In following an impressive string of high school basketball players, coached by Tim Miller, going to the next level... Mekena Randle and Tiarra Pritchett signed with the Division 1 Arkansas State Wolves of the Sun Belt Conference on April 14, 2010 in the A/V room at Bob Jones High School. Mekena Randle, a forward who carries a 3.6 GPA, was named to The Huntsville Times Elite squad this season. She was also All-Tournament at The Times Ladies Classic, the Northwest Regional and at the Final 48 and was named second-team All-State. Tiarra Pritchett, a point guard, was named to The Huntsville Times Elite honorable mention and selected All-State honorable mention. Mekena and Tiarra are two of this year's four seniors who lead the Lady Patriots back to the State Championship game in Birmingham after winning state 6A titles their sophomore and junior seasons. The two other seniors, Alisia Matthews and Shelby Lambert, also started for the 33-3 squad and will be greatly missed. Shelby looked over several basketball offers before deciding to take the academic route to Samford University. Alisia has also had several choices and is attempting to earn a track scholarship after the current track season. This year's squad also got to be a part of Coach Tim Miller's 300th win in route to his current 304-46 record.

Basketball mentors Petty, Miller are tops for Class 6-A
Not only does Bob Jones High School have one of the best basketball programs in Alabama, it has the best basketball coaches in the state.Danny Petty, the boys' head basketball coach, and Tim Miller, the girls' head basketball coach, were named Class 6-A Coach of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association for the 2009-2010 season. To win the award in the same year is rare. Petty and Miller have won Coach of the Year honors, but agree that this year's honor came as a surprise."I was very shocked. It was unexpected, and I didn't find out until some of my current and former players began texting me that they saw in the newspaper that I had won the award," said Miller, 40.He won the award in 2008 at Bob Jones and in 2006 as head coach at Jeff Davis in Montgomery. This is Petty's third Coach of the Year award. He was also honored while coaching at Johnson High School in 1987 and at Madison Academy in 2006. He became the first coach to win a state title at three separate schools. Petty, who is always humble about his coaching, said his honor was possible because he had a great group of assistant coaches and players. "We're all in this together and this year's team was a great life lesson," said Petty, 59. The Patriots (20-14) were state runners-up last year and were a favorite to make a return trip to the final four heading into the 2009-2010 season. But the team was devastated by injuries and became an underdog. The team beat top-ranked Homewood 61-45 for the state title. Petty said it best when he described his team as players who would not lie down and kept getting better and better throughout the season. "By the end of the season, our team played together. Each player figured out what it took to win and played their role in this unique situation," Petty said. "They knew they became underdogs, but that didn't stagger their confidence." On the other hand, Miller lost all five starters from a two-time defending state championship team. With new players and "no flash of greatness on our team," Miller said, the Lady Patriots (33-3) preceded to finish runners-up in the state when it lost to No. 1-ranked Hoover 39-19. "It was amazing how we won games through the season. The girls always found a way to win using lots of good defense. These girls would get after you," Miller said. The basketball programs at Bob Jones are in good hands with Petty and Miller. The men get along with one another, respect each other as coaches and talked about their teams throughout the season. Miller said, "I would pick Danny's brain every chance I could because he has so much experience as a coach and knowledge of the game. He taught me how to be more patient. This season I really needed the patience. It paid off." Petty said, "I thought Tim did a tremendous job and he deserves the award. It's a nice feeling to have such great success from the same school in this one (high) school town. I keep asking myself, how in the world did we do this? How can it be any better?" Wednesday, April 07, 2010, By Bob Labbe,For the Madison Spirit bob0873@yahoo.com

- Bob Jones' Tim Miller is girls 6A Coach of the Year after taking the two-time defending state champion Lady Patriots back to the title game despite replacing five starters.

- Columbia's Jeff Cooper is boys 4A Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to the Final 48 in just the fourth varsity season for the program, all under him.

- Clements' Sonya Marks is girls 2A Coach of the Year after taking the Lady Colts to the school's first state crown.

- West Morgan sophomore and scoring sensation Hayden Hamby is girls 3A Player of the Year.

- Butler junior Trevor Lacey, who injured his knee in the area tournament final and missed the rest of the season, did enough before the playoffs and is boys 5A Player of the Year.

Lacey averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and four assists this season. Like Randolph, he's also being courted heavily by SEC schools and, like Randolph, is a candidate for Mr. Basketball. Lacey, who said he had cartilage "smoothed out'' in the knee and was only off the court for three weeks, said he was disappointed he missed a chance to lead the Rebels to a third straight state title. But he said he wouldn't linger on it and hopes to get a third title in his senior season. "Coach (Jack) Doss told me God has a plan,'' Lacey said. "I tried to motivate the team, but we ran out of gas.'' The team that knocked Butler from its 5A perch, Lee, had one player on the 5A first team in forward Josh Langford. Generals coach Greg Brown was edged out for coach of the year honors by James Jackson, who led Carver-Montgomery to a runner-up finish one year after it was kicked out of the state tournament for its part in a regional brawl against Valley. Carver wasn't allowed to travel outside of Montgomery except for area games, but Jackson got the team to Birmingham despite the limited regular-season competition.

Other local and area girls players making first team are: Sparkman sophomore Jasmine Jones, Decatur senior Britney McLoud, Madison Academy junior Nyla Johnson and Clements freshman Daneisha Malone.

Second-team members include: Bob Jones senior Mekena Randle, Madison Academy senior Haley Stewart, Clements junior Chelsea Haggermaker and North Sand Mountain senior Chelsea Ellison.

Honorable mention goes to: Bob Jones senior Tiarra Pritchett, Sparkman junior Sharin Rivers, Madison County freshman Hannah Nichols, Brewer seniors Chelsey Smith and Elizabeth Bromirski, DAR senior Mallory Kirkland, Madison Academy sophomore Lydia McGee and Clements senior Jordan Beggs.

One other area boy, Section junior Clint Ryan, made the first team. Second-team members include: Buckhorn senior Dallas Jones, Sparkman senior Kendal Jennings, Austin senior Jay Watkins, Butler senior Ryan Ervin, Lee senior Devin Langford, Columbia junior Dionte Kelly, Madison Academy junior Spencer Palmer, West Limestone sophomore Preston Herring and Westminster senior Jamaul Stallworth. Honorable mention goes to: Decatur senior William Johnson, Madison Academy forward Jordan Matthews, West Morgan senior David Pritchard, Tanner sophomore Matthew Hines and Section sophomore Chance McCarver.
Sunday, March 14, 2010, By Mike Easterling, Times Sports Writer mike.easterling@htimes.com

BIRMINGHAM - Tim Miller stood five feet from his huddled team in heavy thought at the close of the third quarter Saturday night, kicking out his right foot and gazing briefly into the stands at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. What was the Bob Jones High girls coach thinking?  What might have been, that's what. His Lady Patriots, ranked second in Class 6A, were still within 10 points of top-ranked and heavily favored Hoover in the state championship game. But it could have been five. Or even three. "We sure had some good chances," Miller said. The powerful Lady Bucs don't allow second ones, though. They don't allow many points, either. Bob Jones didn't even break 20 in a 39-19 loss, which officially ended its two-year championship run. The point total was the lowest in a girls title game, with the previous low of 24 being established in 1984 (Red Level against Courtland in the 1A final) and tied in 2006 (by Arab against Ramsay in the 5A final). "We just didn't score," Lady Patriots point guard Tiarra Pritchett said. "We had shots, but they just wouldn't fall."  Indeed, Bob Jones (33-3)hit just 18.4 percent. But it limited Hoover (32-1) to 22.2 percent from the floor. The Lady Bucs' Meghan Dunn wound up the lone player on either side in double-figure scoring, finishing with 18 points. "It was a gritty, grind-it-out game, the kind we've been winning all year," Miller said. "I think it just finally caught up with us as far as going against some good skill players. We just couldn't put it in the hole tonight." In the first quarter, the Lady Patriots couldn't even get the ball to the basket. After scoring the game's first points, they turned the ball over on six straight possessions. Hoover, meanwhile, went on a 13-0 run to close the period. Bob Jones wound up going a total of 11:53 - from 7:25 in the first quarter to 3:32 in the second - without scoring. "It was ugly," Miller said. The Lady Patriots kept it that way with their defense. And that kept them in the game. They got a basket here and a basket there, and by halftime they trailed 16-9. "If you had told me we'd be down seven at halftime, I'd have come over and kissed you," Miller said. "Especially after that first quarter." The deficit stayed right around there for most of the third quarter, but a 3-pointer by Shannon Steinert gave Hoover a 24-14 lead going into the final eight minutes. Given its offensive output to that point, the order was too tall. "From the jump we knew Hoover had blown teams out," said senior Mekena Randle, who led Bob Jones with eight points and 13 rebounds. "We had played them before (losing 41-35), so it was just a matter of going out there and playing. There were layups and free throws I know I could have hit, but it just didn't work out. "Knowing you could have done something and you didn't, it's hard." Miller, however, found no fault with his players' effort. The Lady Patriots reached their third straight final - with five new starters, no less. "Well, I'm proud of our girls, I can tell you that," Miller said. "I didn't quite think we'd be here, but we were. They played hard again tonight. "I think we overachieved this year, obviously."
Sunday, February 28, 2010 By Bill Bryant, Times Sports Editor, bill.bryant@htimes.com

Junior's late 3-pointer propels Bob Jones past Sparkman 26-25 in final

HANCEVILLE - Rikeyah McKinnon lost neither her faith nor her 3-point shooting touch. McKinnon made up for several missed shots with the two biggest of her career Friday, sinking two treys in the fourth quarter to account for all of Bob Jones' points in the period as the Lady Patriots punched a return ticket to Birmingham and the Class 6A girls final four.  McKinnon's second 3-pointer in the period provided the difference for the two-time defending state champions with 18 seconds to play in a 26-25 victory archrival Sparkman in the Northwest Regional final at Wallace State-Hanceville. She came around a screen to take a pass and didn't hesitate to fire away from the top of the key despite making just one of her previous four 3-point attempts, making the decisive shot in the third one-point game between the two teams this season. "I was wide open,'' she said. "I knew we needed a 3. I hadn't hit throughout the game, but something inside me said 'shoot.' I had faith. Something told me it was going in.'' Bob Jones (32-2) will play Davidson, the South Regional winner, in the state semifinals Friday at 9 a.m. at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. After the Lady Patriots went ahead, Sparkman's Jasmine Jones had a driving shot roll off the rim. Bob Jones rebounded and was fouled with 9.1 seconds left. The Lady Senators had only two fouls, so with not enough time to put Bob Jones at the free-throw line a steal was necessary. They got it when Ashunte Smith picked off an inbound pass, and her shot in the lane that followed bounced away. Bob Jones rebounded again and ran out the clock.
Saturday, February 20, 2010, By Mike Easterling,Times Sports Writer mike.easterling@htimes.com

Northwest Regional @ Wallace State Community College in Hanceville

Tuesday (2-16) – 9:00 a.m.
Sparkman 64 - Bessemer City 57
Read about the Sparkman win over Hazel Green
Read about the Bessemer City win over Tuscaloosa County

Tuesday (2-16) – 1 p.m.
Bob Jones 51 - Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 23
Game Photos
Read about the Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa win over Minor

Wednesday, February 17, 2010, By Mike Easterling, Times Sports Writer mike.easterling@htimes.com

Game 13 – Minor 46 at Hillcrest-Tuscaloosa 50
Game 14 – Tuscaloosa County 55 at Bessemer City 70
Game 15 – Hazel Green 46 at Sparkman 62
Game 16 – Bob Jones 52 at Buckhorn 43

MADISON - Joyce Kenon had never experienced the state's premier girls basketball rivalry until she enrolled at Sparkman last summer and became a part of the Lady Senators' program. Fourth-ranked Sparkman and second-ranked Bob Jones played yet another classic Saturday night in the Class 6A, Area 15 championship game. And no one had a bigger role in determining the outcome than Kenon, a 5-foot-10 reserve. Kenon tossed in a layup off an in-bounds play as time expired to lift the Lady Senators to a stunning 40-39 victory on the Lady Patriots' home floor. Sparkman (23-6) overcame a six-point deficit in the final 39 seconds to snap Bob Jones' 23-game winning streak. Kenon had kept Sparkman's hopes alive with a 3-pointer with 8.2 seconds remaining. After Bob Jones turned the ball over attempting to throw it in, the Lady Senators got possession underneath their own basket. Bob Jones (29-2) - which had fouls to spare - immediately committed one on 6-foot-1 center Jasmine Jones with 1.8 seconds left. Unable to lob the ball into Jones again, it instead came to Kenon, who streaked across the lane from outside the free-throw line and went up with the layup as the horn sounded. While Sparkman celebrated, Bob Jones coach Tim Miller sought an explanation from the three-man officiating crew as to whether Kenon had released the shot with time on the clock. One official near mid-court appeared to wave it off before all three left the court. Moments later the lead referee emerged to rule that the shot indeed counted and the Lady Senators' celebration resumed. "It was not supposed to come to me," Kenon said, "but I saw the opening so I figured 'Why don't I just hit the open area.' " "We knew they'd put two or three on J.J. (Jones)," said Sparkman coach June Seals. "This kid (Kenon) has hit unbelievable layups. She has an unorthodox shot so I put her on the other side knowing that they've got to cover (Sharin) Rivers. "When she got it she flipped it up. But she shoots 'em that way all the time." How long had it been since Bob Jones lost? To put it in perspective, Tim Tebow was quarterback of the nation's No. 1-ranked college football team and U.S. Rep. Parker Griffith was still a Democrat when the Lady Patriots fell to No. 1 Hoover back in November. A 12-0 fourth-quarter run pushed the Lady Patriots' lead to 36-28 with 1:12 remaining, but they failed to put the game away from the free-throw line, missing five down the stretch. Rivers' 3-pointer made it 38-35 with 27.5 seconds to go. A free throw by Shelly Lambert gave Bob Jones a 39-35 lead with 23 seconds left, but Kenon scored her only five points of the game in the final seconds to hand Sparkman its first win in three tries against the Lady Patriots. Bob Jones travels to Area 16 champion Buckhorn for next week's sub-regional play. Sparkman hosts Area 15 runner-up Hazel Green. Jones led Sparkman with 11 points and Alexis Butler added 10. Sunday, February 07, 2010, By Jerry Felts, For The Times

Class 6A second-ranked Bob Jones used a 10-0 run to start the second quarter to build a 25-8 lead on the way to an easy victory in Martin Luther King Day girls basketball at Samford.

The two-time defending class champion Patriots (24-1) kept the Mounties (17-6) at bay with tight man-to-man defense and were able to get plenty of easy baskets inside.

"Anytime someone is that aggressive with us we have trouble handling it," said Shades Valley coach Tonya Hunter. "They play really good defense. It's the best defense we've faced this year."

The Patriots started quickly with an 8-0 run keyed by a pair of baskets from senior 5-foot-5 point guard Tiarra Pritchett, who finished with eight points in the balanced attack. Tierra Jones led Bob Jones with 12 points off the bench while Shelby Lambert nailed three 3-pointers for nine points and Rikeyah McKinnon added nine points.

Morganne Phillips and Ashlee McAdory each scored 13 points to lead the Mounties. Birmingham News - Dennis Victory, January 18, 2010 8:31 p.m.

HARVEST - It was vintage Bob Jones vs. Sparkman girls. At least in effort and drama. The Lady Patriots, ranked second in Class 6A, were held to 10 baskets but held the fourth-ranked Lady Senators to 12 and clinched the Area 15 championship with a 30-26 victory Saturday. "It's not a sprint but a marathon every time you play Sparkman,'' Bob Jones coach Tim Miller said. "I think we defended well, and they do some things to us that caused the score to be low.'' Tiarra Pritchett was high-scorer for Bob Jones (23-1 overall, 5-1 area) with nine points. "We missed a lot of easy shots, open baskets,'' she said. There was an echo in the locker room at the other end of the gym. "We missed wide-open shots,'' Sparkman coach June Seals said. "My kids do not handle the pressure well right now. They play their guts out, but they've got to get a basketball mentality. They have to learn to finish shots.'' Sparkman (17-6, 2-3) was led by Jasmine Jones' 11 points and seven rebounds. Bob Jones sank 8-of-15 free throws while the Lady Senators sank just 1-of-6. Sunday, January 17, 2010, By Mike Easterling, Times Sports Writer mike.easterling@htimes.com