hackleburg (6-3).

AISA
1. Valiant Cross (9-0)
2. Hooper (10-0)
3. Evangel-Montgomery (8-1)
4. Bessemer Academy (6-0)
5. Edgewood (9-3)
6. Wilcox Academy (3-1)
7. Escambia Academy (10-2)
8. Abbeville Christian (5-4)
9. Hope-Oxford (9-2)
10. Springwood (2-3)
Others nominated: Fort Dale Academy (2-3), Patrician (4-0), Sparta (3-3).

NOMINATIONS RECEIVED FROM:
AL.com
Atmore Advance
Butler Co. Sports Network
Cullman Times
Daily Mountain Eagle
Decatur Daily
Dothan Eagle
EA Sports Today
Florence TimesDaily
Gadsden Messenger
Gadsden Times
Jackson Co. Sentinel
Opp News
Selma Sun
Shelby Co. Reporter
Starnes Media
Tuscaloosa News
WEIS radio