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Woody Wilson
Woody Wilson
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Postseason atmosphere always accompanies Walker County Basketball Tournament

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We’re in one of my favorite times of the year: the week of the Walker County Basketball Tournament.

For 15 years I’ve watched the county tournament evolve and take twists and turns.

The first one I covered, ironically enough, was at Curry – site of this year’s tournament. Back then, eight teams for the girls and the boys competed, as Walker (now Jasper), Sumiton Christian and Parrish joined the five remaining county teams to give us an Elite Eight feel.

What sold the tournament for me in many years to come was the atmosphere was on Friday night, when Walker under then-coach Scotty Ware faced-off against Dora under Heath Burns. The noise from both student sections was deafening – so much so that for the next day my ears were ringing from “Let’s go Dora!” and “Let’s go Walker!” that seemed to echo relentlessly.

To put into perspective, being on the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium during a huge play in the Iron Bowl never left me feeling like the Emergency Broadcast System was running a test for 24 hours straight.

The county tournament has been referred to many times over the years as the “Gateway to the Postseason” in our area due to the intensity and level of play, as well as an environment that’s awfully close to area tournament championship games: those teams who have really good potential for a long postseason run will normally shine in the high-pressure atmosphere, others might hit a stride after a sub-par regular season and be a team to watch, while others fall by the wayside eager to move on to spring sports.

For many of us, it’s a chance to see old friends and family from around our area – often to cheer from the school we graduated from, currently attend or have young men and women who attend. And of course, some family members and friends may be on the opposing, adding a little more spice to the games.

For so many of us, it’s a fortunate escape to watch the guys and girls from around our area compete – and hopefully forget about electric bills, politics and annoying coworkers in the process.

Starting tomorrow evening, we have three days to enjoy this once-a-year extravaganza. And there’s a schedule at the bottom of this column to let you know who’s playing and when.

If your around Curry, drop on by – and if you can’t make it, WJLX has you covered thought the WJLX app, at wjlx1015.com, on IHeart radio and on 101.5 on your radio dial.

As to who will win it all for the guys and girls, here’s a bold prediction: both teams will be from Walker County.


Thursday
Varsity Girls
Dora vs. Curry, 5:45 p.m.
Varsity Boys
Carbon Hill vs. Cordova, 7 p.m.

Friday
Varsity Girls
Cordova vs. Carbon Hill, 5:45 p.m.
Varsity Boys
Oakman vs. Dora, 7 p.m.

Saturday
Varsity Girls championship, 11:30 a.m.
Varsity Boys championship, 1 p.m.