Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa and Butler, two of the No. 1 teams in the first Alabama Sports Writers Association basketball rankings of the season, are part of the same tournament this week in Huntsville.
The SportsMed Shootout starts today at Von Braun Center and has five other state teams who are also ranked: Bob Jones, Lee-Huntsville, Anniston, Dora and Greene County.
Bob Jones is third in 6A, two spots behind Hillcrest, while Lee is third in 5A, two spots behind Butler. Anniston and Dora are ranked 8-9 in Class 4A with Greene County second in 3A.
In the girls rankings, four defending state champions and three runners-up are ranked No. 1 to start the season.
The defending champs are LeFlore (5A), Midfield (4A), Cold Springs (2A) and Lee-Scott (AISA). Hoover (6A), Madison Academy (3A) and J.F. Shields (1A) lost in their championship games.
Guntersville’s girls and Crossville’s boys are the only teams from The Reporter’s coverage area in the first poll.
The Lady Wildcats are ranked No. 8 in Class 4A while the Lions debuted at No. 3 in Class 3A.
The complete 4A girls poll is:
1. Midfield
2. Ramsay
3. UMS-Wright
4. DAR
5. Deshler
6. Priceville
7. Andalusia
8. Guntersville
9. Thomasville
10. Ashford
The complete 3A boys poll is:
1. Sumter County
2. Greene County
3. Crossville
4. Piedmont
5. Central-Hayneville
6. Pisgah
7. Winfield
8. Madison Academy
9. Pleasant Valley
10. Straughn
This week’s rankings were compiled before Tuesday’s games.